Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale Review

Name: Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale
Style: Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy
ABV: 7.7%

A couple weeks ago, I was at my local liquor store when I noticed that they started carrying Great Divide Brewing on their shelves. Previously I was only able to acquire this on my excursions down to the Twin Cities but now it seems that will no longer be the case.

I decided to take a piece of the Twin Cities home with me in the form of Great Divide's Claymore Scotch Ale. It's a beer that I haven't had for a couple of years and I thought now would be a good time to revisit this.

Claymore pours a very dark brown color that almost looks black in appearance. There is a slight red tinge on the bottom of the glass but it's a pretty dark beer nonetheless. The head starts out fairly foamy but it settles down into more of a flat thin appearance; Nothing in terms of lacing though.

The aroma is very smoky with some peated scotch and and caramel sweetness. There's also some noticeable roastiness in here too.

Like the nose, the taste is also quite smoky with a more prominent roasted barley profile. The caramel sweetness in the aroma is also present here along with the peated scotch flavor. Aftertaste is also quite roasty and a bit of hoppy bitterness.

The body is pretty heavy and some thickness to it as well, bordering on what some may consider to be "chewy." The carbonation is thankfully rather light and the texture has a nice creamy feel.

Claymore Scotch Ale may be a little more smokier and roasty than other Wee Heavy-style beers out there but it's pretty tasty for what it is. Though I prefer my Scotch Ales to be a bit maltier, I would still recommend this regardless.

Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale - 8.5/10

Monday Night Drafty Kilt Scotch Ale Review

Name: Monday Night Drafty Kilt
Style: Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy
ABV: 7.2%

Tonight I'm trying out some beers that were sent to me via beer mail and the next beer on my list is Drafty Kilt Scotch Ale from Monday Night Brewing. Like Red Brick Brewing before it, this is another Atlanta-based brewery, which is where the guy who I received the beer mail is from. Since my first exposure to Georgia-based beer was a very good one, I'm curious to see how this turned out.

Drafty Kilt pours a dark brownish red color with a thin khaki colored head. The lacing is rather sparse and I'm not picking up on any visible carbonation.

The aroma starts off quite smoky, even by scotch ale standards, with a solid caramel malt base. Added in are some mild roasted barley notes just a touch of dry hops on the back end. Interestingly enough, I'm not picking up on any peated scotch in nose.

The flavor starts off very similarly to the aroma as it possesses a fairly smokey and roasty profile at first. However this gives way to a nice peated scotch and caramel malt sweetness with some dry hops and  a slight yet encompassing oaky taste.

The palate possesses a medium weighted body and some light carbonation as well. I would say this strikes a pretty good balance as far as texture goes.

After having this beer, I can more easily say that Atlanta knows how to make some good beer. The flavor does start out a bit roastier than usual but once you get passed that, the rest of the flavor really starts to shine through. If I'm ever down in Atlanta, I will be sure to check out more of Monday Night's offerings. As for anyone who has access to their lineup, I would say that this is definitely worth checking out.

Monday Night Drafty Kilt - 8.5/10

Brau Brothers Bancreagie Sour Peated Ale Review

Name: Brau Brother Bancreagie Sour Peated Ale
Style: Scotch Ale/Wild Ale
ABV: 11.5%

It seems that every year, Brau Brothers releases a bomber that contains a strong beer. In 2012, it was their Barrel-Aged Quad (which I would sell my soul to have again). In 2013, it was their Rye Wyne, which is best described as Barleywine brewed with rye.

It's been a while since I've really looked in-depth at a Wild Ale, so I figured for this review I'd do something a that's more local with Brau Brothers Bancreagie Sour Peated Ale. This beer is a variation of their regular Bancreagie Scotch Ale but allowed to age for 8 months and was made using lacto fermentation and described as "bigger & smokier" than the regular Bancreagie.

