Robert The Bruce Scottish Ale - Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub

tdm168

North Carolina

3.95/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - dark amber with a thin, off white head that has good retention

S - caramel, baked apples, peat

T - apples, caramel, peat, faintly piney

M - medium bodied, smooth, well carbonated

This is a nice, simple ale. It's brewed to style and has an enjoyable, highly drinkable flavor. This is definitely one of the tamer Three Floyds offerings that I have had, but it is still worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2013 00:49:19 | More by tdm168

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.06/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the brewpub.

Pretty solid stuff. Good looking tan fizzy head. Deep red in color. On the sweeter side for an already sweet style. Tons of sugary, toasted malt. Some bready yeasty flavors and of course biscuit. Can be a bit cloying and heavy at times but it has its own twist and unique character. Dark sugary fruits. An enjoyable beer but one is enough for me. Almost like a dark real kola drink.

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2013 05:29:39 | More by Gatch

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.49/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

This brew was served from the tap at the Three Floyds Brewpub in Munster, Indiana. It arrived in a generic nonic glass, showing a warm maple syrup brown. It held a one and a half finger tall head of tan, cakey bubbles, showing nice retention. Patterned lacing was seen around the glass. No haze or sediment was noted, and carbonation appeared to be mild. The nose filled with notes of warmed chocolate and brown malts, mild woodiness, medicinals, red grape winey bite, raw toffee sweetness, vanilla bean, and sweaty, cheap malts with big metallics on the back. Our first impression was that the flavoring was mild but complex through the grain bill it presented. As we sipped, the taste opened with bitter nuttiness of walnuts and Brazil nuts, toasted brown malts, residual dextrins, burnt soy sauce, and cloying and drying red grape skins. The middle came to a peak with toasty caramel malts, fusel vanilla extract, cooling metallics, adjuncts, seven-grain breadiness, and bittered oak air to pull us to the finish. Here we were met with a curious inclusion of slightly grassy hops, warmed milk chocolates, aromatic toffee sweetness, cranberry sourness, and that same red grapey bite. The aftertaste breathed of sour lemons, vinegar acidity, charred bitterness of caramel and light chocolates, booze, chalked chocolates, and the sweet dryness of iced tea. The body was medium, and the carbonation was medium to high. The mouth was coated with slick oiliness following pleasant slurp, smack, froth, pop, and cream. Eventually a tannic astringency and sugary sweet pucker took over, giving final dryness. The abv was appropriate, and the beer drank a bit more slowly.

Overall, the thing we liked best about this beer was its complexity. The flavoring remained nicely fruity and sweet, spicing things up stylistically, while the malts took a back seat until thoroughly warmed. Soy sauce saltiness and pale honey sweetness helped keep things a bit more serious, but the residual sugars did become a bit much by the end. The nose felt comparatively cheaper and thinned through. This beer drinks decently but never quite melds as much as you want it too. While I definitely bled with William Wallace, I’m still not sure if I will bleed with Robert The Bruce.

Serving type: on-tap

04-17-2013 20:50:06 | More by TheBrewo

mjc3151

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle.

A - slight head, dark color that is standard for the style

S - not much going on here, slight roasted malt smell but not much.

T - yum. Not my favorite scottish ale, but it is up there. Not as sweet and sugary as Founders Dirty Bastard, with more of a roasted taste to it (but it still has a strong malty flavor to it). If you like roasted malts, you will like this.

M - slight carbonation, not too much and not too little

O - Definitely try this if you enjoy scottish/wee heavy ales, but personally I prefer the Pipeworks Last Kiss and the Founders Dirty Bastard.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 23:37:04 | More by mjc3151

Mythos82

Indiana

4.29/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12 fl oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Pours smoothly with a small tan head. Bubbles never larger than a small BB.

S: As I am not a coffee drinker, the bold smell of coffee and toffee was powerful, but loved the warm feeling that this beer exudes.

T: As I have stated earlier I do not drink coffee, but at one time I did, so the robust taste of a dark roasted coffee is refreshing in moderation. Finishes with a sweet butter toffee feel with strong notes of a dark cocoa.

M: There is a good feeling of bright carbonation on the tongue and a gentle coating not quite unlike a great cup of hot chocolate.

