Old Chub - Scottish Style Ale - Oskar Blues Brewing Company

deadonhisfeet

Kentucky

4.38/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a can into a Brooklyn Brewery snifter. The pour is very dark, but when held to the light shows that it is clear and of reddish-mahogany color. The head is a good finger and a half of khaki foam which dies down fairly quickly. It has a nice malty nose. There are hints of chestnuts, cotton candy, treacle, and maple syrup.

Medium-full body with an outstanding chewy feel. The malt is nice and strong and contributes a wonderful sweetness with flavors of caramel and dark fruit and just a hint of smokiness. The finish has a little bit of booziness that adds a nice complementary warm spiciness to the malt. Very tasty and drinkable.

I'm no expert on this style, but this is one of the finest American-made Scotch Ales I have had. It has terrific body, feel, and rich malty flavor. That little bit of booze really pushes it over the top. Wonderful beer for those who love the malt. Someday I'd love to do a blind tasting of a few of these beers. I think this one would come out pretty strong.

Serving type: can

01-21-2013 00:06:39 | More by deadonhisfeet

ATXboozer

Texas

4/5  rDev -0.2%

05-23-2013 23:34:53 | More by ATXboozer

touchmeimsac

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -6.5%

05-23-2013 12:51:11 | More by touchmeimsac

Rdc67

Kentucky

4/5  rDev -0.2%

05-22-2013 19:02:46 | More by Rdc67

johntfox

Florida

4/5  rDev -0.2%

05-21-2013 01:29:06 | More by johntfox

marshmeli

New York

4/5  rDev -0.2%

05-20-2013 16:11:01 | More by marshmeli

Birdlegs

Washington

4/5  rDev -0.2%

05-20-2013 06:44:29 | More by Birdlegs

hopswap1

Illinois

4/5  rDev -0.2%

05-20-2013 03:59:14 | More by hopswap1

DrewBest

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +18.5%

05-20-2013 01:17:40 | More by DrewBest

dweeuu

Virginia

4.75/5  rDev +18.5%

05-19-2013 00:58:43 | More by dweeuu

Photekut

Azerbaijan

3.5/5  rDev -12.7%

05-18-2013 22:31:20 | More by Photekut

Otisimaas

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +12.2%

05-18-2013 14:29:50 | More by Otisimaas

warpedrevolution

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -12.7%

05-18-2013 08:02:44 | More by warpedrevolution

st9647v3

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -0.2%

05-18-2013 04:20:50 | More by st9647v3

akttr

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -12.7%

05-18-2013 01:03:02 | More by akttr

Ebf

Illinois

2/5  rDev -50.1%

05-17-2013 23:53:22 | More by Ebf

G_Rod

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +6%

05-17-2013 11:23:18 | More by G_Rod

ElizabethEleanor

Texas

4.75/5  rDev +18.5%

05-17-2013 02:02:40 | More by ElizabethEleanor

NorthSideSean

Illinois

4/5  rDev -0.2%

05-17-2013 01:28:46 | More by NorthSideSean

MaximalC

Illinois

3.99/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours a murky molasses color with a thin khaki head. Aroma smells of molasses, brown sugar, and a faint nuttiness. The flavor is both sweet and roasted, but neither is cloying. This may be due in large part to a level of hopping that just about perfectly offsets the sweetness of the malt--far more balanced than I typically expect from a scotch ale. There is also a palpable alcoholic heat that adds an additional dimension to the flavor profile. The exact character of the malt is pretty difficult to dissect on account of how well everything melds. There's brown sugar and some nut, but that's as much as I can discern, at least without significant warming. The hops may overstay their welcome ever so slightly, but this is forgivable when one considers how well they serve the beer as a whole.

The stellar carbonation lends a creamy texture to the medium body that complements the flavor of the beer quite well. This is a brew where the whole definitely exceeds the sum of its parts. It's flavorful, lively, and sessionable in spite of its moderately high ABV (it strikes me as the scotch ale equivalent of Domaine DuPage). This is the first offering I've had from Oskar Blues, and I must say I'm impressed.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 01:01:16 | More by MaximalC

JMurphy41

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -6.5%

05-16-2013 05:21:27 | More by JMurphy41

MrParker

Ohio

4/5  rDev -0.2%

05-16-2013 04:23:29 | More by MrParker

xShoWTeKx

South Carolina

4/5  rDev -0.2%

05-16-2013 03:13:08 | More by xShoWTeKx

Gatordaddy

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -12.7%

05-16-2013 02:04:50 | More by Gatordaddy

alex_hart

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +6%

05-15-2013 23:55:58 | More by alex_hart