Samuel Adams Scotch Ale is a unique ale which stands in a class by itself. Scotch Ale is full of dynamic malts, slightly more bitter than a winter brew, hints of coffee aromas, caramel and smokey hazelnut rises from the glass; this is a first class collectors brew of complex proportions.
Samuel Adams makes a great Boston Ale but their Scotch Ale recipe brings you something a bit different in terms of ales. Poured in a glass it greets you with a dark golden brown color with almost a translucent milk chocolate appearance. The fine light brown head is bubbly and leaves beautiful lacing own the edge of the glass.
The aroma represents a warm lightly roasted chocolate coffee which hints at caramel and smoked nuts. You’ll find the scent sweet to the nose like a smooth honey. Moving past the bouquet onto the taste you’ll notice similar properties to its scent, but the chocolate moves from milky to dark Swedish chocolates with creamy caramel centers. There is a smokey property that’s hard to put a finger on, but it’s present throughout the taste.
The hazelnut coffee flavor attacks your tongue while it swishes around your mouth, leaving a slight roasted malt aftertaste similar to a winter seasonal or chocolate porter. The stand out feature of the Samuel Adams Scotch Ale is the bitter hops which keeps this beer from being more than a desert style beverage. The goldings hops within the Scotch Ale gives the beer a pleasant flowery hop taste while the fuggles lend a special character to the beer, combining these hops gives this beer a history rooted in England.
Overall, the Samuel Adams Scotch Ale leads us down the road of beers greatest hits. A flavor of an IPA with the malty sweetness of a winter seasonal mixed with the complexity of a well crafted porter. I believe the Boston Beer Company has developed a great beer for those looking to try something new and different yet the same all at once.
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