McEwan's Scotch Ale

Bottle: Filtered

Deep brown colour. A chocolate and caramel body with a lingering sweet finish.

Originally brewed by McEwan’s at the Fountain brewery in Edinburgh. Production moved from Fountain to the Caledonian Brewery in 2004. The McEwan’s brand passed to Heineken in 2008 after their purchase of Scottish & Newcastle’s British operations. Heineken sold the brand to Wells & Youngs in 2011. Packaged (bottle & can) McEwan’s beers are produced at Wells & Youngs brewery in Bedford.

3.5

993 reviews

Bedford, England

Community reviews

3.6 330 ml. bottle. Pours a medium thick, well retained, light beige head, with moderate lacing, over a clear brown (SRM 20) body......nose is roasted malts with cocoa, caramel tones, toast, minimal hop tones......taste is mildly sweet with caramel tones, mild roasted malts with slight cocoa, becoming dry with slight finishing bitter tones......mouth feel, medium body, mild alcohol, moderate carbonation. This is a pleasant drinkable beer that needs more caramel malt tones to meet the style. BJCP 8/3/11/4/6

3.8 Slight malt nose; amber hue with slight lace tan head; full body with medium carbonation; taste is of bitter caramel with a back throat sweetness that leads to a slight salacious bitterness. Usual Scotch sweetness is tempered with just the right bitterness.

3.2 The nose? Christmas Pudding, toffee, brandy. On the tongue, mild bitterness quickly dissolves into sweetness - too much of it for me.

3.3 Looks like a cola. Creamy, beige head. Aroma is toffee and Christmas cake. Taste is caramel, port, and dried fruits.

3.5 Pours a very dark red, with a half inch of fine tan foam. Aroma is yeasty and malty. Taste is roasted malts, some dark fruit like maybe dates or fig, and caramel. Hint of bitterness on the finish.

3.7 Pours a dark ruby red color. One finger mocha head. Holds well. Good lacing. Aroma is bready, spicy. Dark fruit. Nice. Taste is spicy. Pretty heavy alcohol taste. Dark fruit, touch of hops. Mouthfeel is heavy. Alcohol is pretty heavy and strong. Sticky Overall it’s okay. I made the mistake of trying it very cold, don’t do that. Much better closer to room temperature. I would buy it again but probably wouldn’t recommend it. It’s quite potent.

3.5 Pours clear mahogany with light tan head. Aroma is molasses, dried fruit and earthy notes. Taste is brown sugar and light honey, warming to clove and light roast. Finish is bitter. A good Scotch ale.

4.7 caramel, brown, clear, brown foam, Birra in stile scozzese,anche se, vista la gradazione molto alta, sembra fatta appositamente per il mercato estero, in Gran Bretagna le birre hanno gradazioni molto spesso inferiori ai 4° alcolici. Nel complesso birra piacevole.

4.5 Tasted in bottle. Missed this SO much - much better than the Export. Dark and warming, perfect after a cold day at a blustery beach.

3.5 Dark brown colored, medium off white creamy head, long lasting. Aroma is of malt, bit bready, caramel, bit toasted bread, some toffee, bit dried fruity notes. Taste is medium sweet malt, bread and some toast, caramel, some toffee, some dried fruits, light+ bitterness. Medium bodied, soft carbonation, bit creamy. (bottle, from Charles Wells Brewery, Bedford)

3.7 Botella. @Cimmeria, Oviedo 23/12/2017 Color marron oscuro, corona de espuma blanca, aromas caramelo con notas epeciadas y cereales, sabor caramelo cuerpo medio, rica.

2.9 Bottle from Brewers Haven. Dark brown/ black , scant head. Earthy aroma, peat, leaves. Taste adds sweetness, bitterness, but seems overly sweet. I know this is the archetype, but it is a bit cloying.

3.5 330 ml bottle bought at Manecy's Studio Restaurant booth during Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival 2017 at the Harbour Front, Central. Looks: Clear, deep ruby red colour;One-quarter finger head and soapy off-white foam which fades in 40 seconds; Excellent sticky lacing and near zero carbonation. Aroma: Fragrant and sweet dark malt, with strong cherries, caramel, light toffee, light cream, mustiness, floral ,brown sugar, bread and thin grass. Taste: Mid to strong sweet dark malt, with strong caramel, toffee, cherry liquor, light floral, brown sugar, strong liquorices, light bread, lemon, medium bitter hops and grass. Body: Medium body. Slick and quite oily palate. Mouth Feel: Very good dark maltyness in a thinned but slightly viscous background. Strong cherry liquor upfront reminds me of Kasteel Rouge, followed by caramel and light toffee. Light flowery with strong brown sugar sweetness, light bready with lemon and liquorices to round. Pretty good! Hoppiness: Floral and thin grass in nose. Lemon, light floral and grass in taste; Bitterness - liquorices and hops - is quite strong for a lasting, mid to high astringent sweet-bitter liquor finish. After Taste: Quite dry. Sweet boozy and bitter to mouth. Comments: The cherry liquor characters spread through the aroma and taste, which is nice enough but maybe not as vibrant as Kasteel Rouge. A bit light to the mouth but otherwise pretty easy to walk through. Decent.