O: Overall this is a great beer to sip on a good cold night. Sitting back and enjoying a great movie with your slippers and a hot roaring fire is what this beer is made for.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 09:52:24 | More by Mythos82

SlothB77

Virginia

3.86/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into a glass.

A: Cinnamon brown with hazy scarlet. Quarter finger of tan, soft head that disintegrates into tiny clear gems.

S: Grapes, cherries and raisins. Dark fruit. Pepper spice.

T: Starts with cherries and raisins, then a honey - syrupy - caramel finish.

M: Low carbonation, medium-heavy body. Syrupy, like honey. Low acidity, low bitterness.

O: This surprised me for some reason. My expectations were lower I guess. Love the look of this scottish ale.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

03-27-2013 23:27:37 | More by SlothB77

weonfire

Kentucky

3.44/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5

A - Dark red/brown, one inch cream color, small bubbled head, low translucence, zero lacing

S - carmel malt, honey

T - initial: carmel malt, dry, buiscity, earthy. finish is a bit roasty, bitter (3/10)

M - frothy, med body, creamy, viscosity is med

O - Fits style. But nose and taste are average and I didn't care for the carmel, earthy, roastiness taste. Froth level is very nice tho.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 20:41:08 | More by weonfire

SportsandJorts

Michigan

3.95/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Type: 12 oz bottle
Glass: Snifter
From: Big Red Liquors in French Lick, IN
Price: $11 a six-pack

Appearance: pours a coppery brown color. nearly no head but some tan foam that fades quickly to nothing. pretty close to opaque

Smell: Caramel malts, slight hoppiness

Taste: malt, chocolate, earthy hops, some but nowhere near overpowering smokiness or roasted malts.

Mouthfeel: A touch sticky but overall nice drinkability and feel

Overall: Another solid brew by three floyds. The first beer by them that I have rated above above average, but they have all been good. this is a good beer that is well done and drinkable. certainly worth a try if you can get your hands on it

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 01:51:37 | More by SportsandJorts

bum732

Maryland

4.16/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

S: Rich maltiness with intense bread crusts. Some earthiness, mushrooms maybe.

L: Fairly clear, very dark red with a white creamy head that dissipates.

T: Intense maltiness with some subtle dark fruits. Medium low herbal hoppiness with some malty sweetness before finishing with grainy dryness.

M: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

Solid offering for the style. Loved the intense maltiness.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 02:39:22 | More by bum732

sbxx

Illinois

3.64/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Pours a nice light brown. Two fingers of fluffy light caramel head. Light splotchy lacing.

Smell - Malty with hints of toffee, nuts and wheat.

Taste - Big roasted malts, hints of caramel, lightest on hops of any FFF beer I've tried.

Mouthfeel - Medium/heavy body, very light carbonation, finishes clean & wet with minimal aftertaste.

Overall - A nice, easy drinking beer, especially at 6.5% ABV. Most of the time I prefer something a little hoppier, but this is still a quality brew that I'll drink on the occasion that I'm craving a crisp malty ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 06:21:33 | More by sbxx

ThickNStout

Georgia

3.33/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

12oz bottle from zrab11 (thanks!). No bottling info. Served in a Dogfish Head snifter.

Pours russet brown with a half finger pale head. Almost no lacing.

Smells of caramel, roasty malts and a hint of smoke.

Taste pretty much follows the nose. Caramel, brown sugar, undersweetened toffee, toasted grains, smokey hay, earth and dry grass.

Medium light feel with seemigly light but effective carbonation. Burt toffee/caramel finish.

Not bad but this seems to fall short of my prefered examples of the style and isn't among Three Floyds stronger work. It's easy to drink and is a nice little pause from my usual stouts ad IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 06:24:50 | More by ThickNStout

elchingen

Georgia

3.95/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Nice dark caramel body. Off-white, large fluffy head that faded rather quickly. Lacing proved decent.

S: Rather an understated nose. Nothing really stood out, usual malt suspects; some sweet caramel & roasted grain.

T: Nice balance of caramel/toffee malt sweetness, small but notable hop presence & toasted/ smoky malt bitterness. Flavors pretty well integrated.

M: Carbonation level seemed appropriate. Malt presence not cloying, and the hops help give just a bit of a lip smacking dry finish. Pretty easy going.

