Old Chub - Scottish Style Ale - Oskar Blues Brewing Company

breyton490

Massachusetts

2.28/5  rDev -43.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

First let me say I have had this beer before and it was pretty good, but my latest tasting was far from great.

A: Clear, dark brown, zero head, little to no carbonation

S: Nothing really hit me in the way of aroma, Some maltiness, sweetness. Was OK, but very plain and unremarkable

T: Tasted weak and thin. Maltiness was there, but that was it... no carbonation. Not sure what happened at the brewery, but something along the process was missed with this batch.

M: Thin, watery

D: The lack of carbonation and the thin watery mouthfeel make this beer a one and done. I drank it because I had it, but wont be buying another for a while.. hoping that the beer I got was just an anomaly.

Serving type: cask

03-11-2010 14:35:04 | More by breyton490

capra12

New York

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed on 8/12/09 solo,

Appearance: Deep dark brown with little head

Smell: Roasted malts and hops

Taste: Open alcoholic and sweet. Earthy hops kick in from the middle to the finish leaving a hoppy aftertaste the grows on you.

Mouthfeel: light to medium bodied with a lingering aftertaste

Drinkability: I would definitely have another if it was less sweet on the opening

Serving type: cask

08-22-2009 01:40:47 | More by capra12

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Oskar Blues Old Chub has a thick, creamy, beige head, lots of splotchy lacing, and a semi-clear, rust color. Aroma is of rich, smokey, sweet, fruity malts, and the flavor is of roasted, fruity barley malt, sweet, brown bread crust, and some caramel. Mouthfeel is medium to heavy and slick, and Oskar Blues Old Chub finishes wet, rich, and decently drinkable. The alcohol is not present in the taste, but shows up in one’s body (warmth) as the beer is drank down. Overall, this is nice, and I highly recommend it.

RJT

Serving type: can

06-09-2013 15:06:07 | More by RonaldTheriot

Hanby

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a deep, dark, almost opaque brown. It foamed up a bit, settling to two fingers of tan head, then a thin lace, sticking to the sides of the glass.

S: Rich chocolate, caramel, and cream. There’s some smokiness in there, probably from the peat malt. The higher alcohol presence is detectable on the nose, as well.

T: The sweet, rich malt was the first taste I noticed. Following that were the big, creamy flavors of caramel and butterscotch, then deep flavors of dark chocolate and coffee. Smoky peat and sweet malt are there all throughout. My wife (who is not a big beer fan) had a taste and pointed out some cola flavor. It’s an excellently balanced beer; the flavors mingle and elude.

M: This is a very smooth ale. For a deep, dark beer, Old Chub has a relatively light mouthfeel. I tend to be overwhelmed by the thick, heavy feel of most stouts (something I want to overcome,) so Old Chub’s lighter feel was welcome. The carbonation is somewhat low, and the higher alcohol presence brings a warming feel.

O: Old Chub lives up to the hype. Wow, this was a great beer. It’s rich and flavorful, but still smooth and very drinkable.

Serving type: can

06-08-2013 01:55:34 | More by Hanby

weltywm

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Drank it right out of the can.

Appearance: Light to medium brown. The can looks cool.

Smell: Molasses and very slight hop bitterness.

Taste: Follows the nose. Tons of molasses and some dark fruit. Also some vanilla, malt, caramel, and some toffee.

Mouthfeel: Pretty thick and oily. More than I was expecting. Decent carbonation and a nice clean finish.

Overall: I like Oskar Blues, but I was still surprised at how much I enjoyed this beer. Very nice and very drinkable: a good one for a hot day on the porch.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2013 23:13:05 | More by weltywm

jimmah120

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

12oz can that is about two-and-a-half months old, poured into a new belgium goblet.

dark cola look, unfiltered, low retention and lacing blah blah blah... smell is woody and malty, with a spicy kick. taste is very similar. brown sugar malts, gingerbread, earthy hops, with a spicy finish. except for a hint of alcoholic syrup, i can't tell the 8%.

very enjoyable scottish ale. great if you like them big and malty.

