McEwans Scotch Ale

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

Definitley one of my fav’s. Smokey, peaty taste with sweet overtones of wild berries and chocolat and a little coffee taste. Nice malty bitter finish. Love it!!

12oz bottle. Aroma: Sweet maltiness with notes of caramel, earthy/peaty, light smokiness, dark fruits, and a light cherry coke aroma. Appearance: Dark ruby in color and clear. Medium beige head was full and foamy with good retention. Good lacing. Flavor: Bready malt and deep caramel, light smoke and peat, Dark fruits and cherries. Some light chocolate as it warms up. Finishes with some lingering sweetness, but never becomes cloying. Palate: Medium-full bodied. Medium carbonation. Overall: IMO, this is the ’standard’ Scotch Ale. Everything that you would expect from the style. Haven’t had this in awhile, and I’m glad I came back to it.

BITTER AND SMOKEY. THIS BEER IS DIFFFERENT FROM YEAR TO YEAR. SOMETIMES YOU GET THE ABOVE WITH A PEATY CHARCOAL BURN THEN SOMETIMES THE HOPS AND MALT ARE CLEANER AND YOU DISCERN A REALLY EXCELLENT CHARACTER. THE MOUTHFEEL IS CLASSY AND A BRANDYFRUIT ESSENCE IS USUALLY IN THERE. AS YOU CAN SEE I COULDN’T FISH IT OUT TODAY.

Bouteille. Couleur brun foncé et opaque. Mince mousse qui reste longtemps et colle un peu au verre. Arome de malt caramel et sucré, très légèrement fumé, mélasse. Goût de caramel, d’alcool. Équilibré. J’aime bien le corps plein de cette bière, l’effervescence faible. Finale bien longue en alcool et sucré.

355 mL bottle. Pours a dark brown with a quickly dissipating tan head. Aroma is very malty, like fresh baked bread. Flavour is very nice, almost a sweet bread taste with a hint of fruitiness (maybe cherry?). Overall, very nice, but the sweetness gets a bit much after one or two. Haven’t had a scotch ale before, but will definitely be trying some more out after this one.

Me no, not like, me thinks it tasts icky, me passed it on to Sully, Sully was very happy about this... beer should not have a lingering chocolate finish...

I should say up front that I am a true malt gal...LOVE the malt...So this beer was right up my alley! Poured a deep dark ruby with nice tan head. Sweet malt smell with a hint of fruit and caramel. Taste was soooo smooth. Sweet caramel, malts, and just a tad hop on the finish. This was a most delightful brew and one I will surely get again. I am very surprised at some of th low ratings here. I found this to be incredibly drinkable!

Being a scotch drinker, I felt this beer and I would agree from the start...and I was correct. A quarter-inch head leaves garter-esque lace in a La Fin du Monde tulip glass (no thistles in my cabinet--yet). Smoky hints of alcohol are apparent but not overwhelming; cola black coloring looks better here than on Coke. Chasing elements of sweetness merge with a bitter uppermouth feel to produce a carbonic bubbly palate. The alcohol payoff doesn’t assert itself until the second bottle. By the third, I’m feeling quite pleased--not unlike when I’ve had a single malt.