Scratch Beer 44 - 2011 (Team America) - Tröegs Brewing Company

dafla67

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tulip glass (June 2011 - Phila Beer Week event)

A: red-brown color; small head that disappeared quickly

S: sweet aroma -- sugar; currants, spices

T: tastes as it smells. begin with the sweetness followed by the spices and ending with the currants. None of the flavors are overly strong but subtle. The alcohol becomes more obvious with the spice flavors.

M: medium body; not too much carbonation

O: I'm not a Belgium beer drinker but I thoroughly enjoyed this beer. Actually, tasting this beer led me to trying a bunch of Quads last June.

Serving type: on-tap

05-24-2012 15:46:07 | More by dafla67

Agold

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +8.7%

08-11-2012 05:36:46 | More by Agold

ohcomeonthatsfunny

4/5  rDev +8.7%

03-01-2012 15:50:59 | More by ohcomeonthatsfunny

ygtbsm94

Virginia

3/5  rDev -18.5%

01-29-2012 08:17:49 | More by ygtbsm94

JayAre46

Texas

4.13/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

thanks for the extra someone! poured into a snifter, dark brown with some ruby edges and a thin layer of bubbles on top that leave some soapy lacing. the nose is full of belgian yeast, bready, a little nutty with some raisins. the taste is very bready with a good nutty dryness, dark fruits and a lightly cooked molasses. the belgian yeast plays a good role and is not too overpowering making this a solid breakfast bew. medium to full, the body is really nice on this one, the carbonation is present and plays just enough. very nice surprise, really enjoyed the body and belgian nutty combo. well done.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 08:20:14 | More by JayAre46

DaveHack

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +8.7%

01-17-2012 22:53:13 | More by DaveHack

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.4/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle shared by Thorpe.

Brown body with a wispy light tan head and spotty lacing. Yeast and toasted malt on the nose with light dark fruit. Sweet and yeasty flavor, mellow with dark fruit and malt. Slightly thin body with low carbonation. Moderate to mild throughout.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 18:47:51 | More by yourefragile

cosmicevan

New York

4.15/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

thanks to ThoreauLikeAGirl for this a while back. poured into my 3 philosophers chalice.

a - brew poured a murky purple brown with a thin cream colored bubbly head. is this a quad or a brown ale? sort of looks like a brown...has some quad like looks, but not thick and the head lacks the creaminess.

s - niuttiness with some plums and dark fruit. toasted malts. some cherry and a bit of brown sugar. smells nice.

t - flavor is molases with fig/grape juice. tastes rather fruity. much more than the nose would lead you to believe. it is interesting and different. there is a candied sweetness with a lot of brown ale properties and belgian yeast. tasty, but not quite a quad and not quite a brown ale.

m - a bit thin for a quad, but nice for a brown ale. medium to light bodied. a bit thick and lacking in carbonation.

o - overall, interesting. like i said, kind of like a cross between a quad and a brown ale. more on the belgian side of the spectrum which makes it so interesting. the flavor has some really nice candied belgian yeast.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 05:24:21 | More by cosmicevan

drabmuh

Maryland

3.18/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle shared by Thorpe, thanks.

Beer is brown with a wispy tan head of small bubbles, some lacing low retention, low carbonation.

Aroma is fruity, a yeasty sort of a fruity, with a lot of malt, mild alcohol.

For a description of the taste, read what I wrote about hte aroma, this beer tastes exactly like it smells. It is sweet, yeasty, fruity, dry finish, not a repeat.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 01:16:56 | More by drabmuh

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to Ballofruit for this bottle. Served in a SAVOR wine glass.

Pours a moderate brown color with a nice khaki-colored head and a bit of spotty lacing. The nose carries a bit of Belgian yeast and fruit plus some dark malt and a bit of toast. Flavor is along the same lines. Mellow flavors throughout. Medium body and a smooth finish. Boom.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 21:53:41 | More by Thorpe429

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

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

Bottle shared by Thorpe429. Thanks Mike.

The beer is a light orange / brown hue with minimal head. The aroma brings brown sugar, malt, spice, Belgian yeast, fruit. The flavor brings fruit, booze and a bit of Belgian yeast. Decent, but lacking oomph and/or aggressive flavor. A bit bland. Apples are prominent throughout. Medium to light bodied with fairly low carbonation. Overall, this was OK.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2011 00:53:47 | More by Huhzubendah

isualum12

Idaho

4/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hmm brown? Nope not for me. Great beer though

Look- dark copper with zero head. Little activity but it's there
Smell- great smells like a mile English bitter
Taste burnt hop with malt showing through.
Feel- it's not smooth but it is not overpowering. I enjoy it.
Overall. I like this alot. I wish we got it here in Idaho. Thank for making such a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2011 04:44:10 | More by isualum12

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Troegs Scratch Series "Belgian Brown"

Appearance: Pours a vibrant cherry color with small floaties after a careful pour. Active carbonation streams up to the center of the etched glass.

