Town Hall Wee Heavy

Brewed by Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery
Style: Scotch Ale
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA

Pours a dark brownish black with a medium sized tan head. Very nice dark fruit and tofee on the nose, and the flavor echoes it. A great full bodied mouthfeel that adds some chocolate to the equation. An awesome beer that puts most Scotch Ales to shame.

12 oz hand bottle from Footbalm. Beautiful dark brown color. Little to no head. Faint aroma of smoke and maple. No real lacing. Flavor is full bodied, complex and somewhat rich. Quite different than other scotch ales I have had. I got some hints of smoke and brown sugar. I haven’t had that many Scotch ales in my time, but for some reason, this beer reminded me more of a porter. Good, but different.

Hand bottle... Clear dark mahogany ale with a small, creamy, khaki head. The vinous, earthy aroma is of molasses, maple syrup, must, brown sugar, light chocolate and whispers of smoke, buttery diacetyl and mild acetaldehyde. The flavor is robust and malty-sweet, but bittered nicely for a semblance of balance. Notes of molasses, maple and brown sugar on the palate as well. Full-bodied with a velvety mouthfeel and lively carbonation. Bittersweet finish. A huge SHOUT goes out to footbalm for going to the trouble of bottling and shipping this sample my way!

Handbottled bomber sampled from drewbeerme! Dark brown in color with a small ring of a head. The aroma is really nice, cherries, licorice, red fruits, malts, sweet ... very inviting. A little watery in the mouthfeel which is surprising for what I’m expecting. Flavors of vanilla, earthy, chocolate, cherries, licorice, tobacco. Its balanced well, and I’m really enjoying it but it seems the same thing that always happens with scotch ales, I get sick of drinking it. Still though a nice effort here.

Semi-clear blood red pour, only noticeable when held to direct backlight. A slowly but totally receding head leaves a ring of near white bubbles. Looks fierce. Peat is plentiful in a complex and straightforward aroma, along with wet grass, white chocolates, smoked malts, raisins, cherries and caramel. A ton of personality is bursting out as the libation warms. Flavor is in peak form and has more of the same elements. Smoke is lighter while peat and sweet dark fruit are noticeably thickened by a warming conglomeration and melding of flavors. The smokey malt is warming on an exceptionally creamy and full palate. This never feels thin or unexciting, an excellent and easy quaff. Finishes with dry smoke and spiciness, semi-sweet and lingering for an eternity, or until I caress my palate with more. Alcohol is barely noticeable. Excellent rendition, incredibly true to the style. There is just no way this could be mistaken for another style. I can’t wait to have more.

12 oz. hand-bottled from footbalm. Nice dark burnt caramel color with a thin white head. Aroma had a firm peat presence, supported by sweet malty aromas. The peatiness seemed sharp at first, but softened a bit. The mouthfeel is thicker than it looks, but pleasant to drink. Caramel comes through in the taste, with some pit fruit and smoke hints, and the finish was dry, with some tannin-like tastes. Not better than AleSmith or Corne de Brume, but certainly a solid Wee Heavy that I’m glad I had the opportunity to try.

Tap @ BP. Best beer of the lot. An excellent wee heavy. So nice I ordered a pint and a growler. Smooth, malty body w/ nice alcohol bite.

On tap at the brewpub. Light crisp malt aroma, with some edges of pan-seared carmelization. Ruby brown pour, very clear, with a rim of ivory. Flavor is a surprisingly dry, smokey preserved fruit, with a lot of aromatic malt character. There’s a certain smokiness that jumps out at me right off the bat, but it’s ethereal and clean, as if from a luxury cigarette or something. A little woodsy and touch of peat. At first, I’m really down about this beer. It seems too dry, too one dimensional. But, as I drink it grows on me. I’m used the the coarse grainy sugars of the style, with a lot of residual caramelly sweetness. Instead, I have this really drinkable, refined beverage with all the subtle, yet unique and definable characters, that take time to grow on me. Gentle vinous notes ebb from the tide and leave a grapeskin and strawberry residue. Faint chocolate-mint character grows. It took me a while to realize what a good beer this is. A lilting song of gentle warming smoke, dispersive sweet caramels and light husky phenols carol along in the night, with phenomenal drinkability and true uniqueness. Towards the end, the number closes with a cusp of minty dryness, for that longing hop balance. Nicely attenuated and any aging really melds this beer into a beauty.