Louie's Reserve Scotch Ale - Lake Louie Brewery Company

clvand0

Kentucky

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

Pours an amber color with almost no head and doesn't leave any lacing on the glass. The aroma has a lot of sweetness and some caramel - and graham cracker, as kmpitz2 said. The nose didn't really do it for me. The flavor actually got better as it warmed - I really didn't like this beer at all when it was really cold, but it got better as it got warmer. The flavor has a lot of sweetness, caramel, and some burned malt. Finish is somewhat oily. The drinkability is pretty good for the alcohol and the mouthfeel is moderate.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2005 14:01:37 | More by clvand0

weeare138

Pennsylvania

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

Thanks to kmpitz2 for this…
Appears a hazy mahogany with a small white head.
Smell is of cocoa, smokey malts, and rich caramel.
Taste is of the same aromas with some mild hoppiness in the background.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied and syrupy. Not bad at all.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2006 22:22:48 | More by weeare138

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

(Served in a dimple mug)

A- This beer has a dark warm brown body with a light tan head that is creamy and last for a good bit of the beer. There is a sea of tiny bubbles that glide to the surface of the beer.

S- The smooth smell of toasted caramel malt has a note of some darker dry roasted malt in the background.

T- The taste of brown malt has a soft smoky hint to it with a light biscuit malt note to it. The taste of dark chocolate roasted malt and some other darker roasted dry malts lurk in the background. A faint bitterness of hops in the background has stronger pine flavors come through as the beer warms. The soft note of bitterness from malt and hops both linger after each sip.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a soft fizz and a light alcohol heat coming through as it warms.

D- This beer has a good smooth flavor with some nice depth. The light note of smoke does a good job of enhancing the malt without tasting like band aids.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2008 03:34:10 | More by rhoadsrage

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

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

Big thanks to grub for sharing this one! Drank with the regular Scotch ale.

Pours a hazed dark orange, light brown, thin off white head forms, thin ring around the glass, some lace spots, looks nice. Smell is nice, toffee, very earthy, light chocolate, some wood, bit of sour dark fruits, brown sugar, nice. Taste is similar, caramelized malts, chocolate, earth, light smokiness, fruit, very dry woody finish, bit of sourness, not as complex as hopes. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with low to medium carbonation, some alcohol warmth. Think I prefer the regular Scotch ale, but this one is still good. Thanks Russ!

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2008 00:36:03 | More by Viggo

MasterSki

Illinois

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

Picked up a sixer of this one at Steve's in Madison - for some reason I never see Lake Louie in Milwaukee. Served in a Leinenkugel's pint glass.

A - Pours with a finger of foam that settles to a thin cap, leaving behind splotchy lace. Transparent cherry brown color.

S - Just to be clear - this isn't barrel aged. It's just a higher-gravity version of Warped Speed. Fruity tropical vibe to the malt, along with some caramel, treacle, and cotton candy alongside some yeasty bread notes. Didn't realize this was 9% - it's very well hidden.

T - Again, heavy on caramel and bready malt, with a hefty dose of lightly roasted malts and burnt sugars. Perhaps a faint hint of smoke in there as well.

M - Active carbonation keeps it from getting heavy or cloying. Sticky medium body, and a touch of warmth that builds as time goes on.

D - This is an above-average Scotch Ale that doesn't have any major flaws, but doesn't really blow my mind either (although it's not one of my favorite styles, so I'm curious what it would take to do so). It's not very heavy in peat or smoke but otherwise it's quite true to style. Definitely recommended if you're into this type of brew.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2010 20:27:57 | More by MasterSki

manitouman84

Wisconsin

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

Pours a translucent chocolate amber with a 1 finger head which dissipates quickly. Sweetness pours off the head of the beer, candy like, with a hint of booze. Chocolate, rich caramel, yeasty, some fig but much less estery than the warped speed. Big malt caramel, chocolate, toffee, candied sugar, pecans, nice sweetness with a balanced and mild bitterness. Finish is balanced, creamy, chewy and grainy malt, velvety finish, smooth and wonderfully rich all around, good stuff here. Excellent!