Serving type: can

06-06-2013 01:14:33 | More by jimmah120

Premo88

Texas

3.35/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

12 oz. can poured into pub glass (Samuel Smith's nonic scored with CO2 nucleation point)

"canned on 4/9/13" printed on bottom of can (thank you, Oskar Blues!)

L: dark red brown -- dark amber and very see-through clear when held up to light; very small tan head ... even with the nucleation point, this beer pushes up next to no head. light lacing of the collar, nothing massive.

S: malt, some grain, both are very muted -- almost sour. still, it's not bad.

T: almost like an old ale but with a slight alcohol/scotch (?) taste ... seriously, I get the scarcest hint of single malt scotch. probably a mind trick. the first swallow is incredibly chocolately, super malt bomb. it disappears almost immediately, both the chocolate and the sweetness of the malt -- sort of. the malt keeps showing up but never seems to sweeten out on the back end, not like the first swallow. kind of tease as it dries out.

it's not a taste i'm going to seek out often, but i have to say it is different. it's a mix of notes I've found in other beers (Irish dry stout, English brown ale, old ale, Euro pale lager in the nose, Belgian strong dark ale) but not exactly like any one of those styles in whole. if it finished just a bit sweeter, i'd like it a lot more.

F: not a ton of carbonation but it doesn't seem to miss it. solid weight.

O: different. i'll give it that. but other than the really nice nose, there's nothing about this brew that will get me to buy another six-pack. still, Oskar Blues gets major points for trying to nail down a style that isn't yet another hop salad IPA. won't buy any more but glad i tried it.

Serving type: can

06-04-2013 00:50:09 | More by Premo88

alaimoa

Connecticut

4.2/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a nice deep red/brown with sweet and alcohol aromas immediately.
Tastes of malt and caramel with a sweetness that coats the entire mouth for a while after initial sip
Alcohol at 8% definitely evident in the flavor profile but not overpowering
Overall: delicious beer for a 1-2 type of sipper

Serving type: can

05-29-2013 21:31:25 | More by alaimoa

One2Remeber

Florida

3.9/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A: Dark brown body, purple hue. Thin, tan head.

S: Potent malts, chewy caramel, earthly.

T: Fruity esters, plums/raisins, rich caramel almost burnt, richly malty sweet with a faint roastinessness for a dry finish.

M: Thick, rich sweetness coats the pallet, carbonation helps dry to balance.

O: True to style, rich flavor while possessing a supreme drinkability given the complexity.

Serving type: can

05-29-2013 02:33:35 | More by One2Remeber

maltyb

Alberta (Canada)

4.4/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a goblet/snifter, it is DARK mahogany red. Has a light head that quickly dissipates to a laced ring.

Smell is malty, sweet and sugary with notes of caramel and butterscotch. Some buttery notes.

Taste is big on the roasted malts, nutty, and you can taste some diacetyl giving the buttery flavour (not offensive whatsoever, much appreciated). Some hop bitterness up front, but mainly dominated by the malts.

Nice mouthfeel, not too chewy or thin either. It is a pretty smooth drink, fairly low carbonation level. Finish is very clean and a bit sweet, with alcohol only felt in the middle of the drink.

I love it, it is a fantastic Scotch ale. Smooth and easy drinking while providing tons of flavour and a superbly balanced beer experience. Wish I'd bought more!

Serving type: can

05-29-2013 02:09:25 | More by maltyb

tjsdomer2

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Appearance: Extremely syrupy. Great tan foam. Goes a bit flat when it settles. Dark amber brown.

Smell: Smoked peat and molasses.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Burnt scotch, brown sugar, and some raisins. Definitely scotch flavors in the finish. A tad flat, but not bad. There is a nice tingly flavor, but it fizzles too much like tap water. Some grassy flavors as well that I love.

Overall Drinkability: An enjoyable ale. I see why it is a cult classic, but I don't think I'm quite in the cult...maybe knocking on the doorstep.

Serving type: can

05-25-2013 01:37:46 | More by tjsdomer2

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

bmwats

Louisiana

3.74/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz can, into a standard pint.

A: Dark brown. Pours about a half finger, foamy, brown white head. Sporadic lacing.

