McNeills Scotch Ale

Brewed by McNeills Brewery
Style: Scotch Ale
Brattleboro, Vermont USA

Poured a dark copper color with an off white head and nice lacing on the glass. Smokey, sweet, lightly roasted aroma. Mostly the same in the taste plus a touch of alcohol. Mouthfeel could be a bit fuller. A very nice Scotch Ale, thanks EDA!

22oz with the ghetto paper label, signifying limited one-off status.. earthy brown pour, clear with no sediment. head is constant, leaves a ring with some fizzy swirl. aromas of smoky molasses, rubber cement, and deep caramel. together, these whiffs makes me dream of girl scout samoas. first sip goes down like a champ, silky and brisk with a husky finish reeking of graham cracker and maple syrup. tastes like a bock, honestly.. regardless, i’m floored that i’m drinking a mcneill’s bottle that tastes so fresh and bright. what normally would be a muddy ale tastes like an uber-fresh lager? god damn i’m loving this brew. sip after sip after sip and i’m not slowing down at all. no idea on the abv, but the price point for the bottle falls in line with imperial ipa and imperial stout (over the standards), so i’m guessing somewhere 7 and up. definitely the best thing i’ve had from the little brewery that could in the recent 6 months of frequenting said establishment. if i had my andy crouch-ish say, this beer would make mcneill’s a katethegreaty winter destination... and yes, it’s just as good on tap.

Rerate. A very good example of a Scotch Ale. Thin head with tastes of sweet molasses, brown sugar and light peat.

Bottle: Yeasty malty nose, sour dough/carmel.A little smoke, though not as much as I expect from scotch ale. Hazy orange brown color, though fair amount of sediment stayed on bottom of bottle. Little to no head. Sweet initially, bitter finish. Medium to full body. Creamy. Soft on carbonation. Lingering smokey bitterness Only one I found at either discount liquors on rt9 or the co-op downtown. Very enjoyable, but a bit out of style. A little ABV creeps in as it warms up. I'm getting that warmth. Doesn't tell strength. Sweeter than any scotch ale I've had before, but Ray doesn't care what the nay sayers think.

Pours a dark mahogany with a thin ring of light tan head. Aroma has a nice sweet, toasty caramel maltiness with a touch of peat. Full malty body has a good sweet caramel flavor with a sticky, semi-dry finish. A pleasant Scotch ale.

Deep copper in color with a large off-white head. Aroma of caramel malt and a sublte butterscotch and sweet malt. Flavor is caramel, swet malt, sublte toast and alcohol.

From bottle. Deep orange brown with a thick tan head. Nose is a peaty malt, but with some dark fruits as well, raisins, plums. Slightly sweet. Flavor is a bit sour and follows the nose. Nice dry finish.

Jan 04: 22 oz bottle. Very dark reddish brown, heavily sedimented, murky. Small, creamy, lasting head. Very sweet, toffee/caramel nose, bit orangey. Super-soft, pillowy, almost milk-shake mouthfeel; I loved it, others may find it cloying. Very sweet, smoky orange-caramel front, oaky notes in the center, finish somewhat excessively bitter for style. Very good overall, certainly no disappointment from this master brewer, if far from his best. 8/3/8/4 16 3.9

November 2005: 22 oz bottle shared with ClarkVV. Seems too sweet and rather cardboardy and dry at the finish, lots of toffee and pecans...still good, but just not quite up to what it was a couple of years ago.