Smokin' Scottish Ale - Cally's Restaurant and Brewing Co.

Deuane

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A-Bright, clear deep copper with a thin tan head that reduced to a thin ring and left spotty lace.

S-Light sweet biscuit, caramel and toffee with the most subtle of peat smokiness.

T-Moderately sweet caramel and toffee up front with a building smoky presence. It is rather light at first but builds with warming.

M-Medium bodied and very smooth without ever getting too sweet. Nice lingering toffee and smoky flavours in the semi-dry finish.

D-A well done, approachable and easy to drink brew. I could see downing a few of these any day.

Serving type: on-tap

10-12-2009 07:59:24 | More by Deuane

ElGeordie

Virginia

3.98/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Tried this at the VA Beer Fest.
I must admit that I'd never heard of Cally's before.
The Smokin' Scottish Ale is a dark bronze colour with a tight white head. Flavour is heavy on the malt but still refreshing. The smokiness is not overbearing - a very drinkable pint.

Serving type: on-tap

07-06-2009 13:15:12 | More by ElGeordie

dborginis

Pennsylvania

4.72/5  rDev +21%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Truly a refreshing delicious beer. Picked up two growlers of this while spending two weeks in Harrisonburg. Shared each with friends and they agreed. Pretty dark brown color with a nice tan head. Smell is a little unpleasant to start, but a few sniffs finds a little of the sweetness of the beer. Excellent malt character and the smoked flavor is really pleasant. A very easy to drink beer at a perfect ABV. This has me wanting more of this style for the summer.

Serving type: growler

05-25-2009 03:13:49 | More by dborginis

Proteus93

Virginia

3.7/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Made a pitstop in Harrisonburg on the way back from New York and took advantage of the Beerfly to try finding a local beer spot to eat at

A: Bronze pour, with minimal head upon serving. It recedes fairly quickly, and leaves behind a ring around the edges, but nothing more.

S: Modest sweet malts... a toffee like scent. Some hints of shortbread and/or biscuit.

T: Easy going flavour... some nice, sweet flavours. Malty, a little shortbread again... not detecting a great deal of smokiness at first, but it becomes a little more apparent as it warms. This needs the time to breathe to let flavours come through

M + D: Sparkling, medium body. Smooth finish, lingering flavours left behind. A reasonable offering. I'd be interested in stopping by again to try some further offerings.

Serving type: on-tap

11-18-2008 01:09:26 | More by Proteus93

MTNboy

Germany

3.68/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance- A nice medium to dark amber color. The head and lace were good. I am glad to see thought that I am not the only one that this beer looked sort of like a soda

Smell- Sort of a good musty/mossy smell. Some good tones of roasted malt als rises up out of the glass.

Taste- It has great malty flavor and a subtle aftertaste. The Aftertaste is really where you notice very easygoing hop bitterness mixed with toffee and smooth liquor tones.

Mouthfeel- Medium with even carbonation.

Drinkability- A mellow evening style beer.

Serving type: on-tap

08-13-2008 14:07:11 | More by MTNboy

chaunur

Kentucky

4.03/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Visited in July 08, Came in a pint glass, nice rich dark amber, 1/4" head with nice residual carbonation.

Lightly scented with mostly a malty smell, This is my kind of beer-neither overly bitter or sweet. This is my first scottish ale so I have no comparison to make. I really enjoyed the pint so I got a growler and knocked it right out.

Serving type: on-tap

07-22-2008 14:55:30 | More by chaunur

Beeryce

Virginia

3.43/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Head is ¼ inch of tiny dark tan bubbles. Very little stability or retention and almost no lacing produced. Clear deep amber color is ruby-maroon in the light.

Nose is pleasant full and complex. Some hops hit upfront then the malt balances with a slightly sweet roasty note that fades to a bready slightly smokey aroma. Nose turns steely caramel with time.

Taste is nice, finish is a little weak though. Sweetness floods the palate, before hop bitterness neutralizes then a roasty smokiness flashes before a bready drying but balanced finish. A slightly bolder smokiness would be nice, but still a great Scottish Ale.

Mouthfeel is fitting, filled with chewy dextrin and lighter in carbonation.

The drinkability is high I drank almost a whole growler myself.

