Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #4

Formerly brewed at Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Style: Scotch Ale
Houston, Texas USA

Rating #55 for this beer.
. . . . . . . . . .
9/15/2007: Oh yeah! Now this is what I have been craving... Saint Arnold Divine Reserve No. 4 pours a clear tawny brown color with a scant, foamy head around the edge. The aroma is rich, malty and sweet with dark fruits (rasins and dates), a meaty smokiness (light peat), chocolate and caramelized malt. Carmelized malt and a deep smokiness meld together wonderfully in the slightly dry flavor. This is also a hint of chocolate and tobacco in the flavor as well. The alcohol is well-blended into the flavor and quite warming. This beer has a medium-full body and is very smooth. The carbonation is made up of extremely fine bubbles which create a nice, mellow mouthfeel. This is and excellent beer and pretty much what a good Scotch Ale should be.

12 fl oz. bottle from buckybeer. Thank you Mark! Total Score: 4.1
. . . . . . . . . .

2007 Vintage

9/17/2009: Saint Arnold Divine Reserve No. 4... Aroma: Rich, deeply caramelized malts; hints of dark fruits; smells like a real, traditional Scotch Ale should! Appearance: Extremely deep brown with some fine sediment in suspension; low carbonation and a fairly non-existent head. Flavor: Wonderfully darkly caramelized malts, a touch of charred wood, good alcohol presence - it’s there but complements the flavor well; a touch of peat and cigar-like smoke and chewy dried apricot in the finsh. Palate: Medium-full, average mouthfeel. Overall: This is a damn solid and damn fine Scotch Ale that tastes like a real, traditional Scotch Ale should taste like!

12 fl. oz. bottle (twist-off cap; "Take no pilsners!") from buckybeer via trade. Thanks Mark! Total Score: 4.2

Beer pours clear mahogeny brown color with a dissipating tan colored head. Aroma is very richly malty with some toffee and a light smokiness, no sign of the big ABV in the nose. Flavor is sweet malt with raisins, caramel, and smoke. Finish is dry and spicy. This is a yummy beer and my favorite of the Divine series. I hope it holds up better than #2 which has gone over a cliff.

12 oz bottle. A dark brown brew that barely allows light. Head settles to a tan ring and a haze. Grape jelly, caramel and wood. Taste delivers a big burst of creamy dark chocolate and toffee that melts away leaving a yeasty tang and tobacco. Medium body and controlled sweetness make this a satisfying sipper.

Dark Brown with Reddish Hues and Quickly Receding Sandy Head. Cooked Sugar, Caramel, Light Fruit and Ashen Smoked Notes Fill the Nostrils. Also some Nice Deep Coffee Roasts. Medium Bodied...Syrupy Smoked Mouthfeel. Big Notes of Smoke, Coffee, Burnt Sugar and Some Light Breadiness...Raisins, Subtle Woody Notes and Smoke End Out the Palate with the Smoked Flavor Lingering in the Back of the Mouth in the Aftertaste. Ending Notes there are some Faint Fruit and More Notably Spices. Very Sweet, Relatively Light Bodied and Low on Carbonation. Alcohol is Smooth and Provides a Nice Warming. Some Nice Overall Flavors on This One but Something Tastes a Bit Off Center.

12oz bottle from Secret Santa. Aroma: Wow. Big woody and smoky aroma right off the bat and throughout. Caramel, light chocolate, raisins and cherries, light coffee. Appearance: Dark brown in color with small red highlights. Light tan head was medium and foamy with fair retention. Fair lacing. Flavor: The wood and smoke hit first again with a bit of a campfire note. Chocolate, caramel, cola, cherries and raisins, alcohol, bready yeast, and some floral hop notes into the finish. Sweet finish is just short of too much. Palate: Medium-full bodied. Moderate carbonation. Light alcohol warmth on tongue. Overall: I love a good smokey scotch ale, but this one was crazy. It worked, though. Nice flavors throughout.

12oz bottle from fly. First smell is like a rauchbier, with heavy smoke, but then more roast and some scotch comes through so it sets up like a smoked porter or smoked wee heavy. Very, very nice nose. Dark burgundy colored body with a dark tan head. Heavy, sweet cherry and cedar wood flavors, sticky, sweet cherries. Heavy palate, prickly, spicy and sticky. Great stuff, I could drink a lot more of this.

12oz bottle, courtesy of mj. Thanks, Mike! Pours a murky brown color; light tan head with patchy lacing. Very smoky, charred malt presence in the aroma; roasted meat. Medium-to-full, smoky mouthfeel: definitely some roasted charred meat and smoke; dense, chewy maltiness; oily smoke and charred malts; more of a spicy smoked beer than a scotch ale. Lengthy, smoky and burnt malt finish with a sweet, dried fruit maltiness underneath; some caramel.

Date: 04/14/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

dark brown, wispy beige head, trace of lace, huge smoky wood aroma and only a hint of dark caramel, rich chocolate flavor, nice earthy hops, dark caramel adds good complexity, light smoke, light tartness, the rich chocolate and the earthy quality make the beer special

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.8/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4