Full Boar Scotch Ale - Devil's Canyon Brewing Company

laituegonflable

Australia

3.46/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark red colour, clear body. Traces of bead feeding a beige head that dissipates quickly. Lace is not overly sticky, but thick and nice-looking. Decent scotch ale.

Smells very malty, with a good belt of spice. Rye character, with oatmeal as well, brown sugar and some yeast extract as an unfortunate side note. Hint of dark cherry as well. Not bad, but par for the style's course and some undesirables sneaking in.

Tastes a lot darker than expected, almost portery roastiness and overall a far more brown ale kind of character. Brown sugar and whisky syrup note upfront, develops some vanilla, toffee and fig midway but a little intrusion by dry roasty malts, some coffee character and dark chocolate that are there but don't stick around to the end. Finishes more sctoch ale-y now it's warmed up. Lots of caramel malt and a bit of spice. Nice.

Bit of sizzle on the feel; bit of body, too, but the carb is slightly overdone.

Decent scotch ale. Isn't quite knock-your-socks-off hearty and warm, but a substantial colder-weather body to it nonetheless.

Serving type: can

05-19-2013 02:52:48 | More by laituegonflable

ADZA

Australia

3.7/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Another new brewery for me and love the pint can with artwork and detail bout brew which pours a dark mahogany hue with a creamy two finger head and similar lacing around the rim,the smell is brown sugar,molasses,caramel fudge,cherries and a nice hint of smoke just enough to let you know it's there,the mouthfeel is thick,sticky and moderately carbonated with tastes of dark fruits,brandied cherries,caramel,light chocolate and finished with a smokey maple syrup sweetness and overall not a bad Scotch Ale but a tad too sweet for my tastes but easy enough to drink and be great paired with dessert cheers.

Serving type: can

04-25-2013 12:55:02 | More by ADZA

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

473ml can poured into tulip 7/1/13

A very dark brown with enough clarity to see half way under the foam, tight finger of tan head has decent retention and leaves no lace

S faint smokey notes with some nutty caramel and prune, faint chocolate and I like what I smell but it lacks intensity

T slightly more fruity notes then the nose and a little more chocolate, the fruits not dried like the nose I'm getting overripe plum in the mouth, decent beer but nothing amazing

M medium bodied with soft bubbles that give it a slightly creamy feel, nutty toffee on the finish

O they did a good job hiding the booze but although its a respectable brew its not going to blow you away, decent example of the style but needs a little something

perhaps I drank it too cold or I haven't quite recovered from the flu bug but it needs a little more to it, decent but faint smell and flavor

Serving type: can

01-08-2013 06:43:50 | More by wordemupg

Pahn

New York

4.3/5  rDev +23.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

16oz can split 2 ways into wine glasses. Thanks to generous BA KevSal for including this extra in a recent trade!

Appearance: Free pour yields a small, short-lived offwhite head. Pours a reddish black and leaves not much spotty lacing.

Smell: Dark malts with some subtle smoke. Not much to say about it, but it smells like a bold Scotch ale. Promises good things.

Taste: Overdelivers on its promise. Subtle peat smokiness, with a very unique, dark fruit and roasted malt flavor that has a pistachio-like nuttiness (has some anise like flavor as well, but mild). Sweetness balances out the roasted malt and smoke perfectly. Packed with the kinds of flavors you're looking for in a beer marketed as a "Scotch Ale." Excellent balance.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied. Smooth but a little watery. Low side of moderate carbonation. Neither dry nor sugary.

Overall: Really, really solid beer. Superbly balanced. Deft use of peat smoked malt, which works as a perfect complement to the rich malt and husky roasted malt flavors. Current average score makes me suspect this beer and/or brewery is a bit of a sleeper. Worth seeking out if you like robust, well balanced Scotch ales.

Serving type: can

09-05-2012 21:56:25 | More by Pahn

vfgccp

New York

3.9/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours with a nice slightly off white head. retention is moderate, with a slight but nice lace. Beer is a dark brown, ice coffee color, with some lighter brown highlights in the top with some deep ruby highlights in the bottom.

S- Smell is a little light and low in complexity. Up front there are some malty/sugary notes, this gives way to a lightly sour nutty aroma. Finishes with a touch of coffee bitterness.

T- Surprisingly bold up front, with the extra alcohol well hidden. Nice malty sweetness up front, and a nice roasty backbone similar to coffee. Finish is very nice, with some residual sweetness and a slight nutty end.

M- Medium to full mouthfeel, nice carbonation (wouldn't mind slightly more) leaves a nice feel on the palate.

O- Superbly drinkable, one of the better scotch ales i've had. A little different than typical but I appreciate the extra complexity as it ads to the drinkability and helps hide the higher alcohol.