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2011 23:19:39 | More by manitouman84

derkfromwi

Wisconsin

4.03/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Quarter-inch light tan head, deep hazy reddish brown color, decent carbonation, some lacing not a lot

S: Caramel, malts, vanilla, some chocolate at end

T: Malty sweetness, some bitterness in the middle, balanced in the finish

M: Decent carbonation, medium bodied, fairly smooth

O: Good Scotch Ale, will seek out and try again

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 15:36:08 | More by derkfromwi

CRJMellor

Arkansas

4.05/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours dark mahogany and ruby colors with rather dense but sedate off-white head.
Aroma notes of burnt brown sugar, a hint of vanilla as well as caramel and chocolate notes. Some whiffs of peaty, smoky malts are alos detected as it warms.
Flavors noted include caramel and chocolate upfront followed by a hint of dark citrus and a twitch of apple wood smoking.
Mouthfeel is lighter than expected with a vicous hard alcohol base sort of cutting off too many flavors on the finish.
Drinkability is solid, the regular Warped Speed is more stylistic accurate IMO but this is a complex and enjoyable beer with just a bit too much alcholic threads.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2006 21:34:36 | More by CRJMellor

mcallister

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks too nflmvp for a couple bottles of this beauty.

Pours muddy water brown, ruby hues throughout. Seme transparent. A small white head with thin lace sticks around for the show.

Big sweet toffee malt aromas with a sharp fruit esscence. Fresh fig and dried fig, as well as hints of raisin. A hint of black raspberry as well.

Very good and extremely drinkable. A toffee flavored milk shake. Not overly complex with depth but still much going on. Hints of bitter hop on the finish just too add length it seems. Semi sweet chocolate, again a variety of dried fig, raisin, blackberry, and a slight bit of almond on the finish.

Medium leaning toward thin mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2007 21:43:08 | More by mcallister

Soneast

Wisconsin

4.08/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Pours a dark amber to brown color. Grows a half inch thick, light brown colored head, that is quite dense and creamy. It sticks around for a while, leaving quite a bit of lace.

The aroma is intensely malty. You can tell it's gonna be a thick, chewy beer. Burnt sugar and caramel notes, some booziness and dark fruit esters. Not smokiness is evident, which I find to be great! I hate peat malt in my Scotch Ales.

The flavor is quite complex, just full of English malt richness. Definitely a lot of kettle caramelization going on here. Toffees and burnt sugar character upfront with some dark fruit esters coming in mid swallow and towards the finish. The finish is nicely balanced, somewhat boozy, but not hot and somehow it keeps from being overly sweet. Once again...no smoke. Excellent!

Heavy body, medium carbonation. Good complexity and great flavors. One of my favorites from a great brewery. Look forward to it every year.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2010 21:55:42 | More by Soneast

ChrisPr

Oregon

4.08/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark amber-brown with little head. Very little aromatics to give a sense of the beer. The mouthfeel is thicker than Warped Speed with much more intense dark flavors, leather and earth. This is a very good beer pushing to the edge of the Scotch ale spectrum, being a bit heavy to have more than one. It would have outstanding potential to be aged on oak.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2010 18:34:04 | More by ChrisPr

Wasatch

Utah

4.1/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks goes out to Faro for this brew.

Poured into a chalice a grapey color, nice carbonation, nice small creamy tan head, leaves some sticky lacing. The nose is malty, slightly oaky, cherries, figs, raisins, and some caramel. The taste is malty/oaky, nice presents of dark fruit, some tanginess, nice touch of caramel. The finish is dry. Medium body, a complex brew. Very drinkable, I/you could drink a few of these before you know it, easily.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2007 01:24:24 | More by Wasatch

gford217

Georgia

4.1/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle courtesy of FrankenBrew poured into a tulip.