S: Molasses, peat, ginger, nutmeg, and maple syrup.

T: Charred coffee, molasses, licorice, and pecan shell. Fresh tea leaf and cola.

M: Hearty, malty, thick and syrupy. Bitter, pungent, peaty aftertaste. Dry finish. High alcohol is apparent.

D: Sip and enjoy.

Atmosphere is pretty good. Dark hue, decent foamy head, and some very sporadic but distinct lacing. Nose is complex combination of sweet, fall spice, and peat. Flavor is charred coffee accentuated with bitter licorice and sweet molasses. Overall, this is a good quaff.

Serving type: can

04-30-2013 04:02:37 | More by bmwats

Chico1985

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

I think this may have been the first scotch ale I ever had, way back in the day. I've had it many times since but never reviewed. A little bit of age on this one, canned 9-7-12..."Don't do it, Dove"?

Pour to a snifter is dark red with just a bit of translucence. Thick khaki-colored head ends up a swirly cap with a thick ring that leaves good lace.

Nice malty scent with sweet malts, caramel, and molasses coming through. Some toasted bread, chocolate and some brown sugar there as well, English earthy hops too.

Chocolate malts really start to show more in the taste, along with noticeable but light peat and smoke. Definitely caramel chocolate toastiness. Light hoppage with a general earthiness to it.

A touch high on the carbonation I think, but otherwise a good mouthfeel. Easy drinking for the style, not much alcohol showing through, not overly sweet.

I think the flavor is a little underwhelming but a solid scotch ale that's always available. Always nice to have a malty beast in a can.

Serving type: can

04-30-2013 00:06:28 | More by Chico1985

gcamparone

Rhode Island

4.24/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12 oz can into a snifter. Purchased in North Providence, RI.

A- Pours a dark maroon body with a small off-white head that reduces to a ring of foam. Not much lacing.

S- Caramel, toffee, molasses, bourbon. Very inviting.

T- Upfront I get a lot of brown sugar, caramel, vanilla, and toffee notes. This develops into coffee, chocolate, and maybe some citrus notes. Finish is roasty and smokey, aftertaste is roasty.

M- Low carbonation, medium-heavy body.

Quite a complex and tasty beer. An excellent interpretation of a scotch ale- hits all the high point of this style. I'd buy again.

Serving type: can

04-29-2013 03:53:27 | More by gcamparone

mjurney

Texas

4.16/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Appearance:
Ruby brown color, looks clear. There good amount of carbonation rising. Thick creamy head.

Aroma:
Sweet, bready, chocolate, dark fruit, spiced rum.

Taste:
Malty, bready, chocolate, caramel. Dark fruit character, dried prune. Hop bitterness is mild. Slight smoke finish. Body is full, thick, creamy, smooth.

Serving type: can

04-27-2013 07:47:04 | More by mjurney

danieelol

Australia

3.63/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours the colour of treacle. Nice white head/lacing.

Smell is caramel, a little rauch. Some chalk and even sulfur, generally mineral-y. Perhaps a little metallic, vitamin-y, Alesmith Wee Heavy-style. A little bit of Scotch (presumably from the smoked malt).

Taste is caramel, carob, coffee. Little bit of smoke here too. Some gingko.

Nice thick, creamy, mouthfeel. Good element of the beer.

Complex beer which I could see myself drinking again occasionally.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 11:42:29 | More by danieelol

SportsandJorts

Michigan

4.09/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Appearance: brown with a hint of red. near opaque. small tan head that leaves a lacing

Smell: malts, smokiness, caramel

Taste: malts, barley and smokey, brown sugar, dark fruits, earthy hops. the balance between sweet and bitter works out quite nicely. good and complex taste

Mouthfeel: surprisingly light and mild for 8%. slight bitterness but mostly smooth

Overall: good and complex beer. drinkable and strong. will definitely buy a six pack when i am in the mood since this was only a mix-six

Serving type: can

04-08-2013 23:43:53 | More by SportsandJorts

Uncle_Jimmy

California

4.35/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Appearance- a sparkling ruby brown with two fingers of dense tan head that goes coarse and then slowly dissapates.