Serving type: can

07-06-2012 01:11:48 | More by vfgccp

TofuDC5

California

3.88/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Very dark amber brown color; about 80% opaque. Foamy beer head; takes a while for bubbles to dissipate...best poured as slow as your patience allows

S: Pleasant; sweet molasses; dark brown sugar. Balanced by an earthy tone; almost like cedar wood

T: Tastes almost how it smells, but to a lesser degree of sweetness.

M: Malty and creamy on the tongue. I'd say full-bodied for a scotch ale. Slight bitter/alcohol sensation in the throat but that goes away fast; not a problem. I actually like how the bitter balances out the sweetness.

O: A very enjoyable scotch ale. I admit this beer is 2x better on tap but I can still appreciate this from a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 05:05:11 | More by TofuDC5

CrazyDavros

Australia

4/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours black with a slowly fading head.
Nose shows chocolate, bready malt, peat, soft smoke, coffee, roasted malt, oatmeal and nutty nots.
Similar flavours but quite sweet. Peat, brady malt, chocolate, malted grains, nutty notes. A bit too sweet.
Carbonation could be higher.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 04:26:11 | More by CrazyDavros

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.89/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

473ml can. Round 2 for my 2013 Burns' Night appreciation menagerie, as I now have to resort to 'Scottish-style' offerings, rather than beers actually brewed in Scotland. Ok, but "suspense is worse than disappointment", so I'm going with that.

This beer pours a clear, very dark reddish amber hue, with two pudgy fingers of puffy, densely foamy tan head, which leaves a low fuzzy berm of lace around the glass as it evenly recedes.

It smells of sharply biscuity caramel malt, a mild oily nuttiness, and an even milder earthy smokiness, with some middling dried black fruit and subtle chalky cocoa notes pulling up the rear. The taste is bready, biscuity caramel malt, a touch of boggy peat smoke, an uptick in the generic orchard fruitiness and bittersweet chocolate, and some nicely understated earthy, leafy hops.

The bubbles are a tad frothy, but nothing beyond a healthy initial effervescence, the body a sturdy medium weight, and generally quite smooth. It finishes mostly off-dry, the bready caramel malt, still with a dose of biscuit crispness, carrying the day in the face of some lingering fruity and dusty smoke-ish essences.

A pretty quaffable wee heavy style offering - the alcohol all but totally sublimated, and the malt doing a new-world, off-by-one, ineffable impression of the real deal, which at this point, works just fine for me. The peat character, as championed on the label, is a bit of a disappointment, but hey, we can't expect everything to follow through on marketing promise, so I shall just be happy with the easy drinking strong Scottish (style) ale before me.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 03:07:17 | More by biboergosum

pkalix

California

4.21/5  rDev +21.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

very dark, cannot see through in the tulip glass. minimal tan head on top.
smells roasty sweet, roasty malt-y.
tastes roasty sweet and malty with a bitter twang at the end resembling the flavor of a band aid sucked on (yeah, i know, i get that a lot). some smokiness in the flavor and aroma also....
a little heavy, a little thick, but overall a decent brew. i really like this type, the scotch ale, and have taken notice when i bring them home to evaluate them a little more thoroughly. sweet like the dopplebocks but with a bitterness at the end and a higher abv makes this a preference of mine. this is not one of the better scotch ales i have tried, but it is still, yet, an affirmation that i do like the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 01:07:02 | More by pkalix

Murrhey

Montana

4.1/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured on-tap at Firehouse No. 1 in San Jose, Calif. Reviewed from notes.

A- Finger width tan head, low retention rate. Large bubbles. Deep, rich walnut color.

S- Roasted malts, toffee, chocolate and some slight booze character. Chocolate malts is the most prominent smell.

T- Roasted flavors, roast malts and some smoke. The malts are robust and flavorful. This is a well developed beer taste wise.

M- Medium bodied with a slightly syrup feel. Alright.

O- This beer tastes delicious, the feel is subpar though.

Serving type: on-tap

12-17-2012 04:11:22 | More by Murrhey

UCLABrewN84

California

3.48/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle pour at the BevMo Holiday Beerfest held at Golden Road Brewing in Los Angeles, CA.

Pours a clear dark brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of toasted malt, caramel, and toffee. Taste is much the same with a slightly smokey flavor on the finish. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is pretty tasty and easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2012 22:05:29 | More by UCLABrewN84

Offa

California

3.55/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This seems to be a pretty good, solid, but hardly great Wee Heavy-type.

Dark reddish brown, almost black, it has a small, pale tan head steadily shrinking to foamy ring.

