Great Dane Black Watch Scotch Ale

Brewed by Great Dane Pub & Brewery
Style: Scotch Ale
Madison, Wisconsin USA

on cask at Madison. dark brown, almost black in color. a mild ale with hints of fruit, chocolate and some toffee, but little if any caramel or hops. in addition, an earthy quality and hint of peat, but not what I was expecting for a cask scotch ale. a nice velvety mouthfeel. unusual but in a good way.

Brown/Red Coloring with Sandy Bubbly Ring. Semi/Sweet Rich Malt Aroma. Very Sugary Sweet Malt on the Tongue. Thin Mouthfeel and a Light Dry Ending.

Supposedly on cask: I had this really mouthwatering over a cask beer. When I got around to sampling this I couldn’t believe that this was on cask. Tasted carbonated and greasy. Wasn’t soft or had that great texture that I’ve come to associate with cask ales. Very mild malt flavors mostly bread and caramel.

Cask: Chestnut color with quite a bit of translucence. Small, but typical cask head. Mild earth and toffee in the aromas with a touch of licorice and stewed fruit. Slick full bodied feel. Dark earthy caramel flavors dominate. A easy drinking dark ale. Somewhat like a mild, as there needed to be a touch more depth.

Sample at pub. Black body no head. Had a decent licorice aroma and flavor. Alright beer.

Cask sample at the Madison location. Murky dark brown, little to no head...darkly fruity nose, cherry-chocolate with a touch of licorice as it warms...smooth, syrupy, fruit-liqueur character in the body, light hints of alcohol...no trace of hops, fairly simple but enjoyable for a fruit lover...not very close to being stylistically on, little peaty smokiness or English maltiness.

Gravity pour. A great looking black beer with a beefy brown head that slowly faded. Little nose to speak of, and little flavor as well. A chewy one nonetheless. A full bodied session beer. Very little malt flavor, nothing in the way of specialty malts came through. Not at all bad, just nothing more.

Near black, but actually red, color. The aroma seems to have some maple syrup in it. Very dry and bitter malts with some coffee. Slightly sour finish.