McEwans Champion

Brewed by John Smiths (S&N, Heineken)
Style: Scotch Ale
Tadcaster, England

Sept, 2002: Filtered Bottle.A fine malty beer, with all the complex flavours that come with a good malt brew. This has a lot in common with a milk stout - dark fruits and an agreeable sweetness with the added twist of licorice. A splendid drink, but not one for those who like hops. [3.0]
Jan, 2005:Filtered Bottle. A Head to Head with <a href=Beer-Ratings.asp?BeerID=294&FanOfID=4383>F 1845. An interesting match - an English strong ale against a Scottish strong ale. Both are dark red - though the Scotch is darker, less attractive. Malty aroma combined with unpleasant fridge ice and tin from the artificial carbonation. Some buttery notes and a hint of diacetyl. Though not strictly top quality, the aroma is more enjoyable than it sounds. This would be a very attractive aroma if the beer were bottle conditioned. Mouthfeel is a little cheap and rough from the filtering, pasteurising and artifical carbonisation, but the taste is very pleasant and attractive. Sweet and malty with just a little push of earthy hops in the background, coming in warmer in the finish and growing in strength to contrast the sweetness. The actual strength of 7.3% is hardly noticable, except late in the finish, and deep in the belly. Lots of caramel. Can be just a bit boring; just a bit over bearing; especially contrasted with the more wide-ranging Fullers, but I like this. Given the right treatment, this could be a class act. As it stands at the moment it’s simply an enjoyable strong malty brew. [3.0]

Dark redish color middle white head. Strong sweet fruity aroma. Heavy taste of fruit and alcohol. Sour bitter finish.

Bottle from Tesco. Bog standard Scotch ale. Big, malty flavours and reasonably well hidden alcohol.. I prefer the sweeter, caramel flavoured ones like Gordons.

<iBottle. The colour is dark copper with a tint of brown. The pale beige foam is thick, firm and three fingers high.

The smell is generous with sweet flavours of diacetyl, nuts, dark rye bread, nuts and a somewhat smoky touch.

The carbonation is soft and pleasant.

The taste is quite complex with notes of rye bread, smoked ham, diacetyl, treacle, cream and a gentle bitterness. The taste develops into an almost sherry-like taste of sweetness and alcohol with a hint of salt.

The only drawback to this fine ale is its strength – I got pretty tipsy after 500 ml of this 7.5% brew.

Bottled. Full aroma of berries, chocolate and lots of malt. Reddy brown in appearance with nice patchy head and good lacing. Taste is warming with lots of sugars, malts and fruits. A real good beer with a Belgian feel to it as well as Scottishness.

Toasty malt aroma, light tang, fruity hops. Some caramel. Dark red-brown clear, with foamy lacing off-white head. Medium-heavy body with light-medium carbonation. Starts with caramel brown-sugar sweetness, malty. Low acidity. Light tang with some fruity hops in the finish. After is light sweet, nutty, with some nice bitterness. Can discern the 7.3%

Bottle from Co-op, Stirchley, Birmingham. Dark ruby brown, with a smallish, very sliky head and smooth lacing. Vague sweet aroma. A pretty negligible flavour of brown sugar, some rum and toffee. Warming on the finish, some intensity and sweetness. I think my teeth are going numb. Can’t be a good thing...

500ml Bottle. Sweet and malty. Some dark fruits in the flavour. Couldn't tell that it is 7.3%, alcohol hidden very well. Lovely beer, one of my favourite scottish ales.