Scotch/Scottish Ales

So last week we decided to kick off our beer reviewing with a bang and hit up the high ABV Scottish/Scotch Ales. I also had a lot of Old Chub and Dirty Bastard sitting around that needeth to be drinketh. Terrapin is also a local favorite and I just so happened to have their 90 Shelling side project Scotch Ale. Being more of a rare beer style, it was difficult finding a 4th beer but we were able to find the Belhaven St. Andrews Ale. We realize that Scottish ales are not entirely the same as scotch ales... but close enough. So here are our contenders:

1. Oskar Blues Old Chub (Scottish Style) - 8% ABV
2. Belhaven St. Andrews (Scottish Style) - 4.6%
3. Terrapin 90 Shelling (Scotch Style) - 7.3%
4. Founder's Dirty Bastard (Scotch Style) - 8.3%


The "blind" part of our taste test involved our lovely wives pouring the beers and marking them away from our sight. But the sweet smell of scotch lured them into participating with us. So the players:
Lisa & Amy - Coming from years of experience of wine drinking they bring a very unbiased opinion on beers. Actually I'll be serious, Lisa really hates beer so this will be interesting.

Keith & Tim - Both received 1st place in The 2009 National Beer "Sniffer" Championship, one of the most highly respected merits in the beer community... not really, we just like beer.

So after a bit of taste testing the Old Chub had a strong alcohol flavor, a bit of coffee and some smokiness. The St. Andrews was much more watery with a bit of apple, although the smell wasn't attractive at all (smelled like a dirty bar mat). The 90 Shelling was a bit floral to the nose, full bodied, a more complex flavor with some nuttyness to it. And Dirty Bastard was very thick, chocolate flavor, very strong alcohol presence, earthy characteristics. The results:

K: 90 Shelling, Dirty Bastard, Old Chub, St. Andrews
T: Old Chub, St. Andrews, Dirty Bastard, 90 Shelling
A: 90 Shelling, Dirty Bastard, Old Chub, St. Andrews
L: 90 Shelling, Old Chub, St. Andrews, Dirty Bastard (but would prefer none!)

Overall: 90 Shelling had a great flavor and not overwhelming alcohol presence. But if you're looking to taste what you paid for, definitely go with the Old Chub or Dirty Bastard. And the St. Andrews for more of a session drink.

Next Week: Old Ales!

Content coming soon!

Little did I know I'd be fighting for a "beerporn" URL on blogspot. Oh well, I'll have to settle with this.

This blog will be dedicated to side-by-side blind taste tests of different beer styles. No scores or grades, maybe just a ranking of the beer tasted that week. I won't be doing individual reviews, you can find that on beeradvocate. Plus I think the true flavor of a beer comes out when you're tasting other varieties.

Stay tuned next week, I'll be tasting some Scottish Style Ales.