The aroma is more roasty than the Warped Speed, with a bigger brown sugar sweetness with some peat smoke hints. The aroma took a while to open up and there is some booze in there. Very complex nose.

The taste isn't as sweet as Warped Speed with a bit more smoke and more heavily roasted. The finish is fairly boozy with some thick rich caramel malts, molasses and dark fruits.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied and really malty, sugary and sticks on the palate for a while.

A good, thick malt bomb of a scotch ale that has just enough smoke and fruit to keep things from getting too syrupy.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2010 05:13:03 | More by gford217

mjpolzin

Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

This was my first try at a Scotch Ale and I found that I really liked it. I also have noticed a trend in that my most recent reviews on this site have all been some pretty high scores for the beers I have been reviewing. That is probably due to the fact that I love this time of year as the so-so summer brews give way to the hearty Oktoberfests which give way to the delicious dark beers of winter. Louie's Reserve released in August seems like a perfect beer to set aside for a cold winter night but I liked it plenty at the beginning of October.

The color was a dark, copper shade and it instantly looked like a hearty brew to me. The smell and mouthfeel were nothing special to me as it smelled and felt like a typical malty beer. The taste won me over though. I have seen that many people refer to a vanilla, bready flavor and although I got a little bit of that maybe, what I noticed most was a sweetness combined with a bitter, hoppy kick that really gave this beer a zip. The alcohol was noticeable as well as after two of them, I was definitely feeling it.

I am not really familiar with the Scotch Ale genre but my first foray into it left me really liking what I tasted and this reminded me of a good Oktoberfest but with a sweet and hoppy kick.

EDIT-After drinking a few Scotch Ales this winter, I noticed that many of them have a little sourness to them. This one did not initially but I cracked a bottle in March that I have had since August and I tasted the familiar Scotch Ale sourness that was absent the first time I had this. Is it possible that only aging for 7 months could have done that?

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2011 02:10:15 | More by mjpolzin

Mebuzzard

Colorado

4.13/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

from buckeyenation, thanks!
Pours a hazy copper/dark caramel color. Slight brown head. Aroma contains sweet malt, light caramel, some toffee and bit of spice/hops.
Tastes sweet, with a bit of a bite. Malt is heavy, but delicious. Not as sweet as I assumed it would be. Bite at the end levels everything off. Dried black fruits seem to overarching flavor.
A bit sweet for me, but a good brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2007 23:17:19 | More by Mebuzzard

dudemuskie

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance- Pours a deep amber that nearly blocks all light coming through. Dark beige head billows up to nearly 3 fingers and makes for a pretty delightful brew to look at!

Aroma- Floral esters, light caramel, moderate herbal hops, juicy malt, and a hint of alcohol gives this brew a bit of a vinous character. Aroma makes my mouth water a bit...

Flavor- Big malty sweetness up front with notes of caramel and some tasty balancing herbal hop bitterness. Finishes surprisingly well balanced and with a wealth of malt complexity- caramel, soft burnt sugar, a touch of roast,

Mouthfeel- Slightly viscous, almost chewy, with some warming alcohol in the finish. Lingering malt bomb, though nice balancing hop bitterness. Full bodied, especially with the warming alcohol, though I keep coming back for another sip...

Overall- Quite nice for a Scotch Ale. Big beer but great balance and loads of complexity. Fun to drink but dangerous. Would be nice with some caramelized onion smothered, pan seared pork tenderloin. Already wish I would have bought more than one bottle...

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2010 05:38:04 | More by dudemuskie

DragYourBone

Wisconsin

4.15/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A red-brown, nearly opaque glass welcomed me on my first pour in over a week.
Slight malt, nutty, and some fleeing sweet caramel scents came through on first sniff.
On first taste, it is noticebly more full bodied than their Warped Speed offering. It was wet and mildy acidic on the way down. Definite tongue-smack quality present.
After a few more swallows, the warmth in my previously empty belly began to warm. The ABV was fairly well hidden despite the early acidity- that I attribute to not allowing the ale to warm fully.
The nuttiness becomes more present as it warms.

