Scratch Beer 50 - 2011 (Belgian Style Brown Ale) - Tröegs Brewing Company

Oakenator

Pennsylvania

4.29/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours brown with a hint of amber coloring in the glass. Sediment remains suspended in the glass giving it a heartier look. Two fingers of head persists nicely and leaves some lacing on the glass. Smell is dark & sweet malts with candi sugar present on the nose. Really enjoyable taste for a brown ale - slight malty sourness to start and finishes with the candi sugar.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 22:17:29 | More by Oakenator

smchenry75

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

03-19-2013 16:12:35 | More by smchenry75

FLBeerGuy

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

02-27-2013 03:29:37 | More by FLBeerGuy

ms11781

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -21.3%

07-29-2012 14:44:24 | More by ms11781

SickNukes

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +5%

05-21-2012 23:00:19 | More by SickNukes

Dan25D

California

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%

03-30-2012 02:16:42 | More by Dan25D

Ralphs66

New York

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

02-15-2012 22:48:11 | More by Ralphs66

Fubar1453

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to kenatbeerswap!

A: Deep brown, effervescent with a creamy active head.

S: Faint smell, chocolate and raisins.

T: Sweet but not overpowering, some chocolate and grape/raisin mixture. A very balanced and drinkable brown.

M: Thick and and creamy, almost deserty, very appealing.

O: An above average brown ale, deserves attention if you like the style. Would drink again.

RXV

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2012 02:50:34 | More by Fubar1453

FosterJM

California

3.98/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1088th Review on BA
Bottle to Pint
12 oz

2011

Thanks to TroyG2352 for this gift

App- A good solid brown with crimson/amber and gold edges. A bit soft towards the bottom with a 1/2 in of head. Not too much cling. Fell very softly just to liquid.

Smell- I really thought this was a mis-label. I thought they just brewed a dubbel and were being funny. Had the same soft malts and spice note as a dubbel or Belgian Dark ale.

Taste- I thought it was good. It was a nice layered and blended beer with a couple styles. The malts are a tad assertive and pleasant. Spices and booze are a bit small but well blended into this one.

Mouth- A lighter medium body and a medium carbonation level. Residual dark fruits and some spice like the dubbel.

Drink- I like Troegs darker beers vs the IPA's. I think this is where they shine. This was a good little beer and perfect for a 12 oz. I would like another bottle to age.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 03:29:49 | More by FosterJM

hoosierfan

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

01-24-2012 02:02:55 | More by hoosierfan

Lawnboy33

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +5%

01-21-2012 15:54:14 | More by Lawnboy33

sammy806

Maryland

4/5  rDev +5%

01-17-2012 19:21:21 | More by sammy806

marct

Nevada

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

01-15-2012 02:00:40 | More by marct

jh1982

Nevada

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

01-14-2012 04:34:22 | More by jh1982

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

01-14-2012 00:08:00 | More by yourefragile

Jakers90

Michigan

4/5  rDev +5%

01-01-2012 17:16:48 | More by Jakers90

hoppymcgee

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +5%

12-31-2011 17:41:47 | More by hoppymcgee

russwbeck

Virginia

3.8/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Deep brown pour that lets some light in. Off white to light brown head raises up and back down quickly, leaving only spotty lacing down the side of my Mad Elf tulip.

S: Caramel malts, sweet chocolate, most likely some dark fruits and candied sugar to provide the Belgian. The smell is pretty sweet overall.

T: The taste is surprisingly roasty with a nice helping of caramel malts and dark fruits. Sweet, but balanced, I find the taste to be quite nice.

MF: The beer seems a bit syrupy. Medium to heavy body for sure with a low carbonation. Dry finish with a strange aftertaste.

O: Nothing special, but nothing wrong with it. Seems to be the theme of the Scratch series. None of these have wowed me, but I liked them all.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 04:29:25 | More by russwbeck

doughanson78

Washington

3.4/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into a tulip. Thanks to russwbeck for this one.

A: Deep red with brown tint. Light haziness. One and a half finger light tan head with ok retention and lacing.

S: Cloves and cola. Yeasty. Slight bubblegum and banana. Not a huge nose.

T: A bubblegum sweetness upfront. Clove and Belgian yeast are the main flavors. Banana comes through nicely. Caramel, toffee, and chocolate malts come through slightly in the finish.

M: Light body. Medium high carbonation. Slightly crisp.

O: Good beer. Nothing special. Nothing bad. Different take on the wheat style.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 01:15:13 | More by doughanson78

younger35

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

BeerTruth sent me this brewski as part of our monthly wager. These Scratch beers are definitely hit or miss so let’s hope for the best. Drank from my Harriet Brewery nonic pint glass.

Appearance- Pours a dark brownish ruby with a decent quarter inch dirty tan head. The head quickly dissipates leaving no cap or collar.
Smell- Really earthy smelling with a nice deep dark toasted maltiness. Yeasty and lightly spicy with a light touch of clove and pepper. The dark fruits you’d expect are definitely there with plenty of raisins and earthy dates. The beer does have a bit of a sweet smell with some toffee mixing in.
Taste- Like the nose those brown malts are the first thing you notice with a deep toasted earthy tone. Not as sweet as I thought it was going to be but there definitely is a light sort of licoricey candy aspect. A touch of chocolate mixes in with the dark fruits that make up a majority of the flavor. Definitely not as spicy as I thought it was going to be either. The finish is lightly sweet with plenty of rum soaked raisins.
Mouthfeel- Medium body that is slightly thinner than I’d like for a Belgian Style. Light carbonation with a soft tingly feel.
Overall- Again, these Scratch beers are so hit and miss. This one isn’t bad but it’s just sort of messy and not all that enjoyable. I guess I wish it was more Brown Ale or more Dark Belgium since both don’t seem to work. Thanks Adam, you’re still the man!

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 23:04:37 | More by younger35

unclejazz

New York

3.28/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a quart of this and had it with Penne a'la vodka with chicken.

Dark amber color with a reddish tan 1 finger head that was gone in a flash. Smell raisins and malted notes. It wnet well with the Italian food, but it was nothing special. Good drinking beer with a crisp finish and not hoppy or bitter at all. I would have another growler of this to have over a Sunday of NFL games and be quite happy.

Serving type: growler

12-19-2011 16:16:43 | More by unclejazz

mjtiernan

New York

4/5  rDev +5%

12-08-2011 19:50:00 | More by mjtiernan

nhindian

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a Troegs Mad Elf tulip. Thanks to russwbeck for this!

A - Pours a murky brown color with shades of purple eggplant. It slowly builds a 1.5-finger tan head with pretty good retention. Some mild lacing but not a whole lot.

S - The nose is almost reminiscent of a prototypical Belgian yeast beer. Big aromas of cloves and grape bubblegum waft out of the glass with undertones of banana. There's a little bit of spiciness to this as well.

T - From the first sip I am getting lots and lots of Belgian influence. A bit more spice in the form of clove that almost gives it a Winter Warmer feel. The banana is more pronounced here as well, while grapes and crisp apple are the main flavors in the finish.

M - Mouthfeel is medium-bodied with decent carbonation. A moderately dry and clean finish.

D/O - Drinkability is moderately high. This is a pretty neat beer, tasty but not show stopping. This isn't going to blow your socks off, but it'd be cool if Troegs could produce this regularly.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 03:29:12 | More by nhindian

RyanPS

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +5%

11-25-2011 03:22:25 | More by RyanPS

johnhenryconway

4/5  rDev +5%

11-21-2011 06:51:54 | More by johnhenryconway