Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #8

Brewed by Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Style: Scotch Ale
Houston, Texas USA

It takes a lot for me to give a perfect rating, but this beer gets it hands down, its just that amazing. It pours a hazy dark brown with minimal head. The aroma is a restrained malty scent, which does nothing to prepare you for the onslaught that is the taste. The first thing that hits you is the smoked malt flavor along with the very lively mouthfeel. This fades back to a nice malt backbone with the smoke still present but at a lesser degree. This beer is one of a kind, and its such a shame that most of you will never get a chance to try it.

12 oz. bottle served in tumbler- poured a non transparent and heavily murky dark brown with an easily to spot shade of black. Carbonation was heavy, but subsided. Aroma of ... well, like scotch! Malt is sublime with undertones of liquor, smoke, plum, and all the good things in life. Hits the mouth with body wide enough to drive a Kenworth with a double trailer through, SIDEWAYS, malt is there along with sweetness and alcohol... whoa, is this beer or scotch? Middle holds up just fine, finish is sweet, lingers, has a slight burn, and makes you wish there wasn’t a six pack limit on this brew. Is this a reincarnation of number #4? No, this is a different beast, but a better (!) one if my memory serves me correctly! I can understand why stores (nameless, faceless) in Austin sold out of this in less than an hour after it being on the shelves, because it’s a HOME RUN!!!

Whew, I’m extremely glad I was able to fenaggle (sp?) my way into getting some of this beer! Pours dark brown-red with orange/rust highlights and a medium sized long lasting beige head. First thing I notice in the aroma is smoke, glorious smoke! Also, plenty of toffee, caramel, cherry/raisin, medicinal peat (think Laphraoig), leather, bread, and biscuits. Love the woody meaty smoke though. Tastes sweet upfront with caramel, toffee, brown sugar, then mellow smoke, peat, wood, and buttered biscuits. Finishes with the smoke drying out to lightly charred wood, toast, biscuits, dirt, and earth. Medium-heavy body, very creamy and frothy mouthfeel, but the carbonation is a tad too high. I love sweet scotch ales and I REALLY love rauchbiers, so when get something that’s both, I’m gonna fucking love the result. And sure enough, I do!

Bottle from Kegs & Barrels in Plano, TX. Pours a cloudy brown with tan head. Aroma of peat smoke, toffee, light dark roast, light caramel. Flavor of peat smoke, sweet, toffee, burnt caramel, some spicy alcohol. Mouth feel is heavy body with medium carbonation, smooth feel. Overall, an excellent brew, would like again after it ages. Very tasty brew......makes me want a cigar and a spicy steak.

Bottle. Smells of roasted malts and alcohol. Amazing Appearance of a dark amber color with plenty of floaties and minimal head retention. Tasted like caramel and then the roasted nutty flavor comes in. Went down smooth on my palate. This is the best scotch ale I’ve ever had and should not be missed. If you can’t get it in your area then you should definitly trade with someone because it is very rare and phenomenal.

Bottle from ericandersnavy. Damn this is friggin good!! Amber pour with a creamy light tan head. Great peaty aroma with roasted nuts, caramel, and some lightly perceptible fruit. Flavor has a remarkably delicious peaty aspect with some nuts and lots of caramel malt. Damn good. Really good.

9/11/09 9:20am, purchased at Kroger, already chilled! another release another mad dash, but i opted for the one sixer this year.. . Pours a dark murky brown.. . fantastic medium strength head, looks great .. . smell is of plum, sweet alcohol, light burnt wood, and sweet molasses .. . wow, has quite a bite, should age wonderfully on that note.. . interesting blend of flavours, from rum to molasses and more plum/smoke .. . quite nice, ranges in many different directions.. . some time should do this well.. . i preferred #4 by a mile but this is still cool..

Poored hazybrown/red with a small fading head. Nose of smoke, more smoke, wood and dark fruit. Tasted of roasted nuts, smokey wood, dark fruit, toffee, with a strong up front alcohol burn fading behind a nice malt bill. Well done.