Smuttynose Big Beer Series: Scotch Style Ale

Smuttynose Big Beer Series: Scotch Style Ale

If you’re not familiar with Scotch Ales as a beer style, they’re all about malt sweetness and smoke (at least in the US). This has lead to a common misconception that all ales brewed in Scotland fit this deScription, though a closer examination of brewing history shows that Scottish brewers have always brewed a range of styles, including IPA, as well as other lighter and more subtle styles. History is interesting, but some details will always be forgotten; as such, you’d be hard pressed to find a traditional American-style Scotch Ale that doesn’t use some portion of smoked malt.
Smuttynose Scotch Ale is still smoky, though we’ve substituted beechwood smoked malt for malt smoked with peat, the “traditional” American choice. The change results in a softer smoke character that we prefer.
3.6
457 reviews
Hampton, United States

Community reviews

3.5 Où, Quand, Comment : Bouteille, dégustée le 9/8/2013. Visuel : Couleur : brune. Apparence : voilée. Arôme : Caramel, léger houblon herbeux et floral, notes fruitées, notes de fumée de tourbe. Goût : Entrée de bouche : Notes fruitées (fruits foncés) avec des notes fumées. Une dominante maltée de caramel toffee est présente avec une légère amertume de houblon herbeux, légèrement floral et aux petites notes terreuses ainsi qu’avec des traces d’alcool et de malt rôti. En bouche : Corps : moyen. Effervescence : moyenne. Texture : légèrement sirupeuse. Finale : moyenne, composée d’un résiduel sucré avec une légère amertume d’alcool doux et de houblon herbeux.
3.8 22 oz bomber pours amber with a tan head. Aroma of malts and smoke. Taste is malty caramel and smoke.
3.1 Bouteille bue en août 2014. Notes de malt caramel, sucre d’orge et dattes. Un peu d’astringence. Amertume un peu épicée surement à cause de l’alcool. J’ai vu mieux comme scotch ale.
3.5 Bomber. Pour is copper with thin white head that dissipates. No lacing. Flavor is similar to many other scotch ales. In the upper half of the style I’d say, not at the top. Sweet, malty. No alcohol burn. Good though.
3.5 Clear bronze pour, disappearing head. Caramelized grain and some alcohol in the nose. Leans sweet. middle is medium roasted grain, hint of smoke, caramel in the background. Finish shows a little more booze but leaves sweet.
3.5 Mild flavor, beautiful color, outside of my normal wheelhouse as I prefer IPAs.
3.7 4 oz pour on draft at Spacebar. 7.7% ABV. Clear amber with off-white head. Aromas of caramel, toffee, biscuit. Tastes of caramel, toffee, malt, brown sugar, biscuit. Medium body with a dry finish.
3.0 Flaske hos Odd Gunnar, rbhd-treff 5.12.15: brunlig ravfarge og kort skum. Lite hunmlearoma (som det ofte er i denne stilen), noe tørket fiken, ristet brød med meierismør, fløtekarameller. Snev av røkt malt i både nese og gane. Også et lite anstrøk av epler. Myk og søtlig.
2.9 Delt 0,66 l flaske på RBHD-treff desember-15. Klar mahogni farget kropp med en lysebrun ring langs kanten. Smørmalt, hint av grønne epler i nesa. Malt, løv og en tung søt smak med noe alkovarme. Full kropp
3.5 Shared bottle at local tasting.Pours hazy dark brown with a small head. Aroma of sugars, dark malts. Taste is modertae sweet, sugars, toasted bread. Well hidden alcohol.Nice enough.
2.6 Shared bottle at at Gunnar’s 05.12.15, with OGJ, JMD, KH and ABE. Copper. Diminishing pale brown head. Aroma of raw malt, grains, butterscotch, caramel, syrup and berries. Similar, and very sweet taste with a hint of smoke.
3.6 Bottle. Single malt scotch in color. Not much head. Aroma is light caramel. Taste is caramel with a nice malty finish.
3.1 Some peat and decent malt profile but not much here. Easy drinking and light on palate. Pours amber with good head. Tap at Churchkey.
3.5 22oz bottle. Not as strong as some scotches. Caramel, light malt, sweet flavors. Not as syrupy as some but still too much for me. I like my scotches too have more kick. Tasty and easy to drink though
