Pours a very dark, ruby brown in color. About a quarter inch of head on the pour, but is quickly gone. Smell is malts, licorice and some dark fruit. Taste is caramel, some heavy malt and some more dark fruit. This is very creamy and smooth on the mouthfeel. Would like to see a bit more carbonation, but the flavor is very nice. Good solid, regular offering from FFF.

Bottle thanks to Optigon: Poured a deep reddish brown with a thin tan head. The aroma is caramel, roasted nuts, malts and hint of chocolate. Taste is smokey with roasted malts some soft sugary caramel or chocolate that adds to the enjoyment. This style has eluded me until this point (luckily I obtained this in a trade), since this now completes all styles for me I can actually say this was a great one to end on.

(10/14/08) Draught sample at the brewpub in Munster. Dark amber color. Aroma of slightly smoky malt, caramel and some fruity notes. Sweetish flavor, a bit smoky, with malt, caramel, some bread, biscuit notes and hints of alcohol. Medium to full-bodied.

Another solid brew from 3F. Thanks to msante79 for the pour. I really enjoy this style of beer. Pours dark amber and looks great in the glass. Malt very present in the nose. Exceptional taste, this stuff goes down so smooth. Perfect carbonation and easy finish. Would drink again and again.

Admittedly, sometimes half the fun in discovering new beers is the names that they are given. Granted a name doesn’t make a beer, but if it is enough to intrigue and catch my attention, it has a good chance of going home with me, for better or for worse. Vice versa, a plain and unassuming bottle of beer has just as much potential of grandeur as a funky bottle, but let’s face it, we are a visual people and what catches our eye first is more likely to be our first consideration. While Robert the Bruce ~ Scottish Style Ale wasn’t a beer I picked up myself, but instead one that was shared with me by a fellow beer geek and friend, I nonetheless love the name and find myself rolling the “r’s” and saying its name with a silly grin on my face. I’m also easily amused, but that is beside the point. Scottish Style Ales are a newly budding love of mine so I look forward to seeing how Robert the Bruce fairs.<br />Three Floyds Brewing is one of those elusive and magical breweries who craft mind-blowing beers but also play hard-to-get. Robert the Bruce poured an earthen amber with faint ruby-red hues glinting where the light shines through. A small head fades into miniscule puddles of foam and bubbles, though she does puff up rather nicely with a swirl or two. Her nose is light nibs of chocolate, sweet caramel and toffee with crisp apples and spice notes. Candy apples? Not as heavy as a scotch ale, I am pleasantly surprised by just how light and effervescent Robert the Bruce is. She practically explodes in my mouth with bubbly wonder. Clean with a sweet finish which leaves a thin film of caramel and toffee in my mouth. As she warms, her mouthfeel grows ever chewier with soft and warm doughy pie-crust notes while the apples and spice linger in the background. Pleasantly thick without being cloyingly sweet or overbearing, instead creating a well-balanced medley of caramel, toffee, apples and spice wrapped up in warm bread with pie-crust notes.<br />Robert the Bruce was an excellent if not a bit different scotch ale, though my range of experience with this beer style is still rather limited. Hopefully it will continue to grow exponentially while at the same time I savor that which I have enjoyed. A good Scottish Style Ale from Three Floyds Brewing. Hopefully, I shall come across another bottle of Robert the Bruce so I can savor her kilted depths once more.