Gritty McDuff's Scottish Style Ale (Gritty's)

I think I am becoming a bit of an addict when it comes to Scottish style ales. It seems I am coming across more and more of them OR maybe we just have a lot of them here in Maine. This is definitely one of my favorites when it comes to the style. Its a seasonal ale here in Maine and hits the shelves in January and sticks around until all the snow is gone (sometime in early May). 

The label reads:

"Scottish Style Ale is our interpretation of the robust brews native to Scotland. Generous quantities of Pale malt along with Munich and Caramalts give this ale a deep and complex profile. Scottish Style Ale is just a shade darker than our Bitter, with a rich, slightly sweet first impression on the palate that rounds out to a satisfying maltiness and a medium-dry hop finish. At 6.3% ABV it's hearty but not overwhelming. Sure to please the Braveheart in all of us."

Pours a dark amber color with slight head that is bubbly, fluffy and hangs to the sides of the glass. Its another very clean looking beer and I'd personally love to see the bottling line they have up in Freeport, maybe I'll have to ask about that next time I am up that way.

Smells of roasty sweet malts with slight creaminess. Not a lot of hop presence obviously. I also get faint whiffs of cinnamon but not sure where that is coming from. All in all its a rich smelling beer that is inviting on a cool/cold night.

Taste initially reminds me of sweet tea, some dark fruit with the bitter finish of the hops as the label says. Its a solid beer that is for sure. One thing that I would love is if it had that hint of peat smoke to it. That is a great addition to a Scottish style ale, but not totally necessary of course. Grab a bomber before they are off the shelves. 

BEER FACTS

Name: Gritty McDuff's Scottish Style Ale

Style: Scottish Ale

Brewery: Gritty McDuff's Brewpub

Location: Freeport, Maine, USA

Container: 22 oz. bottle

Malts: Pale, Munich and Caramalt

Hops: Northern Brewer & Yakima Goldings

ABV: 6.3%

IBUs: 25

Brewed in Maine

Steve Stewart's Firth of Forth (Harpoon Brewery)

Steve Stewart's Firth of Forth Ale is the 22nd release of the 100 Barrel Series from Harpoon. Its described by Harpoon as "an American twist on a traditional Scottish Ale". The label itself reads "The Combination of Scottish malts and American hops give this dark scotch style ale a malty, roasted character with caramel notes and a hint of chocolate."

Its definitely intriguing and seeing how Steve owns and runs his own microbrewery over in Scotland, he must know his away around a Scottish ale, right?

The Firth pours a dark amber with defined reddish tones as well. The head is coffee colored, fluffy and swiftly disappears. The smell is strong malt with a slight floral hop bouquet. Its also got a bit of a syrupy smell to it as well. Nothing is too powerful in the nose despite the strong, rich color of this beer.

Tastes sweet but without the big malt taste my tongue was expecting. The American hops don't shine through either, which was slightly disappointing. Actually it doesn't have any complexity to it of any sort. It is only 5.4% so maybe that has something to do with it. As it warms a bit of the hops come out more as well as some more sweetness. For some reason the pint I had on tap was a lot better than this bottle. I am left wondering why that is. I say, dump some more malt and some more hops in the boil, up the ABV a bit and give me more bang for my buck...but that is just my opinion.

Firth of Forth gets its name from "Firth", or mouth, of the Scottish River Forth. To see a picture of the actual Firth of Forth go HERE!

Harpoon has done some great 100 Barrel beers, I think the Smoked Porter was one of my all time favorites from that brewery. The next release will be Old Rusty Red Rye Ale. I am looking forward to that one for sure.

BEER FACTS

Name: Steve Stewart's Firth of Forth (100 Barrel Series #22)

Style: Scottish Ale

Brewery: Harpoon Brewery

Location: Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Container: 22 oz. bottle

Malts: "Scottish" - ?

Hops: Willamette

ABV: 5.4%

IBUs: 28

Pemaquid Ale (Sheepscot Valley Brewing Co.)

The Pemaquid Point lighthouse in Bristol, Maine is featured on the label of Sheepscot's Pemaquid Ale. Another great tribute to the state's coastline by a Maine brewer. This is also the lighthouse that adorns the Maine state quarter. 

From the label, "Pemaquid Ale is brewed with a blend of six American and Belgian malts. It is hopped with Kent Goldings hops to balance the malty flavor."

Pours very dark, darker than I was expecting. Although I try not to have any preconceived notions with beer anymore. The head is off-white in color and except for the ring around the glass, it goes away quickly. 

My first impression of the smell is that of pancake syrup. Its a very sweet smell. But it does have a boat load of malts so this isn't surprising. All l really smell is malt...rich, sweet malt. 

Taste is...malty! This is a very full bodied Scottish ale. Most of that body is all six of those malts! Its a very smooth drinking brew. . I guess that explains all that malt! Nonetheless, its a very drinkable beer. 

Sheepscot Valley Brewing Company actually sells most of their beers in growlers here in Maine and the Pemaquid Ale is their flagship brew. They also brew a Damariscatta Double Brown that I had at the Maine Brewers' Festival a couple years ago that was best in show in my opinion.

BEER FACTS

Name: Pemaquid Ale

Style: Scottish Ale

Brewery: Sheepscot Valley Brewing Company

Location: Whitefield, Maine, USA

Container: 22 oz. bottle

Malts: American & Belgain

Hops: Kent Goldings

ABV: ?

IBUs: ?

Brewed in Maine

MacFoochie's Scottish Ale (Atlantic Brewing Co.)

I'd love to find out who MacFoochie is/was. If you know, please fill me in. For a long time the idea of a beer that is heavy on malt and skimpy on hops was anything but appealing to me. Slowly that has changed and Scottish ales have grown on me. The fact that Atlantic's MacFoochie's 7+ Scottish Ale is made with Scottish Heather Tips really impressed me. Not that I know a lot about heather tips, but because its an homage to the authenticity of the style. Good job Atlantic Brewing Company, you guys continue to impress me.

The MacFooch (as I am calling it now) pours a nice, very, very dark amber color. Its almost the same color as the bottle it came in! The head is thin and gone quickly. The smell is that of sugar, alcohol and maybe caramel and a little smokey. 

Wow, that is a great tasting beer. It has a nice subtle smokey taste that I really like. It cuts the sweetness very well. The alcohol, although noticeable as a smell, is not overly present in the taste. It has some nuttiness to it and a very nice finish. I really like this one and would love to compare it to some other Scottish ales as there seems to be a lot out right now. I know Gritty's and Sebago both have one on tap at present. 

For an interesting article about Heather and its role in Scottish Ales by renowned beer writer Michael Jackson go HERE!

BEER FACTS

Name: MacFoochie's 7+ Scottish Ale

Style: Scottish Ale

Brewery: Atlantic Brewing Company

Location: Bar Harbor, Maine, USA

Container: 22 oz. bottle

Malts: ? 

Hops: ?

ABV: 7.8%

IBUs: ?

Brewed in Maine