Smell- carmel butterscotch toffee, a faint citrus in the background.

Taste- malty, slightly sweet with some cola undertones. Slightly meaty but in a good way. almost has a brown sugar or molasses component in the texture. the hops really kind of disapear although it is not cloyingly sweet.

Mouthfeel- medium bodied, effervescence seems appropriate to style ( a bit lower than most beers). The carmel notes linger quite a bit aswell.

Overall- very tasty I would order another for sure. I had it with a steak but I think it would be good with dairy based desserts, chicken and dumplings meat pies. Good country cooking!

Serving type: can

04-04-2013 04:29:42 | More by Uncle_Jimmy

csparace

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

One of my buddies picked this up for me at Oskar Blues' new Brevard, NC location. I'm excited to see this come to the Carolinas and can't wait to see what they brew next.

Appearance (4.00) – poured from a 12oz can into a Matilda glass. Pours a tar red amber with a generous two finger head. Thick head with small smoky cream bubbles. Tons of carbonation rising to the top. Head fades quickly. Lacing is pretty sweet.

Smell (4.00) Malty with a dark caramel character. Sweet hop smell. My sense of smell kinda sucks but the smell of this beer has a strong presence.

Taste (4.00) – Roasted hop comes to mind first. Yeasty. Some darkened sugars are definitely present. Alcohol is hidden well. The body has the sweet aspect. The finish has a slight crunch of hops.

Mouthfeel (4.25) – Smooth. A bit less carbonation feel than I would have guessed with how much is moving to the top. Slight slight warming in the back of the throat. Lips aren't really sticky. Great for after a meal.

Overall (4.00) – I'm pretty satisfied with this for a scotch ale. There is not an abundance of flavor, but I think the mouthfeel is spot on.

Serving type: can

04-04-2013 04:10:23 | More by csparace

mntlover

Tennessee

4.03/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Pours a clear brownish red with no noticeable carbonation rising at all. Head is khaki that falls slowly to a cap. Some decent lacing is left behind on my pint.

Aroma is nice big malts nice sweetness hints of maple syrup good earthy notes and light fruit. Big chewy smelling brew.

Taste is like the aroma big chewy malts, toffee, sweet brown sugars or maple syrup. Good earthy notes, peat light smoke some fruity notes hints of chocolate. Some light alcohol spicy notes blend it all together well.

Mouthfeel is big medium but feels chewy maybe its the big sweetness carbonation is slight .

Overall a big chewy treat that I have been meaning to try for years but just never picked up. A good brew from a great brewery.

Serving type: can

04-03-2013 23:44:20 | More by mntlover

drrone

Utah

4.04/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a great dark amber/copper color. A finger of light beige head with tight bubbles, that left a slight amount of lacing.

S - Not a very strong smell to it. The definite malt profile comes through nicely, followed by some caramel and chocolate residuals. Just a little smoke noted.

T - Very similar to the nose, but really shines over the nose of the beer. A pleasing malt burst, with caramel and chocolate, a hint of peat lingers on the tongue.

M- Medium body, with the same carbonation. Smooth, but a little creamy.

O- Quite a nice beer. I do like Scotch Ales and this delivers fully. Oskar Blues continue to prove they are a quality brewery (which I would love to visit sometime). I would definitely recommend trying this beer, especially if you like the style or would like to try the style.

Serving type: can

04-01-2013 20:39:18 | More by drrone

StoutHunter

Michigan

4.04/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I picked up a can of Oskar Blues Old Chub Scotch Ale last week for $1.69 at The Lager Mill. I'm working my way through Oskar Blues lineup and since I'm a fan of Scotch Ales I thought I would give this one a try tonight, so lets see how it goes. Canned on 2/25/13. Poured from a 12oz can into an imperial pint glass.

A- The can has that typical Oskar Blues look with a darker green color to it, it looks ok. It poured a nice dark copper color that took on a real nice dark ruby hue when held to the light with a fingers worth of light tan head that died down to a thin ring that stayed till the end and left a nice amount of spotty lacing behind. This is nice looking Scotch ale, the head could of have been a little better but other than that it was nice.