3.6 bottle. deep amber brown with small head. sweet with brown sugar, caramel, toffee, dark fruit, booze. no peatiness noted, which I think sometimes turns me off from this style.

3.0 Bottle at Drunk Chiwawa, Belgrade. Shared with lovely Anja. Colour of Coca-cola, small tan head. Caramel, dry fruits, toasty, metallic, alcohol. Dry with some sweetness emerging. Medium body, moderate carbonation, dry finish. Not spectacular.

3.7 Aroma is fruitcake and medium/big sweetness. The flavor is fruit, malts, medium sweetness and a slightly spicy/warming alcoholic finish.

3.7 330ml bottle @Cimmeria, Oviedo. 18-09-2017. BBD: 27-03-2018. Batch: L7086A. In short: malty roasty ale. Did I enjoy it: yes. Pours dark amber with nice off white head. Moderate head retention, little lacing. Malty, nuts, roasty, caramel, toffee, licorice nose. Medium body, soft carbonation, oily texture. Taste is malt forward, roasty, caramel, nutty. Smooth and enjoyable.

3.0 Bottle - Pours a deep ruby brown, hint of purple, with off-white head. Good smell, overall very malty, dark fruits, figs, yeast, some raisins, licorice, hops throughout, bit of oak and a little alcohol presence in the finish.

3.5 330 ml bottle. Pours clear but very dark reddish-brown. A weak head soon becomes a partial coat and a thin ring. Minimal lacing. Lightly sweet with partially hidden alcohol. High ABV is particularly well hidden in the feel. Hints of dried plums and raisins.

3.3 Deep brown/amber pour, diminishing tan head with a trail of lace. Nose is malt and pencil shavings. Bittersweet. Middle is roasted malt, showing a little stone fruit, touch of peat, and some woody undertones. Finish shows the ABV and more sweet malt.

4.1 Well I guess I’m still pretty disappointed that people either aren’t interested in this style of beer (one of my all-time favorites) very much, and if they are, those few don’t seem to recognize a classic when it’s right in front of them. This tastes exactly like what a proper Scotch ale should, looks & smell perfect also, so I’m left scratching my head on this one.... I’ll continue to love this brew until I’m an Old Sot, guaranteed! Respectfully, Rater #999 (666 inverted: )

2.6 Dark amber or even brown beer with very tiny beige head. Aroma is weak malty and burnt sugar. Taste is light sour, mild sweet and light bitter. You can feel an alcohol a little bit, but it won´t disturb. Light body. Descent ale, but aroma was weak.

2.9 Bottle. Dark copper body, small head. Toffee and dark malts in aroma. Sweet caramelly body with plain malts and some cola. Mildly raisiny and toasty finish with medium level hoppiness. A touch too watery. Close to being bland and rather uncomplex. The booze is well covered. It’s drinkable but mostly uninspiring.

3.3 Golden brown with medium small tan head. Caramel and malt aroma, brown sugar. Medium body, a bit sticky mouthfeel but no alcohol really. Sweet up front, caramel and molasses, finish a touch drier. Ok.

3.4 Dark reddish brown beer with a thin light tan head and decent lacing. Nose of cocoa, nuts, and vanilla. Flavor is a bit dryer with unsweetened cocoa, molasses, and almonds finished with a mild bitterness and a lingering underlying sweetness. Solid beer.

2.4 5th November 2016 High Wycombe House Warming. Thanks to Scopey. Almost clear amber beer, no head. Palate is light and semi dry, modest carbonation. Very oxidised caramel malts. Some paper. Floralness into more caramel. Smooth semi dry finish. Always a kick to try old beers but sometimes they.are just plain knackered like this one.

3.0 November 2016 - Bottle share at Theydon’s High Wycombe Tasting. Thanks to Scopey for this aged example! As ’McEwan’s Scots Ale’, 80s vintage. Amber orange brown, translucent with a foamy beige head, dotted lacing. Aroma is toffee, slight orange. Body is smooth with low-ish carbonation. Taste is sweet sugary malts, toffee, gloopy sugars with some apple. Sweet stewed vibe. OK. (3.0)

3.6 appearance: clear dark cola brown (ruby when backlit), with a short soapy off-white collar. aroma: raisin and toffee, with some plummy, molasses, and wood notes. taste: malty sweet, with lots of toffee, caramel, some vanilla, a hint of root beer/cream soda, maybe just a bit of smoke. finish: lingering sweetness, relatively full-bodied, but with decent carb to liven it up. notes: Definitely on the better side of the scotch ales I’ve had. Nice drinking here. Bottle from the Craft Beer of the Month Club.

3.1 Bottle 33cl @ Cervezorama 2.0, Madrid, Spain. A: Dark amber. T: Malt, caramel, spices, alcohol.

2.9 Bottle at The High WyCum tasting, Chez Bois, thanks to Scoopy 05/11/16. Rich chestnut brown with a decent light beige cap. Nose is earthy, musty, dark fruits, oxidised notes. Taste comprises soy sauce, spice, brown bread, molasses, dark fruits. Medium bodied, fine carbonatiom, semi drying close. Ok for age.