Bancreagie Sour pours a clear yet clear crimson red color with a thin khaki colored head. There is no lacing retention to be seen here and the visible carbonation is subtle.

The nose starts off with a Sangria red wine-like aroma with notes of grapes, apples and cherries with some caramelized malts and vanilla sweetness in the back.

The flavor starts out with a crisp apple and sour cherry fruity sweetness with some sweet vanilla, peated scotch, caramel malts finishing things off. The aftertaste is a tart fruitiness with some noticeable smokiness. Interestingly enough, it's not as sour as the nose led me to believe but still good!

The palate has more of a heavier body to it but it comes with some mild carbonation. That said, I found this to be pretty easy to drink.

Bancreagie Sour is definitely an interesting take on the Wild Ale & Scotch Ale style depending on which point you are viewing it from but concept it works out well in the end. It's got enough sour characteristics to please seasoned Wild Ale veterans yet I think that Scotch Ale side of this beer is prominent enough to warrant the attention of craft beer fans who normally don't care for anything sour in their beers. Since it's not going to be around forever, I would highly suggest picking this up before it's all gone.

Brau Brothers Bancreagie Sour Peated Ale - 9/10

Tyranena Sheep Shagger Scotch Ale Review

Note: Since this photo was taken, my Tyranena glass broke

Name: Tyranena Sheep Shagger Scotch Ale
Style: Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy
ABV: 7.5%

Based out of a sleepy little town called Lake Mills, Wisconsin, which is just 15 miles west of Madison, Tyranena Brewing was one the many craft breweries I dabbled in when I first got into craft beer. They are also the makers of, in my opinion, one of the best pumpkin beers out there: Painted Ladies Pumpkin Spice Ale.

However I'm here to look at their Sheep Shagger Scotch Ale, which to my knowledge is a seasonal beer. Beer Advocate claims it's a fall seasonal but I've always seen this beer come out around March/April. Now some of you are probably wondering: Why such a bizarre (disturbing) name? Well according to Tyranena's website, the term "shagging" means retrieving and sure enough, the dictionary can back up that claim, though they refer to it as "pursuing."

Sheep Shagger pours cloudy dark brown color with a thin light-khaki colored head and some sparse lacing.

Aroma-wise, it starts off with a nice caramel maltiness, peated scotch and some vanilla notes. There's also a subtle roastiness and a light hint of maple syrup on the back of the nose.

In the flavor, the vanilla and peated scotch characteristics take more of a center stage. These are backed up with a solid caramel maltiness, some roasted barley and there are even some floral hoppiness thrown in for good measure. The aftertaste is mainly caramel and toffee sweetness with a hint of smoke on the back of the palate.

When it comes to the overall mouthfeel, it's pretty thick bodied almost to being chewy but the carbonation is very subdued so it's easy to drink. All of this gives this beer a nice creamy texture.

At the end of the day, Sheep Shagger is a quality scotch ale that possesses a vibrant flavor and some easy drinkability to boot. If this were a year-round offering, this would be a regular visitor in my fridge. If you're able to get Tyranena in your area, this is a beer worth checking out!

Tyranena Sheep Shagger Scotch Ale - 8.5/10

AleSmith Wee Heavy Review

Name: AleSmith Wee Heavy
Style: Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy
ABV: 10%

So my insomnia has started to kick in again after a 3 year absence. Since Nyquil, warm milk, and ambient music aren't doing the trick, I figured that I would spend my extra awake time finishing off a couple reviews that I've been meaning to finish. Because productivity!

As some of my loyal readers may remember, I did a review of Speedway Stout, which was great, but it didn't quite live up the hype that I had seen on the internet forums. Nonetheless, it was a solid beer and I have decided to take a look at AleSmith's Wee Heavy. Like Speedway Stout before it, their Wee Heavy is very highly regarded and considered to be one of the best representation of the style out there. That's a pretty bold statement so let's check it out!

