Flyers Bottleworks VIII (140 Schilling Strong Scotch Ale)

After Imperial Stout, Scotch Ale is my favorite style, and this massive puppy is my top pick of that genre, to date. It pours a very deep, dark ruby/brown (almost black if you don’t have a good light source), and there is a solid head, which soon dissapates to form a lasting ring. The nose is redolent of peated malt, and brown fruits, and this carries over into the flavor, which is immensely rich, and peaty with tones of fig, date, prune, persimmon, kumquat, toffee, and demerara sugar. There is enough smoke that, despite the amount of malt used, the finish is remarkably dry...I’m sure the judicious use of Chinooks really contributes to this dryness, and the Goldings add a wonderful aromatic component. The flavor is somwhat reminiscent of good old Theakston’s Old Peculier, but much richer, and more complex. There is a definite sour component (almost vinegary) but I mean that in a really good way, and it interfaces with some real nuttiness (chestnut). The body is voluptuous, and mouth-coating, and the finish is wonderfully long, and intense. By the time I had reached the bottom of the bottle, I was detecting dark red fruits, along with the brown, such as cherries, and plums...the complexity is even more amazing than I thought, and I can’t help thinking of my favorite Barleywine, Olde Curmudgeon, but considerably drier, and with a peaty underpinning...wow! Tony, Tish and Elliot (Steve’s friends from the Archer, just in case you’ve forgotten us), say you’ve created a Scottish Masterpiece here, and we give it two kilts up! Tried this on tap at Flyer’s yesterday, and I couldn’t imagine a better way to begin the Cinco de Mayo festivities. It was a little less dry than the bottled version, with the caramel, and peat coming a bit more to the foreground, and I actually liked it even better than the bottled version. In fact, I thought it was about as perfect as a Scotch Ale could be.

Fabulous! Too easy to drink. Overall excellent smell, presentation, and flavor. Can I have some more?

This poured a dark brown color. The aroma is nutty with some caramel and chocolate as well. Some alcohol can be detected with chocolate and nutmeg flavors. A very enjoyable and warming beer.

22 ounce bottle shared by theisti. WOW! The pour is dark brown with some redish hues and a large sticky head. The aroma is bready malt, chocolate, cocoa powder, toffee, and some beef jerky. The flavor is not as bombastic at the nose, and that’s a good thing. Very chocolatey with some lingering roast and toffee. Really well made with no signs of alcohol. Full body with a very smooth milky mouthfeel. This was a real suprise. I’d put it up against the AleSmith WeeHeavy any day.

22, foiled. *Damn*, Tony, you rocked this one all the way around the block! This beer has about a year of bottle age on it for these notes. Nearly black with electric ruby highlights. Very brief, very thin tan head. Molasses, black bread, brown bread, chocolate, and raisins on the nose. Body’s on the high side of medium. Soft carb. Chocolate, molasses, the breads, raisins, and plums on the mid-palate. Long sticky sweet finish. Sooooo good. Have to guess that this one is peaking right now.