Great Dane Black Watch Scotch Ale

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

Date: 08/08/2008
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub

Appearance: clear dark red, scant off white head,
Aroma: sweet dark caramel malt aroma, nice touch of fruit, earthyness,
Flavor: rich malt flavor, lots of earthy peat like taking a bite out of a bog, touch of fruit, balancing earthyness, light bitterness,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 5/10
Score: *4

On tap at the Great Dane Brew Pub (Downtown Madison Location). Poured a deeper orangish color with a very small sized off white head. Aromas and tastes of caramel, toasted malts, earthy, and toffee.

On tap at the downtown brewpub 8/8/08: Pours a transparent dark copper mahogany with a stringy-lacing off-white head. Aroma of big, semi-sweet peaty dark caramel malt and a hint of light fruity character. Body starts about average with big earthy grainy grassy bitterness and a ton of smoky peat toward a semi-dry finish. A nice, fairly authentic Scotch ale.

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.

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.

From a firkin. I suspected it would be a bad idea to always have a firkin on and this confirmed that, in my opinion. The body was a very cloudy dark amber that I could not see through. There was a thick khaki head on top. The aroam was apples and leather with some good soap and tobacco. The taste was smoked apple chips with nasty caramel. Way too sweet .

Cask at downtown location. Poured a deep, clear iced-tea brown with a short-lived beige head. Lots of sweetness in the nose... toffee, caramel, and berries with very minor peat and earth. Toasty caramel, toffee, and berries again in the flavor.. very sweet. Light and slick on the palate.. low carbonation.. sticky uber-sweet caramel at the finish. Not too enjoyable.

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.