Dark Horse Scotty Karate Scotch Ale

Brewed by Dark Horse Brewing Company
Style: Scotch Ale
Marshall, Michigan USA

Bottle, 12oz, thanks to BigErn, spasiba. Poured into a Chimay goblet, why?... because I havent used it in a while and I dont own a thistle. Pours thinnish looking with absolutely no head and just the tinniest halo lacing. Color is very dark, close to reddish, amber nearing the brown area of the spectrum. Aroma is surprisingly mellow, lots of sweet candied apple and brown sugar sweetness. Really weird in a way, it just seems to lack the hefty aroma I like in my Scotch but its still nice overall. No alcohol presence. Carbonation is slightly subdued, medium body - again I prefer a thicker Scotch. Taste is overall light with faint roastiness speckled throughout a watery malty (caramel) sweetness. Not offputting in any way but nothing really going on in there either. Again, the upside is I still feel no alcohol at all, maybe I could shoot for 6 if I had to guess. Now that I add the second half of the bottle, I get a nice yeasty sweetness as well as more of a sweet caramel kick. Still leaves my tongue wanting a bit more substance in the flavor.

Thanks to Silphium for the bottle. Hazy copper with almost no head. Aroma of toffee and caramel. Full body, wow. Tastes of everything dark and sweet; toffee, caramel, brown sugar, a little molasses. Slightly smoked. The alcohol is well hidden except for the warmth. Sticky texture. I enjoyed it except for the flat carbonation. I’ll have to get another bottle to see if it’s the same way.

Bottle from Wacky’s. Poured hazy brown color with an moderate rocky off-white head that was mostly lasting with good lacing. Good caramel spicy aroma. Medium body with sticky texture. Medium sweet flavor with a spicy sweet finish of average duration. Very enjoyable brew

I’ve had several Dark Horse beers lately, and have been fairly impressed by their offerings, and the smokey flavor of this beer makes it no exception. Appearance is a hazy red-brown with abundant white head. Aroma is a sour oakiness. Flavor to me is like a smoked butterscotch with a bit of sourness at the finish. Mouthfeel is slightly sticky...the flavor of the beer lingers on the tongue quite awhile. Rather drinkable for this style.

Bottle from Styles, consumed on 3/2/07
The yeast/sediment is plastered to the bottom, and even while pouring all of the liquid, even the last few drops, the beer is still a clear amber-ruby with an off-white head that is large, yet fades to cover, with light lacing.
Really yeasty nose. Lots of phenols and esters. Tons of cinnamon, allspice, clove, nutmeg. That sort of thing. With black cherries and a strong cherry-vanilla maltiness. Light acidity and some breadiness are on the end, but the black pepper, vibrant cherry and vanilla really make it soft and lovely. I just looked at the commercial description and I couldnt agree more. Medium-high strength of aroma, with no alcohol apparency.
Dark cherries and light balsamic vinegar in the flavor keep things acidic and very dry, despite the strong caramel and toffee sweetness. Light alcohol warmth and lots of white and black pepper keep things very dry on the end. But the unfiltered body is extremely soft and sumptuous. Too much breadiness, ultimately, but I love the fruitiness and almost Abbey Dubbel-like maltiness/esters. Never would call this a scotch ale, but that’s ok. Peppery phenolics and light alcohol on the finish, with lots of cherry. Crazy stuff. As an addendum, about 20 minutes later, the phenolic and alcoholic quality are really dominating right now....not so great.

12 oz bottle

I picked this up on a recent trip to Riley’s to fill out a six pack. It has caught my interest for a while. Dark Horse seems to have a pretty solid lineup. Hopefully Dark Horse has a long and bountiful future in front of them.

Aroma / Appearance - A two finger dirty white head floated above a deep burgandy colored body. Cherries, walnut and peat create a tempting bouquet that is detracted only slightly by the scent of stale cigarette smoke. Closing my eyes it reminds me a late winter/early Spring day when the ground is damp from snow runoff and greenery is just starting to appear.

Flavor / Palate - Sweet tea, citrus and almonds form the first impression. The advertised smoky chocolate chip cookies come in the next sip along with oatmeal. This is followed with cherry ice cream laced with caramel ribbons. The finish reminds me of eating powdered fudge/brownie mix straight from the box. Overall this has alot going for it - there is more complexity in here than one would expect from the aroma. I might have to get this again in the future.

lots of flavor here. real good for a small brewery to have such great luck with a scotch.

Pours a hazy, dark caramel body with no head and only a few skimpy patches of lace. Sweet malty aroma of toffee, brown sugar, and dark fruits, accented by faint notes of smoke and floral hops. Medium body with low carbonation. Taste mirrors the aroma. Sweetish malts with slight floral hop bitterness. Some alcohol warming is present but not offensive. Seems a bit like a Belgian dark ale at times, but still pretty nice.