Beer Advent Calendar Day 12- Dark Horse Brewing Company Scotty Karate Scotch Ale

Good evening all. I was unable to fulfil my commitment to the beer advent calendar last night (as mentioned in this post) and was simply going to combine the two days until it hit me how exhausted I am this evening, so as a change of plan I'm doing yesterday's post today and will be doubling up the beers on my next post; which, as it turns out, will not be happening until at least Sunday due to prior engagements this weekend. So, before the epic 4-beer review post in a few days, it's time for last night's cardboard door- Scotty Karate, a Scotch Ale from Dark Horse Brewing Company (Michigan, USA). This has garnered a lot of acclaim on the usual review sites, and it's also my first time reviewing/trying a beer from Dark Horse, so I'm definitely looking forward to this one. Review after the pics....

Scotty Karate (9.75% ABV) pours a dark ruby colour with an inch-thick beige head that settles down slightly but still maintains itself well over the course of the beer. The aroma is very light, with brown sugar, caramelised sweetness, red fruits, some light spice and some alcohol in the background that stings the nostrils on deep inhales. The subtlety of the aromas is quite startling at first, but it's actually quite nice to have a Scotch Ale that doesn't deliver loads of burnt/caramelised sugar immediately and lets the subtleties of the beer come through more. Light cinnamon and blackcurrant take over fairly quickly after the caramel sweetness has retreated, and soon after this the alcohol becomes the only significant aroma/sense that can be found. Fortunately, the taste delivers a bit more power and variety- caramel, brown malt, light spice, some red fruits and a light alcoholic hit towards the end of drinking. The whole thing tastes like a slightly sweet brown ale, with the burnt sugar fluctuating in intensity whilst the slightly darker malt flavours reside in the background. The alcohol imparts a slight tartness along the sides of the mouth during drinking, before punctuating each sip with a light hit to the back of the throat. The fruit flavours also amplify the aforementioned tartness and the finish is dry and relatively devoid of flavour, aside from some soy sauce and a bit of yeast extract. The mouthfeel is on the thick side and the beer is decently carbonated, and despite the almost double-digit ABV percentage the alcohol is only slightly warming and certainly doesn't prevent you from enjoying repeated sips of this beer. Overall, this is a pretty good offering with some nicely-balanced flavours, but unfortunately it lacks any significant power and so I personally wouldn't recommend it. Better examples of the style include Founder's Dirty Bastard, AleSmith's Wee Heavy and BrewDog's Dogma (new version).

Until next time....

Dark Star Brewing Co Belgian IPA

Good evening all. I'm back again with another beer review, and this time it's a relatively recent offering from Dark Star Brewing Co (West Sussex, UK). It's their Belgian IPA, brewed with a Belgian yeast strain and US hop types in tribute to the La Chouffe brewery, creators of one of the best Belgian IPAs in the world today. Dark Star seem to have slipped off my radar in favour of other UK breweries in recent months, but hopefully this offering will change that! Review after the pic....

Belgian IPA (7.2% ABV) pours a copper colour with a short-lived white head that settles to a thin halo around the inside of the glass. There's some very light lacing in the early stages of the beer, but it's certainly not as carbonated as I was expecting. The aroma is very interesting and packs more of a Belgian punch, with  grapefruit, mango, phenols, spice, some light sweetness and a hint of acetone in the background. The hoppy fruits are pretty powerful at first, mingling with the sweetness and spicy yeast to give that characteristic Belgian IPA aroma you'd expect from something like Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel or even Duvel Tripel Hop, but soon retreats to the background, leaving the malt and yeast on show. Some acetone is noticeable every so often in the background, but this doesn't spoil the overall experience. The taste delivers much of the same, with grapefruit, phenols, mango, caramel and a nice bitterness after drinking. The fruits taste and feel quite juicy, whilst the sweetness continues on into the finish where it offsets some of the bitterness from the hops. This bitterness hits close to the end of drinking, mainly in the back of the throat with some tartness around the edges, and can cloy after a few sips. The mouthfeel is light and the beer is moderately carbonated- probably the only negative thing about this beer is the lack of carbonation, leading to the cloying bitterness and sickly-sweet background taste after repeated sips. Overall, this is a nice example of a Belgian IPA, delivering some fresh hop flavours and balancing them well with the Belgian yeast spiciness. If only it had the wispy, almost sparkling carbonation of the more authentic stylistic offerings, then it would be perfect. Recommended, but probably worth trying side by side with any of the aforementioned beers to see what it's missing.

Until next time....