Saint-Bock Scotch Ale Fumée

Le Saint-Bock
Formerly brewed at Les Trois Mousquetaires
Style: Smoked
Montréal, Canada

Dark cola brown with crimson notes, very minimal amount of lace with not much cling to it.
Pleasant smokey nose, it’s more of a hickory, firewood kind of smoke, not the cooked ham/bacon. Funny, I would have expected more of a peaty kind of smoked, at least that’s what I would have went for if I brewed it.
The smoke really is in the driver’s seat in this one, in fact it tastes more like a Rauchbier. Could use a little more malt especially at first, you only get a tiny bit of sweetness in the tail end. Booze levels were perfect for me though, present, but only as a secondary role. Fans of smoked Beers should really enjoy.

Not a bad scotch ale. not much of a smoked beer though. Alcohol is well hidden and finish is interesting and lasts a while.

On tap at the bar Le Saint-Bock, deep mahogany color, with a small tan-colored head, sweet toasted nose, with a dark dried fruits fruitiness of plums, raisins, dates, subtle touch a smoked malt, toffeeish note, caramelized malt in the aroma follows through on a medium-bodied palate with a sweet toasted, caramelized malts character, with a sweet fruity maple syrup note, faint smokiness accent, a bit oily, grainy, hint of black coffee roastiness, leading towards a sweet toasted grainy, and faint leafy hops bitterness finish.

Dark brown-red body, with thin head. Served at the bar-pub Le St-Bock, way too cold. The smoked finish is light but very pleasant. For a scotch ale I was expecting more of a sweet beer and more caramel flavour. Some raisins and coffee notes.

Bu au Saint-Bock en fut (20 oz). Brun très foncée, peu de collet. Arome de scotch caramelisé assé bien. Goût fumé pas trop imposant, avec un faible arrière goût de scotch.

Clear brown, rather dark and with burgundy reflects. Mostly lasting beige head comes and cover it all. As expected, considerable smokiness emanates from the malts upon smelling, but surprisingly, a good dose of roastiness plays alongside with it. The result comes off pretty nutty, in my mind immediately reminding of smoked almonds, though the roastiness goes further, not quite chocolatey, but possibly toward a mellow coffee flavour. Hops remain neglectable all through, which must be the reason why we manage to perceive subtle notes of dark reddish berries or prunes underneath the earthiness. The roastiness dominates the sweetness that we usually associate with scotch ales, don’t look too much for caramel, butterscotch or desserty flavors as the beer remains mostly dry. In terms of texture, the liquid slides slowly along the tongue with a rather hard carbonation that accentuates its initially minimal mineral components, though after a few minutes, it becomes oilier, though a bit thin compared to its flavors. Not so rich as I expected, darker malt bill than I anticipated, but an inventive offering showcasing the potential for craft brewing of playing with smoked malts in styles that are not german.

Dark clear brown ale with a thick moka head. Sweet raisin aroma with light molasses. In mouth, a roasted malt with notws of vinous raisins, not very sweet and very light peated notes. Rich and smooth. Went nicely with the Bosniac meat.

Le nez est délicieux, et évocateur. On pense à des saucisses de porc fumées, un café doux et une promesse d’amertume qui pourrait avoir une certaine acidité. Les nuances du café ici. La bière est noire, avec une profondeur de rouge sanguinaire. Légère carbonatation levant en son corps obscur. Poupre. En bouche, c’est du saumon fumé à l’amérindienne. Un café est présent mais pas autant que j’aurais pu le croire. Un peu léger comme corps pour l’audace de ses saveurs de fumé. Ca laisse le palais un peu confus. Je voudrait une bière plus lourde, ou carbonatée pour alléger le fumé, ou le mettre en évidence. En somme, c’est une bière très BBQ-mesquite qui s’allie a perfection avec une assiète de viande fumée à la bosniaque à Lubière.