MacPelican's Wee Heavy - Pelican Pub & Brewery

DiabolikDUB

Oregon

2.73/5  rDev -27.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

On Tap @ Bailey's Taproom on 5/11/09

Fairly Murkey Brown with a slight ruby glow towards the bottom of the glass with a off-white to slightly beige head. The aroma is very malt forward, lots of sweet aromas, caramel, maybe some brown sugar although faint. The flavor is full of strong smokey, sweet malts and thats really all I get. It seems to be full-bodied and syrupy with a slight semi-dry finish. This isn't my kind of beer but I'm definitely trying to warm up to more of this style.

Serving type: on-tap

05-15-2009 00:15:01 | More by DiabolikDUB

ccrida

Oregon

3.68/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served on draught in a snifter at the brewery, the Wee Heavy is dark ruby with a real nice glow to is, but only a thin, off-white collar.

Smell is very soft, semi-sweet, dusty malt.

Taste is very smooth and balanced, on the reserved side for sure, not to sweet or thick malt wise, although it's the dominant taste, with hints of caramel, toffee, nuts and raisins. I'd prefer a more robust flavor, although this is very well made.

Mouthfeel is very smooth and creamy, with a lighter body.

Drinkability is just above average. Very refined and easy drinking, but a bit on the bland side for my taste in wee heavy's, which favors a more barleywine like richness.

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2008 18:00:57 | More by ccrida

lighthabit

Oregon

3.85/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

comparison with macpelican scottish style, this has much more going for it. head dies to nothing, clear cherry brown, smell of cherries, plums, leather, tastes mirrors the aromas. mouth feel is a tad thin, but ok. i'd put this in the after dinner category, and would enjoy it. nice work, pelican!

Serving type: growler

05-14-2013 05:37:02 | More by lighthabit

UCLABrewN84

California

3.74/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Thanks to GRG1313 for sharing this one at his tasting.

Pours a clear copper with a foamy beige head that fades to nothing. Small dots of lace slowly drip into the remaining beer on the drink down. Smell is of malt, fruit, and caramel aromas. Taste is much the same with caramel and toffee flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with some solid aromas and flavors.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 00:53:49 | More by UCLABrewN84

writerLJBerg

Oregon

3.08/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 3.25

22oz bottle from Belmont Station. Split with my wife.

A: Solid brown color with a red tint. A thin line of foams. Sticks to the glass with some decency.

N: Malt,, red grape, caramel sweetness. Cordial cherries and brown sugar. Smells very much like brandy and grappa.

T: Loads of malt and more of the sugar soaked grapes. Lots of candi sugar and some hints of prune. There is a little smoke. This is some fairly sweet stuff.

M: Really light. I don't remember it being this watery at the pub.

O: This was one of my favorite Pelican beers, but maybe it's just the setting in Pacific City that gave it its charm. Ah well.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 03:22:13 | More by writerLJBerg

ldobehardcore

Washington

2.1/5  rDev -44%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

Served in a chilled bottle 38° Fahrenheit

- Appearance: Leaves some lace in the bottle, not much.
- Slightly smoky scent, notes of caramel and toast/bread. Somewhat yeasty.
- Tastes of fusel alcohols and apple juice, with modest hops. Most scents are overwhelmed by either alcohol or yeast.
- Mouthfeel is very heavy, sticky, with an irritating aftertaste.

Overall I'd say this smells wonderful, and looks good, but the taste is almost exactly the same as Earthquake "High Gravity Lager". It leaves a sticky apple/yeast taste in the mouth and instantly upsets the stomach, which is uncommon for most beers that I come across.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 01:07:52 | More by ldobehardcore

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.74/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Rich but not too rich, sweet but not too sweet, robust but not too robust- Pelican seems to capture all the taste, complexity, and roundness of the strong Scotch ale even though it is a wee heavy- Just the way we like'em.

Incredible density ensues upon the pour as the beer is deep mohogany and brown in color. it's frothy weight reluctantly allows for its ivory-white head to separate from the malty liquid beneath. Firmly headed with a thick blanket of foam, the beer recedes and leaves well-defined rings of lace behind. It's a handsome looking ale.

Toffee and caramel are moderate as stronger aromas of toast, damp soil, light campfire woods, nuts, and charred dark fruit. A background of malted milk supports all of the wafting aromas and pulls them together.

Malt balanced in its flavor profile, the beer builds a complex malt taste that's not solely reliant on sweetness. Kettle caramelized flavors are deep and toffee-like but not sugary. Lighter tastes of smoky chocolate, charred wood, toasted nuts, burnt toast, and light coffee grounds all swirl in the background. Mild fruit esters of grapes, licorice and cherries rise as the alcohol taste brings a mild brandy taste. Light on hops, only a tinge of woody bitterness stand in the shadows and provide a ghost-like offset to sweetness.

Medium-full in body, the beer's sheer malty textures wants to resonate as being a fuller beer than actually exists. With its low-lying sugary effects, the beer is quick to shed its sweetness although it retains other creamier malty components until late in the taste when the beer closes with a long and semi-savory finish and mild alcohol warmth.