Aroma: One of the most remarkably fruity aromas I have experienced in a beer. Currant and bright tart cherries are up front. Berry juice.

Taste: Cherry fruityness, vegetation, spicy belgian yeast, mild tartness from the currants used in brewing. Alcohol is felt, not tasted. Bitterness is mild and plays with the sweetness. Suggestions of oak/char are also in the background.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, slightly syrupy but manages to finish somewhat dry.

Overall: Hell yes Troegs. This is a good one! Has crossover potential to get the average consumer (and craft/Belgian outsiders) to try something else and enjoy it. Beer fruit juice.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 07:17:22 | More by Stinkypuss

Mora2000

Texas

3.8/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Big thanks to thirdeye11 for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a brown color with a tan head. The aroma is full of malt, with a lot of toffee and brown sugar notes. The alcohol is well hidden, but there is a little bit of dark fruit hidden behind the malt notes in the aroma.

The flavor is also very malty. I get a lot of toffee and Belgian yeast notes, as well as some brown sugar and raisins. The alcohol is more present in the flavor than it is in the aroma, but it is not overpowering.

Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 19:35:32 | More by Mora2000

sideshowe

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +8.7%

11-16-2011 14:17:08 | More by sideshowe

scottfrie

California

2.75/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle into Portsmouth snifter. Thanks again, Josh.

A: A rough pour yielded barely an inch of dark tan head over very deep mahogany liquid. The head quickly faded into a thick collar that left a few notes of spotty lacing down the glass.
S: Sweet notes of berry juice dominates. It smells like currant/blueberry juice. I get a few notes of darker fruits as well including raisins, red grapes, and maybe dried dates.
T: Sweet raisins, caramel and fruit juice flavors meld with a touch of wood and damp basement must in the finish. Some peppery spices show up in the aftertaste. This leaves a weird taste in my mouth.
M: Frothy carbonation, medium-full body, tingly mouthfeel with just a touch of alcohol.
O: Wasn’t really digging this one at all. Not sure what it was about the beer, it just wasn’t for me.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 00:59:29 | More by scottfrie

bs870621345

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy rust brown color with a short lived head and no lacing. Looks like a quad, nothing more than that.

Smells like caramel, plums, currants, spice (both from hops and yeast), and chocolate.

Taste opens with a strong sweetness of caramel, fruits, and toffee, moving into a more spiced finish. The yeast strain is very dominant in the finish and leaves a clean finish.

Mouthfeel is moderate, but a little low on carbonation.

Overall, its good...would love to see this as a year round offering.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 23:18:04 | More by bs870621345

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served in a flared pokal.

Thanks to the Central PA group of the Gang Bang BIF for this bottle!

The Scratch Beer Dash races forth. This younger leg pours a clear russet topped by a finger of dirty white foam. The nose comprises buttery biscuit, caramel, mandarin orange syrup, and light orange zest. The taste holds notes of toffee, sourdough, brown sugar, mandarin orange, and light orange peel. The body is a light medium, with a very light moderate carbonation and a grainy-ish feel. Overall, a solid Belgian-style beer. I think the currants came across as oranges with me (for whatever reason), but I think it generally worked for the beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 02:30:06 | More by TMoney2591

rowingbrewer

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer pours a nice brown color with a decent off white to tan colored head. The smell is brown sugar dark fruit some ester and a nice spicyness as well bthe flavor follows suit with the brown sugar and fruits up front followed by the spicyness and esters. This one hides he alcohol pretty well for 9%. The mouthfeel is medium with good carbonation. Overall a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2011 12:00:26 | More by rowingbrewer

billab914

Virginia

3.78/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into my Three Floyd's glass. Dark caramel in color with a thin white head concentrating around the edges of the glass. Nice head retention and decent lacing.

The aroma has a sweeter, malty, dark fruit presence to it with some big cherry notes and a little toffee to it. I get a little of the Belgian yeast coming through as well. It's integrated pretty nicely and doesn't overpower the malty flavors at all. Pretty nice aroma overall.