The beer pours an initially pitch black color that turns to a bright-dark crimson color when held up to a light. The head is about a finger thick and khaki colored and it leaves behind some good lacing.

The aroma is quite vibrant as I'm getting notes caramel, vanilla, scotch, oak, smoked malts and rum raisin. Each smell mentioned above is distinguishable in it's own way and it's a pleasure to the senses.

Much like the nose, the flavors starts out with a strong caramel, scotch, and vanilla sweetness. On the back end are some rum raisin, dark fruit, and smoked malt notes. There is also a sweet vanilla/scotch and dry hopped aftertaste.

The body is on the heavier side but the very mild carbonation makes for a very smooth and creamy texture. It adds a lot to the overall drinkability and allows one to savor the overall flavor.

After having this, I can safely say that AleSmith Wee Heavy is probably one of the best Scotch Ale styles that I have ever had and well worthy of the reputation it has received. The flavor is vibrant & delicious, it smells absolutely wonderful, and it's incredibly easy to drink! In fact, I would even go as far to say that I cannot find a single thing wrong with this beer and I'm okay with that! You owe to yourself to try this, you will not regret it!

AleSmith Wee Heavy - 10/10

Sprecher Pipers Scotch Ale Review

Name: Sprecher Pipers Scotch Ale
Style: Scotch Ale
ABV: 8.27%

Been a long week for myself so I figured it's time to review one of my favorite offerings from Sprecher Brewing. Now as you may recall from my last Sprecher review of their Belgian-Style Dubbel Ale, I pointed out that I wasn't too crazy about it.

Pipers Scotch pours a dark brown color with a fairly strong hazy appearance with a fizzy 2 finger head, a high amount of visible carbonation and only has a sparse amount of lacing.

The nose has strong caramel, oak, and smoke notes. There's also a pronounced butter rum and vanilla/bourbon aroma to it.

The flavor has a more pronounced oak/bourbon/smoke taste with hints of caramel malts, hops, and peated scotch. There's a slight booziness but it's very minor compared to everything else. The aftertaste is an oaked vanilla flavor that sticks around for a couple of minutes.

The body as a whole is reasonably light but the carbonation is a bit heavy for what it is and I feel it could be toned down just a bit.

While the body could use a little work, the flavor is fantastic even if you take into consideration the booziness. Anyone who loves Scotch Ales should definitely check this out as I think this is one beer that shows off just how vibrant and robust a scotch ale can be.

Sprecher Pipers Scotch Ale - 9/10

Brau Brothers Bancreagie Review

Name: Brau Brothers Bancreagie Peated Scotch Ale
Style: Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy
ABV: 7.6%

As I mentioned in an earlier review; Brau Brothers has been steadily growing over the past couple of years. Today I'm gonna review Bancreagie which is pronounced "Bohn-Cree-Gee"; And before you look it up, no could not find the meaning behind the name. If someone reading this is fluent in the Scots Language, feel free to educate me

This is their scotch ale and the first beer that I tried from them when I first got into craft beer. In fact, this was probably the first scotch ale that I had....ever! It'll be interesting to see how it holds up after a couple of years.

Bancreagie pours a mildly hazy gold color with a soapy head and some moderate carbonation.

The aroma has a distinct vanilla, chocolate, oak, caramel and bourbon smell. Caramel maltiness is there along with that vanilla bourbon/scotch scent.

The flavor has a fairly strong oak, smokey, vanilla, caramel and roasted barley flavor with a faint floral hoppiness. If I didn't know better, I'd say this was barrel aged! A little too smokey but good!

The body has a heavy feel to it with some moderate carbonation. Not exactly smooth but the heavy body does help ease the blow of the carbonation a bit.

Bancreagie is a pretty solid Scotch Ale that's unique enough to stand out yet good enough to enjoy. The taste is a bit too smoky for my liking when you consider the style but I'll gladly have this one again!

Brau Brothers Bancreagie Review - 8.5/10