Scotch De Silly - Brasserie de Silly S.A.

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

3.48/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This scotch ale brewed in Belgium seemed to be more Belgian than Scottish.

A: Brown with a tan head. A little retention & lace.

S: Malty (bread, caramel & a little dark fruit). Clean, somewhat soapy aroma (presumably byproducts from the yeast?).

T: It's like a scotch ale, but with some Belgian malt (special B?) and yeast byproducts thrown in. It's interesting, but at the same time, a little weird.

M: Moderate body seems a little lighter than most scotch ales, but there's certainly more residual sugar than your typical Belgian.

D: Approachable & thought-provoking, but not at all sessionable.

Not really representative of the style; certainly a unique brew.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2006 17:19:18 | More by Derek

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.13/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had this on-tap at Novare Res at the beginning of the summer. Poured a nice, dark, ruby brown with a decent head and excellent lacing. Smelled on the lighter side, but with notes of butterscotch, grain, dates, and prune. Tasted sweet to start, but complex with sweet malt, some pie spice, rich flavors of ripe pears, prunes, and some more sharper spice on the finish. Very smooth. I've always found Belgian interpretations of Scotch ales to be very interesting and richly delicious, but to be drunk sparingly. This is one of the better ones.

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2008 17:52:36 | More by Georgiabeer

Dogbrick

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Is it Silly Scotch or Scotch Silly? Super sweet malty aroma with a medium head and sticky lacing. Thick, almost syrupy body that hides the alcohol content surprisingly well. I will definitely try this one again someday.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2002 12:25:50 | More by Dogbrick

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.63/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer is a hazy copper hue with a half inch of light tan head that leaves some decent lacing in its wake.

The aroma offers sweet malt, heavy yeast, fruit, spice, toffee.

Yeast asserts itself immediately, with some fruity, malty sweetness coming in behind. A decent beer, and not lacking in flavor, but a bit sweet and imbalanced. This definitely tastes like a Belgian ale rather than a Scotch ale, with prevalent yeast throughout, almost like a dubbel.

Medium bodied with lingering sweetness and fruity, candied malt.

Overall, pretty good, but I don't see myself returning to this one, as it's a bit too sweet for my personal tastes.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 03:04:39 | More by Huhzubendah

RoyalT

Ohio

3.65/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance – This poured a nice copper brown in color with a beautiful head. The head came up but not overly so and left a blob of tanned white foam in the middle.

Smell – This is a heavy, yeasty, (certainly) Belgian example of the style. The malt is especially sweet with caramel and brown sugar. There’s a bit of peaty smoke here as well.

Taste – The malt backbone is loaded with caramel and sugars. It even leaves a sticky residue on the glass after sipping. The finish I thought was a bit off, though. Everything just kind of faded into bleakness at the end.

Mouthful – This is between medium and full in the mouth and very fluffy.

Drinkability – I enjoyed this interpretation of the style, but I thought it was a bit fluffy for a Scotch Ale and the lack of a solid finish cost it a few notches.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2004 02:38:16 | More by RoyalT

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy dark orange-ish copper color, with a light tan head. In the aroma, roasty malt and butterscotch. In the taste, butterscotch and sweet maltiness. A smooth and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a dry, sticky roasty malt in the aftertaste. Nice blend of flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

08-12-2010 20:25:48 | More by OWSLEY069

scruffwhor

Illinois

2.83/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Pours a deep rusty, muddy red to brown hue. Nice foam stickage and very thick film. Syrupy malts from heavily toasted malts. Lots of cand sugar mixed in with some Traquair Jacobite. The taste starts Scotchy and Belgiany sweet. Then very quickly goes to metallic, bloody malts throughout the rest of the flavor. The palate is smooth but metallic and medicinal. Started good, but the finsh?!?!?!?

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2009 01:00:08 | More by scruffwhor

stcules

Italy

3.45/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Dark ruby /dark mahogany. A lot of thin floating bodies. Beautiful tan head, very creamy. Good appearance.
In the smell malt, hazelnut, butterscotch, some red fruitiness, and a hint of vanilla.
The taste is again a malty butterscotch, with the red fruitniess more evident. Malt, vanilla, caramel, mou. Notes of a not too sweet honey.
Some fruitiness in the aftertaste, too, and a quite good hop bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2006 09:35:33 | More by stcules

TheLongBeachBum

California

4.3/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 330ml [11.2 fl.oz] tall thin 45mm base brown glass bottle. Shiny dark green metallic main obverse and neck label looks like that shown in the BA Avatar. No freshness date but listed at Alc. 8.0% by Vol.

Appearance: Ruddy brown dark chestnut body that has some light haze to it. Soft tan-white smooth head sits atop and makes itself at home. Covering lasts for a while but soon disappears to reveal a thin halo ring with some spattered lacing. Average conditioning levels with a nice look that suffers from a flat appearance when left.

Nose: Caramel, malts, toffee, yeast and some fruits. Pungent malt laden alcohols that have Whisky like character.

Taste: Warming bonfire toffee, Devon clotted cream and molasses mix well with a heat laden Scotch Whisky fudge finish. Sweet ending with a malt extract like attenuation that lingers on the tongue in the closing.

Mouthfeel: Molassic viscosity, thick feeling warm rustic alcoholic malts. Nice levels of dissolved carbonation. Never mind the length feel the width…..and girth. Solid, airy, yet robust.

Drinkability: Och Aye - I could sup this one all night.….

