The fourth and final beer in the 750ml series was Southampton's Scotch Ale. I saved this one for last because I'm a big fan of "British Isle Style" ales. Scotch Ale is named because...ta da!...it was first made in Scotland! The Scotch Ale is a lightly hopped and sweetly malted brew. They traditionally will have roasted malt flavors as well. Beersmith tells me something quite interesting: "Any caramelization comes from kettle caramelization and not caramel malt (and is sometimes confused with diacetyl)." Note to self...when you make a Scotch Ale....boil for the caramalization (don't use caramel malts).
Appearance
The color reminds me of dark toffee or perhaps copper would be the correct term...Like the last brew this beer produced a very small amount of head, which did not stick around for very long. Lacing on the glass was very slight.
Smell
First thought...yum!! If this beer tastes the same way it smells, it's going to be hard to not buy 4 more before the end of the trip. There are definitely scents of roasted caramel, perhaps light coffee/chocolate. There is a nice sweet fruitiness in the nose as well. It's an overpowering smell too.. Don't plan on smelling much after this! It fills the nose, and sticks with you.
Taste
The beer has a very nice medium mouthfeel. My mouth instantly recognizes caramel and perhaps a bit of a buscuitness. The brew on the tongue feels sweet, but after the swallow there's a very pleasing bitterness. There was a bit of a strong alchohol flavor on the end of the taste as well. You can tell this beer has some UMPHH to it at 6.5%. I'm not sure if it was my mind playing tricks on me, but after a few sips, I was definitely getting some smoke flavor shine through as well.
Etc...
This is a very nice sipping beer. Especially say sitting in a cottage overlooking the Scottish highlands!! I'll definitely have to explore this style some more in the comming months.
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