Pelican captures the taste of Wee Heavy reasonably well as you can check off all of the prerequisite tastes that the style prescribes. However, there's something about the depth of taste, richness, and intangible complexity of those time-honored Scottish brewers that make American brewers difficult to accomplish.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 18:15:02 | More by BEERchitect

smakawhat

Maryland

4.35/5  rDev +16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the bottle into a Wee Heavy glass. Bottled 102212 (Oct-22-2012?).

A gorgeous cherry red, almost ruby amber body hits with edges of dark orange copper. Clear. A light tan head that billows nicely and settles to a good puck, with some faint ring lacing. Great looking beer.

For a wee heavy, there is a lot of toasty aroma on this. Dried bread. Lots of ripping grain. Not much toffee/caramel sensing sweetness though, but this grain angle is extremely pleasant.

Palate though surprises. Light and toast aromas bring a good lingering toffee sweetness in the mid palate. Body is full and rich, without much syrup sticky qualities which is nice. Hints a little bit of wet, but it's a great light coating feeling. Light bodied finish lingers with lots of husky toasty bread. Easy drinking. Great balance of toffee and malt grain almost biscuity surprisingly.

Overall this is a real solid wee heavy to be consuming. I like the fact this feels very light bodied, but has lots of big character to it also. A big sweet or large oak or big malt toffee bomb this is not, it's subtle and controlled, really beautiful.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 23:39:21 | More by smakawhat

mltobin

Connecticut

3.65/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A few friends and I shared a bottle of this, poured into a snifter.

This scotch ale from Pelican has a brown-auburn tone with a thin, sandy head. Its` nose has brown sugar, malts and caramel. A rich aroma to it. Sipping on this wee heavy and I taste caramel, peat, cherry and fig. It is a particularly sweet beer. Mouthfeel is towards a full body with is smooth and drinks easily. A great example of this style of beer from this small Northwestern brewer.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 01:46:50 | More by mltobin

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.95/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a MacAndrew's thistle glass. Pours a dark red amber, active carbonation. Nice two finger off-white head; dissipates quickly, leaving lacing. Active carbonation gives a nice presentation. Subdued aroma of sweet malt, brown sugar. Nice scotch ale flavor; sweet caramel malt, brown sugar and a bit of dark fruit. Would like a bit more smoky malt, but this is a tasty and very pleasant wee heavy. Medium bodied with a nice mouth feel from carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 03:27:57 | More by LiquidAmber

loren01

Oregon

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a nice clear red color, not very much head no lacing down the glass
S: Sweet fruity/candylike malts. Also slight toffee scents
T: Same fruity sweetness as in the smell but finished with a slight smoked peat flavor
M: Medium to heavy bodied, thick and sticky going down.
O: Great tasing beer, would buy this one again for sure.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2011 00:14:29 | More by loren01

billab914

Virginia

3.85/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into my Southern Tier glass. It poured a deep mahogany color with a minimal head clinging to the edges of the glass.

The aroma shows a big malty profile to it. I get caramel and toffee coming through along with an almost candy like sweetness. A little bit of a dark fruit presence is there as well.

The taste starts out with the malty, caramel and toffee flavors along with a little bit of an herbal hop bitterness. Midway it starts to turn into a sweeter, booze soaked dark fruit flavor. The alcohol and dark fruits last through the finish and leave a very nice flavor lingering for a while.

The mouthfeel is about average for the style and carbonation is moderate. Overall it's a pretty nice version of the style. It had some big malty, sweet flavors to it but managed to be pretty drinkable at the same time. Very enjoyable beer overall.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2011 01:38:42 | More by billab914

GregSVT

Texas

3.95/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle into a snifter

A: Pours a deep amber with a nice off-white head that fades to a ring and leaves a bit of lacing on the glass.

S: The nose is sweet malts in the form of toffee and bread with a very slight smokey aroma.

T: The taste is sweet bread and caramel malts with a bit of toffee on the finish. It's also got that smokey flavor I associate with all good scotch ales.

M: The feel is medium bodied and pretty creamy. Very nice.

O: This was pretty tasty although the nose was a bit muted. I would love to see them barrel age this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2011 02:23:55 | More by GregSVT

hamilton23

California

4.1/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 22oz bottle from BastionShaw.

A: Pours dark brown/chestnut in color.

S: Nose was smoked malts, some peat and lots of caramel/toffee.
T: Flavor followed the nose. Sweet, malt bomb with just the right amount of smoked peat flavor in there. I really enjoyed this one.

M: Nice carbonation.

Smoked peats, sweetness and malts...this is a great Scotch Ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2011 19:49:43 | More by hamilton23

vkv822

Oregon

3.6/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

22oz bottle into tulip snifter.

Pours a beautiful, deep cherry red with quickly rising carbonation and a foamy light-toffee colored head that dissipates to leave a thin layer of foam across the top.

The nose is of wonderful caramel malts and brown sugar. Also very pleasant bread notes from the malts as well. There is a faint, almost dusty characteristic I am picking up in the finish of the nose.

I am getting sweet caramel, brown sugar and toffee notes upfront, backed by fresh bread and also some faint fruit notes as well.

The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with slightly light carbonation.