O: Nice solid effort. Didn't love it, but would certainly have again. I always enjoy a malt driven beer that isn't overly cloying with its sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 23:13:02 | More by elchingen

Wildcatz69

Kentucky

3.43/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle into pint glass.
Leaves a sticky lace in glass, retains bubbles throughout.
Smells of toffee and caramel, malty, bitter aftertaste,mmmm.
Gives the tongue a tingle, excites the brain, leaves a sweet aftertaste towards back and sides of mouth.
Lots of depth, enjoy six pack of this Scottish ale from 3 floyds while watching Braveheart.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 19:51:00 | More by Wildcatz69

Efay

Illinois

3.84/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My local bar has this on tap year round, so I always have it. Decided to do a full review on this brew that comes from the powerhouse brewery known as 3 Floyds.

A- A dark copper color. About a half a finger of foam, with good head retention and decent lacing.

S- Very toasty malts and a sort of coffee smell. Not overbearing and is light.

T- Initial burn malt taste, with a bitter coffee aftertaste. Light but extremely enjoyable.

M- Moderate carbonation and moderate body. Takes a while to finish.

O- I know of lots of people that really don't like this beer or think it's a subpar offering from FFF but i disagree. I really enjoy the malt and bitterness that comes from it.

Serving type: on-tap

01-28-2013 15:00:36 | More by Efay

ThePorterSorter

New York

3.65/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Thanks saisonrichbiere for the hookup

The beer pours a rich looking dark brown with an overzealous off-white head that thinly blankets. The nose is slightly metallic, roasty, caramel, a touch of booze, and uncharacteristically unbitter. The taste presents a decent amount of caramel, very little bitterness (surprisingly), and a lingering bready maltiness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, bready, and sweet. This beer is tasty, but I'd prefer a FFF hop monster any day

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 22:59:19 | More by ThePorterSorter

ChuckFreeze

4.45/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

the Robert The Bruce is definitely my favorite among the Three Floyds. It does have a bit of a bite, but i enjoy that in a good ale. It has a nice dark amber look to it, and has a good balance of flavor. Savage's Ale House in muncie indiana is where i always go to enjoy this ale on tap.

Serving type: on-tap

01-22-2013 21:44:53 | More by ChuckFreeze

elNopalero

Texas

4.14/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This pours a caramel amber color. There’s a pleasing, warm hop aroma to it—not hoppy per se but some bite.

This has a big bitterness and a nice caramel body on it with a rounded malt. The bitterness is pronounced yet light enough to work in conjunction with the malt sweetness.
A hoppy amber? A hoppy Scotch ale? Whatever the style it’s delicious.

Serving type: on-tap

01-20-2013 10:06:38 | More by elNopalero

beer2day

North Carolina

4.51/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

One of the easiest beers to get from FFF. Found in Bowling Green, KY in a variety of shops there.

Caramel brown pour with 1.5 fingers of butterscotch cream head. Decent retention and wispy strands of lace.

Nose is peat, caramel, toffee, and tea. All the things that make a great Scotch ale.

Peat, caramel and toffee dominate the taste. Very strong flavors, especially as the glass warms. Strong malt finish with bitter caramel rounding things out. Well done.

Body is perfect for a stronger interpretation. Heavy, thick with syrup.

I'm a big fan of the style and FFF hit the mark with this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 03:15:44 | More by beer2day

TastyAdventure

Kentucky

3.99/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured one finger head. lacey and sticks to the glass, but not too much retention. Slightly dark red. Looks like a tasty, dark Red Ale.

Smelled good. not much here. and the good smell quickly gives way to a standard not-so-great beer smell. Couldn't wait to dive in.

Tastes slightly malty sweet, oats, grain, some dried figs, dates, maybe caramel? but not overwhelmingly sweet. I'm tasting sweet oatmeal, with some long cooked hops. Very good balance. A tiny bit of hops at the end (and when I burp). Just the way I like it. A little smokiness comes through. Overall tastes kind of like the leftover beer sitting atop of a belgain dubbel yeast cake after siphoning. Very grain/oaty.

Mouthfeel is nothing special. But because you can get complex, rich taste from this beer without it being very heavy, I'd say this is the perfect session beer. I wanna drink 6 of these things!
I feel I could get drunk but still continue to appreciate the amazing taste.