Serving type: growler

02-13-2008 23:50:45 | More by Beeryce

JamesS

Indiana

2.98/5  rDev -23.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Came to the table in a pint glass, a nice light copper/auburn color, with just a little head and a bit of lacing. Decent malty scent, but had no real scottish style ale attributes. Nice taste, malty with a bit of caramel in it, but nothing great in the way of a scotch ale. Went down smooth and I would try it again at Cally's, but not if I were somewhere else with another scotch ale to try.

Serving type: on-tap

12-27-2007 17:41:14 | More by JamesS

Metalmonk

North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Comes to the table a light amber/caramel color, bubbles clinging to the sides like soda. The head was hardly anything I would call a head, just a thin crown, which was sort of disappointing. Had it diminished that quickly, from tap to table?

Aroma was beyond subdued...I could hardly get any kind of aroma from it at all. What I did detect with roasy malts and caramel.

Flavor is toasted grains, light toffee, caramel, mild smokiness, and a fruity finish. Mouthfeel was a little on the watery side. Enjoyable enough, and gets better as it warms...just not as big and robust as I prefer my Scottish Ales.

Serving type: on-tap

04-24-2007 14:36:48 | More by Metalmonk

Phatz

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is a very tasty Scottish Ale. The beers I had up to this point at Calhoun's ~ eh okay but nothing to write home about. This beer is probably a 70 to 80 shilling Scottish Ale, perfect caramelization has occurred. I do recommend ordering this one while your still putting down another pint to give it time to warm a bit. Or pull your growler out of the fridge.

Appearance: Served a proud dark amber copper color with an ivory head and notable lacing.

Smell: A big malt character is rich in the nose with hints of toffee caramel and lightly smoked peat.

Taste: Very malty with gentle and well integrated beautifully completing flavors. The caramel and the toffee and a hint of pale and a very subtle but hint of smoke peat flavor. mmm. Very tasty.

Mouthfeel: the rich creamy feel is ideal.

Drinkability: If I was spending an evening at Calhoun's this would be my choice. I wish I had brought a growler or two. I would love to have taken this home. ($20 an empty growler is a little steep when I have a dozen at home). Regardless this beer is spectacular and I hope if you are in the Harrison burg area you'll stop in to try it.

Hope this is helpful.
Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

10-18-2006 16:46:02 | More by Phatz

tattooedtolley

Virginia

4.22/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the brewery/restaurant and growler.

Appearance: Amber in color, nice clarity. Off white head that lasts with nice lacing.

Smell: Aroma of malts, toffee, caramel.

Taste: One of the better Scottish Ales I have had. Nice malty taste with the sweetness of toffee and caramel coming through. At first I didn't notice the "smokin" part of the ale but after a few more sips it showed up. Just as good out of the growler as on tap.

Mouthfeel: Decent body with some crispness of the carbonation. Refreshing.

Drinkability: Very drinkable, good session beer.

This is a local brewery/restaurant in my area. Their beer offerings are great and this particular beer is one of their most popular. Many people, regardless of personal beer preferences, seem to find this beer enjoyable. Typically my Corona loving parents fill thier growlers up of this beer, it is certainly the best beer they drink. Eventhough I enjoy Calhoun's stouts better, Calhoun's insists that filling growlers of stouts is a bad idea, this is the only beer I put into my Calhoun's growler. Excellent beer.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2006 19:22:56 | More by tattooedtolley

mmmbeer

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My roommate picked up a growler of this. Gold medal winner in it's style at the 2004 GABF and my first Scottish ale. Pours a clear deep brown with a hint of red and has a 1-2 inch head that reduces to a thin blanket. Smells very malty - earthy with notes of toffee. Taste is low on hops but the malts contribute chocolate, toffee, and nutty tones. Carbonation is high even as the beer warms, but still feels smooth. Good malty beer.

Serving type: growler

01-11-2005 02:39:34 | More by mmmbeer

sulldaddy

Connecticut

4.03/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This was my second brew of the visit to Calhouns. Beer comes in a pint glass and is a rich clear chestnut color. Small beige edge layer head is present. Aroma is caramel and toffee, with a faint earthy presence. Didnt expect to much on the hops side of this brew, but with the name, I did think maybe some smokiness. not there.
First sip reveals a thicker than average body and some prickly carbonation. Flavor is caramel, toffee and some roasted malt hits. No smokiness, but a tasty brew. As the beer warms a hint, I detect a lite chocolate flavor as well. This is a nice brew, but I dont agree with the name as it mislead me a little as to what to expect in my glass. This was the darkest brew at the pub during my visit.

Serving type: on-tap

04-24-2004 22:52:46 | More by sulldaddy