This is one of the more approachable examples I have tried of this style, as it has all of the great, bold flavors of a wee heavy, but doesn't become over-whelming. Though with that said, I would have liked perhaps a bit more complexity and just a tad bit more heft to the flavors.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2011 01:11:02 | More by vkv822

robwestcott

Indiana

4.2/5  rDev +12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

big thanks to Kelton or this one.

poured cold from the bottle to a sun king shaped pint a deep dark, yet translucent mahogany with ruby highlights when held up to natural light. head was a super thin, short lasting tan. minimal lace.

big aroma that hits as soon as the beer slips from the bottle. sourdough bread way up front followed by toffees sweet brown sugars in melted butter.

great big taste sensation - caramel, sweet toffees, yeasty bread.

big bodied, minimal carbonation, near syrupy - but not tongue point of annoyance. super sweet - big malts.

drinkable - hmmm, one bomber's probably good here.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2011 19:45:13 | More by robwestcott

oregone

Oregon

4.5/5  rDev +20%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2009 vintage poured from a 22 oz Bomber.
Almost no head lifting from the thick mahogany body with hints of crimson. Dark, nearly opaque and beautifully colored with a veeery thin skin of creamy mousse (almost whipped cream) peacefully laying on the surface.
Smells of what it is; a smokey and massive malt bomb. A very true Northwest interpretation of the style. I would kill to see some of this with extended aging in scotch barrels. The massive aromas beg for it.
Tastes as it smells. Sweet, smokey malts and an red apple-y and raisin inflected back palate. Exactly what I expect, to the Nth degree. Carries for a long time on the finish as the flavors evolve and end with a burnt caramel note. Delicious.
Mouthcoating. Thick, viscous, without being cloying. I find a lot more body to it than a 'true' Wee Heavy, but it's a northwest interpretation, and I find that it balances the stronger flavors.
Just can't drink more than a bomber, so less than perfect drinkability, but really, who needs to or craves more than 22oz of this in a sitting? You're not going for Wee Heavies to session, right? Right?
Exceptional.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2010 23:18:41 | More by oregone

msubulldog25

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a 22 oz. bottle at Bailey's Taproom on Friday, intended for sharing at a 'Scotch'-themed get-together. Well that didn't happen (too much other good stuff), but cracked it tonight with dinner ~ leftover Shepherd's Pie. Poured to a nonic.

A: Deep ruby-garnet, lighter amber at the fringes. Hazed slightly, decent carbonation. What starts as a 1-finger khaki cream dies in a couple minutes to a thin ring, then vanishes entirely.

S: Sweet nose, spices and caramel. Then something a little floral and vaguely soapy...hmmm.

T: Candied nuts, sweet cereal, cocoa. Underlying dark fruit and a butterscotch/toffee finished amidst some rather zesty spices. What I'm looking for in a wee heavy, strong but non-burdensome flavors.

M: Lip-smacking malt stickiness, luscious feel but lighter than many S/WH versions I've tried. Creamy and smooth, sneaking alcohol warmth.

D: Good taste and aroma, plenty of sweet grain and toast - but ultimately a little boring...it's a solid choice but not quite as good as the best of the style I've tried.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2010 02:48:22 | More by msubulldog25

gford217

Georgia

3.68/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bomber poured into a tulip.

Pours a dark mahogany that shows a deep, clear copper when held up to light. There's a small creamy beige head that recedes fairly quickly and doesn't leave much lacing behind.

The aroma is light and sweet with lots of caramel malts and brown sugar. There's also some fruity sweetness that I can't quite identify though I could swear it smells almost like a cherry lollipop. Crazy, I know.

The taste is just as sweet and I can definitely taste the cherry/grape lollipop flavors again. The underlying caramel malts are present with hints of smoky peat, but the overwhelming flavor is the sugar sweetness.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with good carbonation and sticky sweet on the palate.

This is one of the sweetest wee heavies I've ever tasted but with a sugary character that seems almost artificial. It's a decent beer but certainly not the same caliber as the other Pelican beers I tried.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2009 04:35:28 | More by gford217

cswhitehorse

Oregon

4.05/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The Wee Heavy poured an amber color with a very small head that took off quickly. It seemed to have a massive number of bubbles rising to the surface not only in the center but pretty much everywhere.

The smell was soft to the nose with a sweet maltiness to them as well caramel coming through. It was pretty soft and sweet on the palate and then left with a tiny burn.

Abv didn't really make it presence known as it was an extremely smooth beer. It was jumpy as far a carbonation goes and on the tongue you were left with that scotch like flavor.

Overall I thought it to be a very good example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2009 02:16:46 | More by cswhitehorse

Bookseeb

Washington

4.13/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This bottle was brought back from the Pelican Brewery by a friend on vaca. Appearance is a dark ruby amber red with very minimal to no head. Smell has a light sweet caramel malt aroma. Taste of malt, raisins, light caramel with a mild hop bite. Mouthfeel has good body and smooth, but it's not as heavy and rich as I thought it should be.
Be it a little light on the style for me, but it's still a damn good ale from Pelican Brewery.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2008 02:58:34 | More by Bookseeb