Pennichuck Bagpipers Scottish Ale

Brewed by Pennichuck Brewing Company
Style: Scotch Ale
Milford, New Hampshire USA

My Bottom Line:
This lush Scotch Ale delivers the expected caramel sweetness in a plump body lying atop a feathery bed of wooden smoke and fieldberries.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam covers the mahogany-tinged dark brown.
-Alcohol is very well hidden by the residual sugars.
-The nose does not necessarily announce the malt fest this beer is. Maybe some maderization will help out, but for now is quite discreet, focusing on wooden tones and not too much caramel.
-Hop bitterness is agreeable, ably drying out the potent dextrins.

Bottle; 2008 vintage.

1 liter brown glass swing top. Dated 2008. Appearance: A thick, rich pour with head that’s slow to come out, but builds to 1.5 fingers high and is creamy tan. Head recedes at a moderate pace leaving spotting. A somewhat cloudy deep deep brown. Nose: Kind of muted. Some whispers of woodfire smoke, toasted oak, dried apples, and lots of malty aromas. Palate: Rich and viscous, sweet up front. Lots of smoke, thick & creamy like smoke (not overdone though), toasted black malt, a little bitterness at the back. A moderate and drying finish. Notes: Well made, but really rich and thick. A two-person or more kinda beer.

Bottle shared at the Beer Wars preparty gathering. Pours a deep ruby/brown with a small beige head. Aroma of earth, peat, very very light smoke, toffe and chocolate. Some of the complexity drops off in the flavor but what remains is very earthy with peat and light smoke. Nicely done.

A deep dark brown clear ale with a thick moka head. In aroma, lots of caramel malt. In mouth, a earthy caramel malt, with light smokey and metallic notes, a bit of English hops, but rahter short. An imperial scottish ale? 1L bottle, 9.99$.

A little smoke. Not too heavy but nice body. A bit creamy and very good. Nice and sweet with a good light earthy hop balance.

Name: Bagpipper’s Scottish Ale
Date: February 06, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Footset Foreplay Friday
Appearance: dark brown, fine tan head
Aroma: sweet dark caramel aroma, lots of dry earthy peat
Flavor: sweet malt flavor, dark caramel sweetness, well balanced smokey peat, light earthyness follows the peat, touch of chocolate
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+/4

750 mL bottle. Dark amber, cloudy pour that has a medium, frothy light tan head. Aroma of smoked malt, toffee, peat and some faint unidentifiable barnyard scents. Medium to thick body with nice mouthfeel. Taste of malt and smoke with a slightly bitter finish. Great bargain beer if you are looking for a domestic scotch ale in the US.

Bottle at Akkurat, Stockholm, 16 Dec 2008. Dark reddish brown colour with frothy, beige head. Malty nose with notes of toffee, caramel, chocolate and hints of smoke. Malty taste with chocolate, toffee, dark fruit, hints of smoke and a nice cocoa bitterness in the finish. Slightly above medium body, balanced sweetness. Great balance. Very nice beer. In short: smoky chocolate toffee.