Front Street Dram Tree Scottish Ale - Front Street Brewery

CrellMoset

Virginia

3.43/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a pint.

Appearance: Arrives a slightly dull and heavy looking sepia, opaque throughout save for the edges. This marginally attractive though perhaps stylistically accurate body is capped by one half finger of tan head. The retention is admirable (suggesting high hopping - fingers crossed), leaving a soapy ring and uneven surface dusting after it does fade in to oblivion.

Aroma: Very faint, distressingly so, with faint glassy toffee and fainter earthy toast making up the bulk of a very thin olfactory experience.

Taste: A slight step up from the aroma. The underpinning of the flavor profile is very spicy, suggesting a nice compliment of hops. The malt profile needs some accompaniment, as it's definitely on the robust side of things, as well as fairly complex - faint smoky peat brings up the rear, layered beneath (successively) toast, dark toffee, and caramel. It's suggestive of Dr. Pepper around the edges, which usually means I'm getting hints of cherry, though you never can tell with a good Scottish Ale.

Mouthfeel: Close to a 4.0, but this one showcases a little too much carbonation, I fear. The end result is a bright, fluffy, over zealous body with a little too much spritz for the style.

Drinkability: On the whole not too bad. I'd like a little more out of the nose and if the carbonation were a little more subdued, but they're on to something with this one. A complex, reasonable drinkable example of a favorite style of mine, this one went down nicely on a winter eve in Wilmington.

Serving type: on-tap

01-16-2011 04:36:29 | More by CrellMoset

atsprings

North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Flying Saucer Raleigh served in a standard pint-glass a dark almost black with ruby highlights and a barely there head. Aroma is burnt caramel, molasses, dried fruits and leather. The taste is loads of dried fruits and molasses with a lingering molasses finish. The beer is somewhat heavy with a decent alcohol presence, definitely a sipper. This is a somewhat impressive first impression for me from Front St, I look forward to trying what else they have to offer.

Serving type: on-tap

08-13-2009 22:55:34 | More by atsprings

Gavage

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: pours a clear dark amber / almost brown color with a 1" head that falls quickly. No lacing develops.

Smell: caramel and malt sweetness dominates the aroma and is pleasant.

Taste: nice malt profile with some caramel, some ripe fruit sweetness, hint of earthiness, a mild bitterness and a hint of alcohol warmth.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied. Lightly crisp to start, smooth at the finish. Relatively short aftertaste.

Drinkability: easy to drink this beer and works well with the shepards pie I was eating.

Serving type: on-tap

08-07-2009 12:07:19 | More by Gavage

Bung

North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Slightly cloudy brownish pour with a dark cream colored head. The glass I had had some lacing present throughout. Somewhat non-descript aroma of roasted malt, raisin caramel.
On a side note, none of the beers I tried at the Brewery has much of a nose to them. Not sure if it was me or the atmosphere.
Roasted malt, toffee, raisin flavors. Some charcoal especially through the finish. Mild warming from the alcohol, but I did not think it was very present other than that. Brought a growler home of this, but that was more for the souvenir and the Octoberfest would have been worthy of bringing home also.

Serving type: on-tap

11-30-2008 20:08:23 | More by Bung

ewright

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Deep brown with hints of ruby around the edges. A small head forms and quickly dissipates to a thin layer around the edge of the glass.

S: Roasted malts, caramel and a touch of dark fruit ... raisin or fig perhaps.

T: Roasty toffee notes up front, caramel and a touch of cocoa in the middle and a mild hop bitterness late. There is a slight alcohol bite present as the beer warms up.

M: Low on carbonation, but well suited to the style. Just a bit slick on the back of the tongue.

D: I enjoy the flavors, but would enjoy them more if they were a bit more pronounced. The slick mouthfeel and alcohol bite detract a bit.

Serving type: growler

05-23-2008 22:06:59 | More by ewright

brentk56

North Carolina

3.13/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Arrives at the table with a chocolate color, little head and an inability to lace

Smell: Malty aroma with roasty elements

Taste: Starts with a deep malty flavor that betrays some roast with an unusual fruity fig element; after the swallow, a phenolic plastic flavor emerges

Mouthfeel: Medium body with low carbonation

Drinkability: The weakest of the Front Street beers I tasted; marred by the phenols and the lack of carbonation

Serving type: on-tap

08-12-2007 21:04:03 | More by brentk56

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer poured amber brown with a tan/brown head which stood tall and proud and laced the glass.

The aroma was malty with caramel and toffee and a slight smoke.

The flavor was malty with caramel, toffee, slight chocolate and a slight smokiness. Also a slight diacetyl was present. There was some bitterness present, but only enough to keep the malt in check.

The finish was just off dry with a malty, buttery toffee impression that lasts into the aftertaste. The body was medium.

Nice example of a scottish ale.

22 ounce bottle purchased at WineSellar and More. Bottled on June 16, 2004.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2004 23:25:48 | More by GCBrewingCo