Name: Scotch Ale

Brewer: Smuttynose Brewing Company

Style: Scotch Ale

Vintage: 2007

Cellared On: January 4th, 2008

Original Tasting: January 18th, 2008

After recently reviewing (and enjoying) Middle Age Brewing’s Scotch Ale, I knew it wouldn’t be long before I tried a different one. In fact it was only about a hour later before I popped the cap on my next Scotch Ale, this one from New Hampshire’s Smuttynose Brewing Company. I’ve had a few Smuttynose brews before, and was always impressed on their unique takes on different styles of beer. I was looking forward to see what kind of “twist” Smuttynose had for this Scotch Ale!

Smuttynose’s Scotch Ale poured a beautiful dark amber with a lightly tinted head. Very faint smells of sweet malts floated up from my glass.

After tasting, there’s little doubt to what the “twist” is with this. In addition to the light and sweet (with maybe a little bit of fruit with the sweetness?) malty flavor, a beautiful smokiness filled my mouth. Looking at the label, it looks like they add some peat-smoked malt to this brew, which is not unknown for Scotch Ales. The smoke lends a delicious earthy complement to the beer, and lingers for a long time as the beer finishes. I could also detect a very subtle hop character throughout this medium bodied brew.

Cellar Outlook: Smoke makes for a great preservative in beer, and should help this one last. I suspect the smokiness will gradually decline over time, revealing more of this beer’s sweet character as the months go by.

Next Tasting: July 2008

Jason

jason@brewbasement.com

www.brewbasement.com