Although it was bit more than I wanted to spend (partly because the vendor), the ale is quite good and can see indulging again.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2007 01:02:10 | More by DragYourBone

SMark

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer was poured into an Imperial pint glass from a 12 ounce brown bottle at 46º. One and one half fingers of light tan head resulted on top of the mahogany coloring. No dating appeared on the bottle.

Some malt aromatics were present with the first breath. A darker and brown malt aroma seemed to be present later.

There was a bitter taste with the first sip that took away from the sweetness of the malt. The malt taste is different and I would not classify it as sweet from any of the additional sips.

This beer lasted a little while with some lingering warmth after swallowing. Hangs to the upper back part of the mouth for quite a length of time.

Quite a bit of punch here which is probably due to the alcohol. I like the lasting flavors and slight lacing which also hung around for a while. Read some information on Louie Reserve and it looks like the alcohol at 9% to 10% is what I am sensing. I did not get the caramel either but then I don’t always know what I’m doing. Looks like I was lucky to pick up a six of this.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2007 23:22:54 | More by SMark

Oxymoron

Colorado

4.18/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Something about this beer is...fishy. Bad joke. Pours a darker amber color with a definite red hue through out. Mostly clear with light cloudiness. A soapy white head but after it faded and a good swirl left a dense head with good retention and limited lacing.

The nose is malt oriented with a stronger crystal malt aroma. Some minor sugary notes with a light gum drop finish to it. Weird, but not bad. There is a light yeasty note, but has an American feel to it. Some esters, figs and dates mostly, but some rose peddles as well. A slight diacetyl note but soft, ok for style.

The taste is more on par with style. A more malty melanodian taste with a good kettle caramel flavor. Still some hints of sugary sweetness and for style would like to see that back off. Some English malt notes with a slight toffee backing. Minor astringency but light. The esters come out, figs and dates, and a slight plum note. Finishes off cleanly with a a good blend in the finish.

Very clean alcohol note considering ABV. As mentioned before, a light astringency, and seems to come out more as it warms. Carbonation is light but good for style. Overall a very nice Wee-Heavy. The yeast notes are impressive, and just a minor tweek on the malt would make this world class.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2009 20:22:35 | More by Oxymoron

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

thanks to MaltyLareau for this nice extra! Thanks dave!

poured into snifter.

Appearance: dark brown to light black bodied beer with a deep red hue when held up to light. A short lived white head that drops to a thin ring with some spotty lacing.

Smell: smells just like a Wee Heavy should! Big malty dark fruits and smoke! Earthy peat moss notes. The beers' nose has been flawlessly executed!

Taste: Really big malty dark fruits mixing immediately with a boozey kick. Prunes, raisins, and figs, leather, light smoke, peat moss, earthy notes, and red apples. Fairely similiar to the nose.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer with moderate carbonation. Nice crisply carbonated beer.

Overall: This is a fine example of a Wee Heavy beer. Its very traditional and a solid beer all around! This is probably the best beer that I have drank from Lake Louie, its gotta be thier standout beer that they brew.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 03:38:16 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

grub

Ontario (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

got this one in a recent trade with autumnaldave. thanks dave!

12oz bottle. sampled july 1/08.

pours pale orangey brown with a thin ring of very fine off-white bubbles around the glass. spotty lace.

aroma is great. big malty punch up front. caramel. bread and biscuit malt. bit of vanilla. i get a bit of a sour edge to it too. honey. bit of dark fruit.

taste is good. bit of caramel and toffee. hint of butterscotch. earthy and woody. toasted multi-grain bread. bit of biscuit. low bitterness level, and even that comes across more roasty than hoppy. some nice dark fruit in here too, with a bit of raisin, date, and fig. bit of alcohol, but the 9% is fairly well hidden.

mouthfeel is good. silky smooth low carbonation. nice medium body.

drinkability is great. nicely balanced and very enjoyable. thanks dave for helping me to finally try this one!