Aroma is metal, toasty grain, a little darkly toasted grain, faint winy plum - all a bit subdued, thin. Metal and plum are very light and thin.

Taste is nice winy prune and fruits, hint of caramelised brown bread and rummy fruit cake with faint hint of smokiness. Flavours are nice and it has a fairly well-rounded malty character and is pretty drinkable, but it is rather simple, almost one-dimensional.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 18:11:32 | More by Offa

mactrail

California

3.4/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Dark brown with just a hint of amber in the little Coronado snifter. Modest head but a nice carbonation on the tongue. Not as rich as the ABV might imply.

A dark taste like a porter seems to be the main event. Just a touch of smokiness to enliven the proceedings. Slightly sweet, and a little insipid, which is my main criticism. It could use a little sharp touch. Pleasant malt carries on as you sip. A hint of blackberries and some bitterness in the aftertaste.

Quite drinkable in the mellower style of Scotch Ale, which maybe is a good thing with all the over-smoked, strong, sweet beer in this category. From the 22 oz bottle.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 05:14:40 | More by mactrail

artdob

California

3.58/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark cola color. Minimal to no lacing.

Roasted malt notes in the nose, which is pleasing overall.

Light carbonation with mild cola like notes in the taste. Some chocolate.

Not getting any of the smokiness however described on the label. Compared to a stout had yesterday at Russian River brewing co., (i think it was O.L.V. or a similarly named brew) this is good but doesn't quite reach that standard.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 01:42:35 | More by artdob

impending

California

2.95/5  rDev -15%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

C+

22oz into a tulip. Pours a dull walnut cola, minor head, minor lacing. A deep ruby red when back lit.

Aroma is unsweetened malt ball malt and tiny peat. Bittersweet

Taste is uncompelling, simple. Lacks complexity but not necessarily in a bad way. Peat yes but not smoked. A little leather with zinc studs. More sweet than bitter in the context of no bitter. Thin watery mouthfeel.
cheers
jd

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 07:19:52 | More by impending

brotherloco

California

3.55/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bomber. No date. Served in a snifter.

I'm reviewing this beer side by side with the Bourbon Barrel Aged edition.

Pours a dark translucent brown with ruby-red highlights. A one finger head quickly dissipates leaving a thin ring. No lacing.

Aroma of roasted caramel malt, a little burnt. A tinge of sour fruit. Smoke and iodine. A hint of alcohol.

Flavor is rich sweet malt with a nice smokiness. This leads to a tartness in the middle and a crisp finish. Lingering sweetness and peat (smoke and iodine) in the aftertaste. No real alcohol in the flavor.

Medium bodied with moderate, slightly sharp carbonation. Good mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 02:57:05 | More by brotherloco

AgentMunky

Alabama

3.3/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into a brandy snifter.

A: Cool label art. A finger of off-white head fades quickly. The beer is only penetrable by direct backlighting, where it appears brilliant ruby. Otherwise, it's black-brown and incredibly dark. Some tiny bubble streams.

S: Slightly smoky, lightly fruity. Pleasant enough, if a bit dull.

T: Not bad. The Wee Heavy influence is obvious, but it's a bit more apple-y than I expected. The fruit and smoke are an interesting combination, but it works more than not. My only real complaint is that the flavour is brief and the aftertaste is below average, that is, what is present is not pleasant...burnt malt, vaguely grapey booze, etc.

M: Smooth, light, and inoffensive. A touch of carbonation could stand to be a bit more pronounced. The bigger the gulp, the more obvious the smoke and bright fruit.

O: Pretty good version of a wee heavy, but not a great beer. I wouldn't recommend it, but nor would I advise against it. An attractive beer, the label and the liquid both. Would drink again.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 05:47:27 | More by AgentMunky

Neffbeer

Pennsylvania

2.95/5  rDev -15%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to Arbitrator for the extra

A: Pours a deep dark brown bordering on black. There is a decent size off white head that fades quickly leaving a small amount of lacing.

S: The nose is malt forward with a hint of smoke and chocolate. There is some caramel lurking in the background and a bit of apple forward yeast.

T: The malts assert themselves upfront but fade quickly to an overly fruity yeast bite. There is a hint of smoke and caramel with no real backbone to fall back on. Overall it is lacking in depth and complexity.

M: Thin to medium with moderate carbonation. The body of this beer is severely lacking.

O: Sadly this is not a beer that I would seek out again. It falls short of what I would consider a good scotch ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 02:06:05 | More by Neffbeer

argock

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served on-tap in a Shaker pint glass at 4th Street Bar & Grill (San Francisco, CA).

A: Very dark, velvety brown with short cap of off-white head with a few dots of lacing.

