Plaid Bastard - Grand Lake Brewing Company

Bitter_Echo

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%

01-12-2013 00:41:16 | More by Bitter_Echo

LB22

Colorado

3.25/5  rDev -15.4%

03-23-2013 03:38:53 | More by LB22

mevett89

Colorado

3.85/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: dark brown with a thin head that quickly dissipates.

Smell: you can definitely detect the smoked malt here, but that's about it.

Taste: smoked malt alongside roasted and chocolate notes. The hops are solidly in the background.

Mouth Feel: smooth and creamy with low carbonation.

Overall: the use of peat-smoked malt from Scotland make this unlike any Scotch Ale I've had. It's not nearly as strong in caramel malt flavor as I'm used to in this style, but the smoked malt used is showcased well.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 16:30:00 | More by mevett89

mttdls

New York

4/5  rDev +4.2%

03-08-2013 20:59:24 | More by mttdls

JuicesFlowing

Kansas

4.1/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a shaker pint glass.

The beer is as dark brown as can be without being black. An oatmeal colored head calms to bubbles and the a wisp, with light lacing.

Aroma is rich, buttery with toffee notes and faint smokiness.

The taste is smooth and complex. Buttery toffee come first, followed by hearty malts with a faint smokey finish.

Medium mouthfeel, almost sticky.

Overall, a delicious brew with rich notes. Smooth and definitely worth my time.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 02:49:50 | More by JuicesFlowing

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.83/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

a good beer for this time of year. enjoyed on tap at fire on the mountain wing spot on 32nd. it pours a flat looking clear brown amber color with basically no head. it smells great though, lots of smokey malt and a decent level of booze. its earthy and dark, enticing. the flavor is rich, even for the style. and the malts remind me of campfire smoke, tree bark, and maple syrup, although this beer isnt sweet. there is a nice warming alcohol kick to this as well. the mouthfeel lags a bit because there isnt enough carbonation, but the full body and smooth texture was a great way to wash down a couple dozen wings. id like to try this in the bottle, maybe the feel would be better. either way, a good introduction to grand lake beer for me.

Serving type: on-tap

10-20-2012 17:55:10 | More by StonedTrippin

stampfler07

Georgia

4/5  rDev +4.2%

09-06-2012 03:15:37 | More by stampfler07

netshark

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

09-01-2012 20:36:43 | More by netshark

jrohrbacher

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +4.2%

08-02-2012 02:07:06 | More by jrohrbacher

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.83/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Acquired via trade from MilwaukeeCrusher so a big “Thank You” goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep dark brown color, with a very thin off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a very thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains smoky roasted malts, bourbon dark fruit, vanilla and a faint touch of hops.

T: The taste likewise starts out very smoky up front. Then some flavors of bourbon, chocolate, caramel, dark fruit and vanilla come in. The malt character is hearty despite being on the thin side for the style and there’s a mild hops presence that brings some balance.

M: Crisp and smooth but a bit watery for the style, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty and complex, goes down easily, not too filling, good kick, good representation of style, even when you take into account the beer’s flaws, it’s still worth drinking for a while if you’re looking with a smoky beer with substance.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 04:32:21 | More by TheManiacalOne

beergoot

Colorado

3.85/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Very little head after pouring this reddish brown bodied beer into my glass. Still, an great color...

Dark bread, rye-like, with hints of figs and raisins in the smell. A faint whiff of alcohol sneaks in there, too.

Robust malt goodness predominates in the taste. Rich and smooth on the tongue as roasted grains with hints of cocoa in there. Softly bitter with an ever so slight perception of alcohol rounds things out.

A fantastic rich, malted taste rescues this beer from a somewhat disappointing appearance (a thick, lasting head would have been great on this beer...). Excellent balance with the alcohol and grains coupled with an intriguing complexity makes for a fine brew in the grand scheme of things...