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2008 00:55:00 | More by grub

blackie

Virginia

4.22/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

appearence: The pour into the snifter creates low white head that recedes to a collar around the glass. The beer is a deep chestnut in color.

smell: Sweet milk chocolate and caramel on the nose. Light, spicy hop presence. Some hints of maple.

mouthfeel: The carbonation is slight, between medium and low. The body is medium and somewhat slick and creamy on the tongue.

taste: Milk chocolate and vanilla cookies. Just the right hop bitterness to balance.

drinkability: Tasty, and very easy to drink considering the listed ABV.

1-23-07: Same batch, cellared until now. Seems that more of the malt has come out with age. Smooth but with a nice alcohol bite. Worth a shot in the cellar for sure.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2005 03:02:11 | More by blackie

wryepicures

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours dark brown shot with red highlights, murky as a lake and little tan head with low retention. It does have some legs that I can see in my large snifter glass.

Aroma: complex malts with notes of caramel, bread crust, nuts, and chocolate. Also with a little toffee, smoky/peat, earthiness, and some alcohol.

Taste: smooth, rich malts. sweet, caramel, nuts, bread, and hints of chocolate. The smokiness adds a bitter/dark chocolate sensation, also some fruits from the yeast add to malty sweetness. Some earthy hops are present but low. A bitterness finishes it out, preventing any cloying sweetness. Alcohol also dries it out.

Mouthfeel: body is lighter than expected, but still substantial. low/medium carbonation is very appropriate to style. a warming quality to the alcohol is present but not harsh, the slight bitterness lingers in the finish but overall I feel its well balanced for style.

A good, strong brew that I like to linger over.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2009 01:50:19 | More by wryepicures

Bitterbill

Wyoming

4.28/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I got this bottle in a trade with orbitalrOx.
Thanks Don.

This is one of my favourite styles. :^)

It pours from 12 oz bottle a hazy rusty brown with a 1 finger head of foam. It shrinks after a few minutes but there's still a fine layer(with god lacing) near the end of the session.

The smell is of roasted and caramel malt along with some notes of chocolate and just a wee bit of alcohol.

The taste has the caramel malt up front and gives me a nice sweet flavour. Now I get a bit of chocolate, big toffee, some smoke(nicely done) and some roasted malt. There's also some hops hiding in the background that I find more prevelent in the finish. Yum. The alcohol is just noticeable after the swallow but doesn't interfere with the flavour at all.

The mouthfeel is medium bordering on heavy and feels silky smooth. Yum again. That toffee is really make this one very drinkable given the alcohol content. I'm really happy that I got to try this Wee Heavy as it's a darn good one!

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2008 01:15:32 | More by Bitterbill

PurpleCloud

Wisconsin

4.28/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Brown with a touch of red, translucent, very pretty.

S: Light on any nose, what I could smell was a bit malty, but otherwise the entire scent was nearly non-existent.

T: Fantastic! Powerful, full malt with slight yet perfectly blended hops.

M: A bit dry, but what's to be expected of a scotch ale.

D: It tastes so good, it'd be hard to have only one. Though dry, you could put a few of these down.

Overall: I loved this beer! I was a bit turned off by the smell, but as soon as I had a swig, I was totally impressed. The flavor has the distinct taste of malt and maybe some cocoa as well. The hops, though light, are blended perfectly. I'm not sure if this beer is sold anywhere but southwestern Wisconsin, but if you find yourself in Arena, WI, stop at any liquor store and pick some of this up. You'll be happy you did!

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2010 02:47:58 | More by PurpleCloud