S- The aroma starts off with a fairly high amount of sweetness that had a slight brown sugar aroma to it and was followed by lots of malts that impart some dark bread, caramel and toffee like aromas along with a decent amount of light smoke and some nice peat aromas. I also pick up a light amount of earthy and somewhat spicy hops that barely show up. This beer had a good aroma, the slightly smokey peat went nicely with the other Scotch Ale aromas and it made for some nice complexity.

T- The taste seems to be fairly similar to the aroma and it starts off with a slight higher amount of medium sweetness that has a slight brown sugar like flavor to it and it's followed by loads of malts that impart some dark bread, lightly roasted, caramel, and toffee like flavor. Up next comes a light smokey peat flavor that is a little on the tame side. On the finish I get a light amount of earthy hops that impart a pretty light amount of medium bitterness and the alcohol barely shows up at all. I got some nice sweet malt flavors in the aftertaste along with a real light amount peat. This was a good tasting Scotch Ale, it had good balance and it was fairly complex, I liked it.

M- Very smooth, creamy, a little rich, on the lighter side of being full bodied with a slightly lower amount of medium carbonation that worked well with this beer. This beer has a pretty good mouthfeel, it worked nicely with this beer, I have no complaints.

Overall I thought this was a good beer and good example of the style, it had some nice traditional Scotch Ale flavors to go with some smokey peat that only a few Scotch Ale's I have tried have had, it combined both those aspects and makes it pretty balanced and smooth. This beer had great drinkability, it was very smooth, the alcohol was hidden very well, and the flavors did a good job at holding my attention, I could drink a few of these in a row and be pretty happy with that and I can't say that for a lot of Scotch Ales, it's for sure more drinkable than Scotty Karate and Dirty Bastard. What I liked the most about this beer was the drinkability and the balance they were both pretty good with the alcohol was hidden better than almost any other Scotch Ale I have tired. What I liked the least about this beer was the appearance, it didn't look bad at all, but a little more head would have been appreciated, it wasn't that big of deal. I would for sure buy this beer again when looking for a good and drinkable Scotch Ale, it was nicely priced and it was pretty good for what it is, i can see this showing up in my fridge fairly often. I would recommend this to anyone who likes Scotch Ales, I think it's a good example of the style and one of the most drinkable. All in all I was happy with this beer and so far it's my favorite beer from Oskar Blues and it gives me hope that there's more beers from this brewery that I will like. Dirty Bastard is still my favorite Scotch Ale with Scotty Karate coming in close second, the flavors are much more intense in those beer but with the intense flavors comes less drinkability so it was nice to have a Scotch Ale that was on the other side of the spectrum and I feel like this one would be my third favorite of the style. Good job Oskar Blues, this is one quality Scotch Ale that I will be revisiting.

Serving type: can

03-31-2013 03:54:39 | More by StoutHunter

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.01/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

12oz can. Deep clear ruby with a foamy mocha head. Rich ringing and a robust looking cascade of spotty lace. Smells of rich sweetness in the nose, with toffee, brown sugar, cocoa, a dash of fruit and some smoky accents. This is nice. The taste pretty much matches that, with a rich smoky sweetness on the palate that includes notes of caramel, cocoa and brown sugar. There is also a light herbal bitterness present that combines with the roast to help offset some of the sweetness here. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a bubbly crispness that fills up the mouth. There is some warmth on the tail end of each sip but this is otherwise very smooth for 8%. Scotch Ales are admittedly not one of my favorite styles but this one made a believer out of me in this instance. This is just packed with flavor and very drinkable for the size. I won’t be ignoring this one on the shelf any longer.

Serving type: can

03-29-2013 15:41:03 | More by Kegatron

jhutch31

California

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I really enjoyed this beer. It pours a deep amber color and has a light white head that quickly fades away. Lacing is minimal. As far as flavor goes, it is malty, toasty, and full of flavor. Hop bitterness is low and very subtle. Unlike some other scotch ales, this beer is very easy to drink and not overpowering on the smokiness or stong malt flavor of other scotch ales on the market. This is the type of beer I could enjoy any time of the year. Very well done.

Serving type: can

03-26-2013 21:16:08 | More by jhutch31