The taste also shows a lot of malty, dark fruit flavors to it throughout the beer. I get more of the malty, caramel flavor up front, while I start to get a fruity, black cherry flavors mixing with some toffee in the finish. Again the Belgian yeast is there but stays pretty low key.

The mouthfeel is a little heavier than average with carbonation being a bit below average. Very enjoyable mouthfeel for the style. Overall it was a pretty solid beer. I especially liked the dark fruit, cherry, caramel and toffee flavors that come out in the maltiness. I was also happy the Belgian yeast was a little more reserved and didn't overpower the beer. Very enjoyable beer overall.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2011 18:30:36 | More by billab914

yeahnatenelson

Illinois

3.28/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance -- Pours a garnet hue with a slim sudsy beige head. Nice color, slight haze, soft whisps of head. It's nice.

Smell -- Bright red currants, amber malt, banana, fruit cake, and some gentle spiciness. The raw comes out surprisingly strong, and the mild molasses smell pairs really well with the currants. The hops come on too strong - vaguely smelling of leafy shrubs and a hint of green bean. Some good charateristics, some bad - it's a wash in the end.

Taste -- Easily the hoppiest quad I've ever had - leafy vegetation and green bean. There is some nice fermentation character - dark fruit and spice cake. The red currants are an interesting addition, and agree well with the raw sugar, but paired with the high hopping this doesn't work incredibly well.

Mouthfeel -- Medium in body with crisp carbonation. Again, not bad and not great.

Overall -- After Cacaoabunga Redux, this falls flat. There are certainly some good characteristics, but it's all so muddled. Too much mixing of hues on the pallet has made it go grey. Glad I tried it, but I don't see this being repeated.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 02:07:28 | More by yeahnatenelson

HosP

Indiana

4.05/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to TroyG2352 for this beer. Poured into a Jackie O's snifter.

A- Pours brown with a reddish tint to it. Very thin white head quickly grasps the edges and nothing else.

S- Some nice aromas. Starts with some clove and spices. Some sweet sugar smells. Dark fruits, raisins come through at the end. Spices come throughout the nose.

T- Follows the nose nicely. Very nice flavors throughout. Starts out sweet with candy sugar. Clove and spices poke through here and there. Dark fruits towards the end finish nicely. Get a little alcohol burn in the middle. Very nice flavors, however they seem a little muted.

M- Almost a full body. A little more carbonation than I would have liked.

O- This is a good beer. Would drink this again for sure. Like before, the flavors could have been a bit bolder, but were there. Thanks Troy for sending a couple bottles my way.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2011 03:45:08 | More by HosP

boralyl

Oregon

3.63/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a deep reddish-brown that is surprisingly clear. A light-tan head forms on top that quickly dissipates leaving little lace.

S - The nose gives off a little brown sugar, dark grapes and some alcohol. It has a nice aroma but it's not very pronounced.

M - Medium to full in body with moderate carbonation. It has a somewhat syrupy feel to it.

T - Starts out with some dark fruits, mostly plum with the slightest hint of grapes. The yeast character than displays a tiny spiciness before the beer finishes with a boozy sweetness.

A pretty well rounded beer. It's nice trying the numerous number of styles Troeg's is putting out with the scratch beers. It makes me want to explore this style a little more.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2011 01:26:50 | More by boralyl

rfgetz

New Jersey

3.4/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Hazed dull copper brown color, minimal head, little lacing. Scent is dominated by plum like fruits and booze, light brown sugar and some fresh malted grain. First sip follows scent, strong fruit notes, mostly plum, not much currant. Sweetness is subdued, brown sugar more than candied. Fresh malted grain as opposed to bready. Unexpected earthy and muddy hopyness. Medium bodied, light carbonation. Not what I expected for the style, and rather odd.

Serving type: on-tap

06-06-2011 14:10:49 | More by rfgetz

thain709

Pennsylvania

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

A - Dark brown body with some lighter brown highlights...light brown head...it becomes spotty and settles into a full ring...light lacing

S - Grapey with other dark fruits dominating...there is a quick sweetness that lingers around

T - Here the sweetness is up front from some caramel...the dark fruits settle into the middle with grapes, dates, raisins...there is a tart currant finish with some raisins coming back as well

M - Medium bodied...light carbonation...everything leaves very quickly

O - This was pretty one dimensional for me...even after it warmed up a little there still wasn't anything there...lots of dark fruit flavors going on with no big sweetness level

Serving type: on-tap

05-31-2011 10:59:02 | More by thain709