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2012 22:24:19 | More by beergoot

MumboJumbo

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +10.7%

04-04-2012 19:20:30 | More by MumboJumbo

tbern007

Colorado

3.43/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark brown, almost black, with ruby around the edges. No head, no lace. Pretty color, but the rest of the appearance is crap.
Scent is tantalizing. Dark fruit, malt, alcohol.
Taste is on one hand nice but on the other weak. Plum, anise, black licorice, roast malt- but all essentially weak. Very slight smoke.
A bit watered down and sugary. Medium body. I've had some Scotch Ales and this just seems a bit weak.
Side note: the label states: strong scotch ale is big and rich.
Not really. There's also a mention of the highest altitude of brewing in CO. So what. just make good beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 05:07:08 | More by tbern007

Huffaroma

Montana

4/5  rDev +4.2%

01-02-2012 05:57:59 | More by Huffaroma

bigaltemple

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%

12-26-2011 15:58:50 | More by bigaltemple

seanmugs

Colorado

4/5  rDev +4.2%

11-20-2011 00:54:15 | More by seanmugs

xhuskr

California

3.85/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into std pint glass

thnx to my bro-in-law who lives in CO for this one. Had this years ago at the brew pub and enjoyed it.

A-nice dark mahogany color with very little lace that quickly diminished to none
S-nice...a wee bit of peaty malt
T-good light smoky/peaty flavor I've missed in other so called Scotch Ales
M-nice at first, then leading to off carbonation. Not too much from stopping me form finishing or wanting another. I've had some BAD Scotch Ales (last Maltopia) so I enjoyed this
O-a good beer to enjoy without any hype.

I'm often looking for a good Scotch ale...cautious to spend $ on failed brews. I'd buy/drink this again.

I wish I had some more

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2011 04:28:04 | More by xhuskr

Pahn

New York

3.45/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into Duvel tulip. Thanks to codewarrior for including this as an extra in a recent trade--even though if you read below he himself apparently didn't like it! I'm joking with the "shit extra" implication though; among others, he included a 750ml Odell Saboteur as an extra, which is really going above and beyond. Generous trader, and much appreciated.

Appearance: Free pour yields a tiny offwhite head that disappears immediately. Pours a dark blackish red brown. No lacing. Considering this isn't an unblended lambic or something, looks like something went wrong.

Smell: Raisin, and a cola-like effervescence. There's an almost white wine-like note that's kind of sour. It actually smells good, but the smell is not strong enough and there's not enough going on really. Doesn't particularly enhance the flavor, but doesn't stop me from wanting to drink it either.

Taste: Interesting. I definitely taste the raisin and black cherry touted on the bottle's label, and there's a nice smokiness right up front from the peat smoked malt. Some molasses in the aftertaste. This beer would be great to cook with.

All told there isn't much going on with this beer, but I like what's there. The transition from smoke to raisin/cherry to molasses is good, and stays interesting throughout. It's sort of like a smoky Belgian dubbel actually (though a pretty simplistic dubbel). Also, even at 8% ABV there isn't a hint of solvent in the flavor. Maybe some warmth in the chest at the end, but that's it.

Drinkability: Medium bodied (feels heavier at first, but it starts to feel a bit watery after awhile). Low carbonation, which I actually found to be quite enjoyable (I don't want my thick malty beers to explode with bubbles in my mouth). Dryer than expected.

Drinkability: Goes down easy. I wouldn't have trouble throwing these back if I was with good company at a bar. That said, it's also not a beer such that I'd say, "Oh, such-and-such bar has Plaid Bastard?? Let's go *there* tonight!" If it were cheap enough I'd buy it every so often.

I liked this beer more than the low-for-BA and low-for-me scores probably indicate. I think the beer is well made and has real character. There's just some obvious problems in the appearance and smell, and the flavor is, when it comes down to it, not as deep as a wee heavy needs to be. However, it does taste good. Also, I bet a barbecue sauce made out of this stuff would be amazing.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2011 05:44:51 | More by Pahn

codewarrior

New York

2.85/5  rDev -25.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

12oz from a 6-pack, poured into a pint glass

Picked this up on my first trip to Davidson's Liquors, the liquor store was impressive, this beer ... not so much.

L: Deep, dark, old, brown. Very little head, no lacing. Definitely a touch under-carbonated.

S: Fresh for a wee-heavy. Touch of smoke and peat in the back of th nose, lots of sweetness, but ultimately not much going on here.

T: Starts sweet, middle is sort of a meaty smokey confusion with not enough of either to make much of this beer. Finish is premature, and pretty flat.