S: Malty, berrylike fruity aromas with ample caramel and toffee notes. There is a light herbal hops note.

T: The flavor is quite sweet with raisin and date punching through a fairly dense dark maltiness. The sweetness is not off-putting but does hurt drinkability.

M: Medium-full bodied and very filling because the nearly cloying sweetness.

O: Not a bad beer but too sweet to really have more than one.

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2011 02:17:04 | More by argock

robsee

California

1.9/5  rDev -45.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

I've had this on draft on multiple occasions, and it has always been a bit hit or miss. Sometimes quite good, other times nothing special.

The bottled version that I'm reviewing is one that I didn't care for at all. This beer was too high on sweetness and too low on maltiness - I also didn't really care much for the peat as an added flavoring. Frankly, I'm a homebrewer and I've made an extract version of Scotch ale that was tastier than this beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2011 22:00:48 | More by robsee

Gavage

New Jersey

3.2/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: dark reddish amber in color with a short 1/2" head that lasted a bit. Some moderate lace painted the glass.

Smell: caramel, some fruit sweetness, and a hint of peat came through and was mildly pleasant.

Taste: moderate malt presence with some soft smoked peat, ripe dark fruit sweetness, and a moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied. Lightly crisp to start, smoother at the finish. Aftertaste was short lived.

Overall: a so-so scotch ale that didn't pack the punch I was hoping for on the flavor front. Easy to quaff this beer but one pint was enough in my session.

Serving type: on-tap

11-22-2011 00:36:14 | More by Gavage

billshmeinke

California

2.35/5  rDev -32.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Dark brown, boardering on black. Off white finger off head.

Over ripe berries, peat, band aids. Yuck.

Taste follows smell, but slightly better, extra peat, band aid is subdued, over ripened berries.

Kinda thin. Very well carbonated (perhaps a little too much for the style).

Overall, a pretty gross beer. Definitely will not be consuming ever again.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2011 00:09:25 | More by billshmeinke

Philousa

California

2.48/5  rDev -28.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Deep chocolate brown in appearance with barely any head left after a short while. I got vanilla and lots of caramel in the nose. Smoked flavor is very apparent to me. I also get chocolate and a bit of sweet caramel. The feel is a bit thick, the thin carbonation contributes to this feeling.

I'm just not a fan of this type of beer. It's too thick and malty for my preference. The yeast really didn't help at all, either. It produced big, empty bubbles to carbonate the beer, and it didn't add much in terms of flavor. A beer with a malt bill as big as this needs some alcohol bite, hoppiness, bitterness, something to balance it out. Ultimately, this is a one note beer lacking in complexity and carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 04:37:47 | More by Philousa

popery

California

4.13/5  rDev +19%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is a very good scotch ale. I'm trying not to be too swayed by the relatively low price ($4-5/bomber), but it certainly doesn't hurt.

A: The beer is a deep, ruby-highlighted brown with a small, fizzy beige head. The head gives way with little preamble, leaving a ring of small bubbles. The beer is too dark to be transparent, but it appears rather clear, though, judging by the bottom of the bottle, not filtered.

S: The aroma is mostly nutty caramel and malted molasses. It has an almost floral honey tone. This is all classic and good scotch ale territory. It's big and full with a touch of sweet wood smoke. No off-notes, no nonsense.

T: This beer is a mouthful of caramel malt. It tastes fresh and earthy. The sweetness never overwhelms even without any apparent hoppiness. There's just a touch of lightly bitter wood at the close.

M: Smooth, full, creamy, rich. Drinks above its weight class.

O: This is easily the best beer that I've had from Devil's Canyon. To be honest, I don't really hold them in high esteem, so I'm pretty surprised and delighted to find a very good and cheap beer bearing their name. This is a well-made and tasty scotch ale. Even though it's probably not going to blow anyone away, it's right in the sweet spot for the style and a definite bargain.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2011 04:28:50 | More by popery

sanchoman

California

3.78/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I must admit, I was very excited to learn about Devil's Canyon Brewing Company upon moving to the Bay Area. The Friday Beer events are a great opportunity to taste all varieties this small brewer produces.

The Devil's Canyon Full Boar Scotch Ale is a fairly malty beer with some diacetyl flavors that contribute a pleasant aftertaste. The color is consistent with other Scotch Ales and given this beer is only ever served on Tap (or via Growlers) means you get decent carbonation with every turn.

My only issue with this beer is consistency. I've had it a number of times where I feel as if I'm tasting a completely different beer. My last experience was a bit unpleasant, marred by a high alcohol flavor persistent throughout the tasting and lacking any residual sugars to balance the bitterness.

Serving type: on-tap

05-22-2011 16:25:29 | More by sanchoman