3.4 Botlle. Pours a amber - brownish body with a small but dense light tanned head. Caramelized malts and light fruity notes on the nose. Faint hint of grass and leaves. Taste is light fruity and sweet. Some light toffee notes as well. Body is medium-full and the co2 level is soft.
3.5 22 oz bottle. Dark amber with a thin head amd minimal lace. Aroma is malty and sweet. caramel, candy sugar, rasin. Flavor is malty caramelized sugar, smoke, roasty grain.
3.6 Bomber at home- core 3. Thanks Cathy C! Pretty typical for the style but quality level I would expect from Smuttynose. Pours a nice amber. Definitely on the sweet side but pleasant enough. Caramel and fruity esters dominate. Decent.
3.3 A candied nose with a touch of bubblegum and malt. The taste profile features caramel malt, brown sugar, and that hint of bubblegum. A heavy, fizzy carbonation blocks the potential for more complex tastes to emerge. the body is a bit thin for an 8% scotch ale as well.
3.3 Taster at the source. Pours medium brown with just a touch of off white head. Aroma is caramel, fruity esters. Flavor follows. Sweet caramel, raisin, fruity esters and just a hint of smoke.
3.5 Bottle from SB. Cloudy, Dark amber with a tiny off white head. Malty and fruity tones. Malt, fruit,caramel and hops. Medium to full body with a nice bitter sweet finish.
4.4 Pours a beautiful deep mahogany with light tan top. Aroma of malty sugar with just a whiff of peat smokiness. Flavors of caramel candy and almost no alcohol. Very smooth finish. Just delicious!
4.1 Well done. Looks like this will be in my fall lineup from now on. Little sweeter than other scotch ales, must be the candied sugar addition.
3.1 From NOTES. A: The smell is light caramel/toffee/vanilla, a bit old and funky, with just a hint of smoke. A: Pours a hazy dark brown with a reddish tint. Two fingers of foamy head that dissipate slowly. Very nice lacing with hardly any carbonation. T: Malty sweetness mostly. Brown sugar and toffee up front. Light smoke notes, booze with some dark fruit. Slight metallic off-flavors near the finish. P: Light side of medium, creamy with mild carbonation. O: Very nice beer, slight metallic off-flavors keep it from being World Class, wish it was a little sweeter...
4.3 2013 bottle drank July 2015 Look - Dark brown with red and yellow tint. Medium head with aggressive pour. Light tan head with very light lacing. Smell - Malt. Caramel. Fruit. Sweet. Taste - Malt. Caramel. Very sweet finish. Earth. Alcohol. Feel - Smooth with a little carbonation bomb. Dries up on the tongue. Overall - I bought this beer on sale for $2. Good. Surprising how similar it was to a wheat dunkel beer I like. It is not skunked which I was slightly worried about. I have no idea where my bottle shop found the dusty, moldy cases and cases of these 2013 big beer series beers.
3.0 650ml bottle. Pours an auburn dark brown with a small, beige head. Aroma is a lot of dark maltiness, some honey, light smoke. Taste is dark malty bread, light smoke, light carmel, light berries. Fairly light.
3.5 Pours a dark reddish-brown with a small off-white head. Aromas of caramel malt and a bit smokey. Tastes of caramel malt, smoke, hops and alcohol. Medium bodied and smooth carbonation.
3.4 Bottle @ home. Pours a dark copper colored liquid with a small off-white head. Sweet aroma of toffee, dried dark fruits, candy esters and milk chocolate. Medium bodied with quite high carbonation. Taste is rather sweet with toffee, raisins, sweet candy, milk chocolate and a drier herbal, peaty and somewhat astringent finish.
4.1 How: Bottle Appearance: dark brown, tan head Aroma: fruits, redberries, mild smoke tones, floral.. Palate: medium body, smooth carbonation.
3.6 22oz bottle. Poured a dark brown color with a small off-white head. Aroma was malty notes, light earth. Flavor was sweet malts, roasted notes, touch of bread.
3.6 Deep brown pour small off white head. Great aroma of prune, toffee, dried fruits, chocolate and oak. Flavor is roasty, Smokey, with dark fruit notes.