F: Touch light for a wee-heavy and definitely under-carbonated. Nearly flat.

D: Not for me.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2010 23:52:24 | More by codewarrior

katan

Colorado

3.85/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz into a pint

A - Pours a deep dark amber color. Some brown high lights are present. Head formation was about nil, and it disappeared down to nothing. Looks somewhat flat.

S - Malty - strong chocolate and toffee, perhaps some caramel. Some alcohol warmth. Roasted notes are present, but they are are an afterthought.

T - Starts off with a light sweet, but then turns hard into some chocolate and peat malt. Lots of alcohol warmth. Mid-stream brings on some currants, raisins. Finishes with some smooth chocolate flavors.

M - Moderate beer body, but a very flat carbonation. Sticky and sweet on the tongue. Lots of alcohol warmth on the finish.

D - Moderate drinkability - abv will knock you around a little. Not filling. Flavors are pretty well rounded.

An interesting beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2010 03:40:10 | More by katan

GilGarp

Colorado

3.4/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I've been sitting on this one for a long time. Time to give it a try.

Served cool into a pint glass, Plaid Bastard is a deep dark brown color. There is good clarity around the edges. There is absolutely no head. Even with a splashy pour, nothing develops.

Aroma is sweet and malty. There is a little evidence of the peat or smoked malts that were used in the making of this beer.

Flavor much more strong and the smoke comes through here with force. There is a sweet malt backbone with a little chocolate and cherry flavor. There is basically no hops to speak of but that's how this style should be.

Mouthfeel is medium-plus bodied with low carbonation. After pouring it, I thought this might be the second beer in as many nights to come out flat but luckily no.

Overall it's not a bad beer, pretty good for the style, but I prefer my Scotch ales to be smoke-free.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2010 04:23:09 | More by GilGarp

blackie

Virginia

3.55/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

a: unibroue tulip, completely dead on the surface - absolutely no head, deep murky brown in color

s: peaty, woody smoke, and smooth roasty malts with a subtle sweet-sour aroma akin to apple juice, some chocolate syrup, big malty toffee, molasses, dark fruits, not bad

m: barely carbonated, body a full medium

t: typical scotch style malts - toffee and smoky peat with some glimpses of iced coffee, light chocolate coating, okay but a bit of a flatline, turns somewhat to a dry earthiness in the finish with dusty cocoa and charred wood

d: eh, okay

single from College Liquors, Grand Junction, CO

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2010 03:03:50 | More by blackie

Beaver13

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 1.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle. Pours brown with no head at all other than a few bubbles after a very vigorous pour.

The aroma is sweet peaty caramel and toffee with a bit of smoke and molasses and nuts. As it warms some vegetal notes come out.

The flavor is sweet peaty nutty caramel and toffee malts with some chocolate and a touch of fruits and smoke. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with very low carbonation.

Overall, this didn't have much carbonation like the other Grand Lake beers that I purchased from the brewery. Unlike the others, this hold up pretty nicely. It's got some great flavors for a Scotch ale - a good balance of peat, smoke and sweet caramel without being overly sweet.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2010 05:12:09 | More by Beaver13

alcstradamus

Illinois

3.03/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Cola brown pour with a half finger of head that quickly dissipates. The aroma is extremely familiar but I'm having trouble pinpointing it. Sort of a toasted, bready, lightly sweet mix....I think I've got it, it is Wheat Chex cereal maybe?

Flavor is basically mashed Wheat Chex mixed with water. I love me a nice full flavored/full bodied wee heavy, but this just isn't it. Too watered down for the style, although by no means is it unpleasant. Just not really worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2010 00:07:25 | More by alcstradamus

chicano4craft

Colorado

3.95/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter as suggested on the label. Very dark with ruby highlights when held to the light. Modest head from a strong pour. Head leaves fast with no lacing.

Smoke, malt, and dark fruit in the nose.

Very nice mix of sweet fruit and smokey malt in the taste. The alcohol comes through slightly in the end. Not a lot of carbonation here, but enough for the style.

Pretty solid scotch ale. Nice flavors. I could have used a little more carbonation. This seems to be a problem with all Grand Lake beers. As for this beer I'll definitely buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2010 00:42:08 | More by chicano4craft