I've never had a Scottish Ale before but my impression is a richer, more malty Irish Red Ale, which is right up my alley. A happy medium.

Nearly a must try! I don't understand the low ratings given. Not the epitome of craft beer, but an excellent session brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 23:54:44 | More by TastyAdventure

Thickfreakness

New York

3.85/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Pours a muddy, silt, red with a creamy tan head that fades rather quickly but leaves a decent bit of sticky lacing.

S- Caramel, smoked malt, and some dried dark fruit. Nothing really stands out, and it's not really giving me much to go on. It's not bad, but not very powerful on the nose.

T- Mmmmm... it's like smoked caramel covered dates. This is where the smoke shines like it's supposed to. Some brown sugar sweetness, a touch of grilled pineapple from the hops,

M- NIcely carbonated, but it has a slick feel going down. Leaves a nice dry smokiness rolling around your tongue.

O- Very nice. Not top shelf as far as Scotch Ale's go, but I could see myself drinking this on a semi-regular basis if it was available near me.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 22:27:16 | More by Thickfreakness

AmitC

Indiana

4.05/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

My first Scottish ale.

Poured into a snifter. Brown color inside the glass. A lot of dark copper and ruby colored hues emanate from the glass when looked at from the top. Very little head of light tan color. Almost no bubbles and non existent lacing.

Aroma: Sweet caramel and heavy roasted malts presence. Some minor esters.

Taste: Rich malty taste with a good presence of roasted barley and caramel. A good amount of hop bitterness prevents it from going overboard malty. A dry finish.

Mouth feel: Low on carbonation and medium bodied feel. Easy to drink with more bread like malt feel.

Style Rate: 4
Personal Rate: 3.75

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 17:37:33 | More by AmitC

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

3.9/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from tap into pint at holy grale in Louisville. Pours a deep ruby brown with a finger of foamy head. Somewhat mild mellow malty aroma...nothing crazy.
Taste is good sharp sweet malts, some sharp booze, cherry maybe...its good not blowing my mind. Its an easy scotch ale but nice mild flavors. Worth a try for sure.

Serving type: on-tap

11-28-2012 00:27:34 | More by DrinkSlurm

Immortale25

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Thank you for this, IrishHockey. Poured into a Ninkasi Brewing pint glass. No freshness date.

A- Pours a translucent brown color with a 1/2 inch light tan head that retains well, then slowly dissolves to a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a spotty sheet of surface foam. Average lacing.

S- Soft smell of anise and dark roast. Sweet and somewhat floral with a stern alcohol presence.

T- Mildly roasted coffee with a hint of vanilla. Notes of black licorice, black tea and dark chocolate. There's also a small, lingering capsaicin burn that kicks in after multiple sips.

M- Good, sturdy body that's at just the right viscosity. Medium carbonation plus heat on the tongue.

O- Not something I would drink all the time, but it certainly wins points for being very unique. These guys sure do make a different kind of beer, don't they?

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 06:34:08 | More by Immortale25

warrenout330

Ohio

3.83/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from my Growler of a top secret source, since 3F is hard to come by in Warren.

A- pours a dark mahogany brown.... nice 1in finger of off white head that disappears

S- smells of rich caramel malts up front followed by an awesome chocolate cake funk with a hint of smoke in the back

T- pretty much like the smell... very caramel malt foward with this awesome cakey Chocolate smack in the back....

M- the carbonation is average, does decent for the style even though i'd like a little more stickiness from this beer with a little less carbonation.

O- a very nice job on this Scotch beer from 3F... I know they're known for not being normal with styles but who's to say you can't make a beer within the style and execute it very well? Kudos 3F for my first beer from you and to many more

Serving type: growler

10-24-2012 18:12:51 | More by warrenout330

andrewjraab

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a deep and rich brown with some reddish tint to it. A thick and foamy head quickly boils down to a tight layer of dirty white head. Nice stick.

S - Caramel, coffee, sweet. A nice inviting nose on this.

T - The taste is a bit disappointing after smelling this. Malty, sweet, not much else sticks out. It tastes good, but it is just one note.

O - This is a decent, not great brew. I wouldn't really keep it in a rotation, but worth a try. First FFF brew that I'm not in love with.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 02:03:31 | More by andrewjraab