Overall: I visited the Silly Brewery on my first trip to Belgium during the Easter of 1994, and I have such vivid happy memories of this particular Silly offering, remarkably for its taste rather its Silly (sic) name – oh yeah that and the fact that I got so pissed on this during my first night at Tim Smiths “Old” ‘t Ostens Bierhuus bar. Was it really nearly 12 years ago? My word!!!

A lovely Belgian Scotch, not the best example for sure, but a bloody great staple offering that is widely available and should be tried at least once.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2004 07:29:07 | More by TheLongBeachBum

cokes

Wisconsin

3.18/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Opaque and muddy and somewhere amongst amber, crimson, and flat brown in color. The head is a modest rise of beige cream, with good stickiness and retention.
This one sniffs in two directions, the first couple inhalations hint at the Scotchness of it all, with a fruity, heathery, lightly smoky, Malt-laden toast to the Highlands, along with traits of burnt chocolate chip cookies. Later sniffs seem to focus more on the spicy yeast nuances of peppercorns and raisiny/date fruitiness of Belgian brewing. All told, the nose lives up to all promises hybrid brewing, showcasing both facets very well.
Taste is another story altogether, and as far apart from the nose as I've every experienced in a beer. The beginning, middle, and late portions are nearly overwhelming sugary sweet. Then it finishes with a metallic clang of bitterness. The sweetness is all golden raisins rolled in brown sugar then soaked in sugar water. It truly is purple Kool-Aid sweet. There are a couple interesting notions of toffee, lemon rind, heather, and rhubarb pie, but they are largely drowned out by the big, unrelenting grape-drink saccharine traits. The metallic closure is jarring, but also a reprieve of sorts, as it ends the tyranny of sweet, and slakes the mouth surprisingly well, even if it the flavor itself is not particularly endearing.
The body is medium, if a perhaps a tad plumper, but texturally, it is not nearly as binding as the sweetness. Had it been, this becomes undrinkable. A trickle of carbonation gives this the life and lightness it desperately needs.
As it stands, once the sweetness is acclimated to, this is somewhat- almost strangely- drinkable. Nevertheless, it still seems like a malted Purplesaurus Rex. And that's blaspheming my favorite Kool-Aid flavor of all time (RIP).

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2008 09:14:12 | More by cokes

nickfl

Florida

3.23/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - One finger of brownish-white head, on a hazy, medium brown body with ruby highlights. The head leaves sticky lace as it slowly recedes.

S - Rich maltiness with some toasted notes and toffee. A bit of fruit from the yeast and just a hint of hops.

T - A bug malty note up front, a bit darker than the aroma with more toffee and a bit of chocolate. Some phenols and smokiness in the middle followed by surprisingly strong bitterness in the finish.

M - A thick, chewy body with medium carbonation and a sweet finish.

D - The malt character in the aroma is nice, but the flavor is kind of one dimensional and it gets kind of boring towards the finish. One of these is more than enough.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2008 03:40:52 | More by nickfl

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.53/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

750 mL bottle pours a hazed, dark copper color with a light cap of tan head with a gentle pour. The bottle foamed up and over the lip of the bottle upon opening…probably explains the haziness too.

Nose is uber-fruity with tons of strawberries, raisins and plums. Brown sugar, licorice and cinnamon. Interesting blend of aromas not usually found in a Wee Heavy, smells much more like a BSDA or maybe even a Quad.

Fruitiness continues in the flavor and combines with a brown bread yeastiness that makes this very un-Scotch Ale-esque. There does seem to be plenty of caramel and even a touch of peat in here but is overshadowed by the yeast presence. I want mad smoke, peat, chocolate and sugar flavors in my Wee Heavy. This delivers on the carmely/sugar aspect, but fails on the other three. Mouthfeel is good, the carbonation fine and the beer slick. Unfortunately, the beer seems to fall short of the richness and malt complexity a good BSDA comes with and does not fare well against other great Scotch Ales due to the lack of smoke/peat/chocolate. Its not bad, I mean...I wont have trouble finishing this 750, but certainly not something I would come back to again for the price.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 01:40:19 | More by twiggamortis420

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.55/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Served in a pint glass, the beer pours a brownish/red color with a good sized tan head. Head retention is good, with excellent lacing. The main aroma I smell is caramel malt. Overall it smells sweet, and a bit like dark fruit and some spicyness. It tastes like caramel and butterscotch, very, very sweet. The body is medium/full, with a low amount of carbonation. The alcohol is hid pretty well. Drinkability is pretty good, but it would be better if it wasn't so sweet. Overall I think it's good, and I'd drink it again.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2006 02:00:22 | More by bluejacket74

Brent

Kentucky

3.38/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

An interesting cross-pollination of the Scottish and Belgian influences. Poured a murky dark caramel with minimal head. Dense and slightly syrupy mouthfeel. Huge malt flavor dominated by cane sugar and caramel apple, maybe a touch of prune. Some hops saw away at the edges, but make little progress. Bitters out a bit at the end to alleviate the sweetness, but not enough. Alcohol adds some pepper at the end, as well. I kept thinking it needed to back off the sweetness a bit, and perhaps add a touch of smoke to really fit the style. As it was, it hit me as more of a barleywine than anything.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2005 14:42:02 | More by Brent

merlin48

Kentucky

3.95/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This Belgian, Wee Heavy pours a cloudy, chestnut brown body with a nice, 4 cm tan head that deposits immense sheets of lace all over the glass.

Intoxicating aroma of major league maltiness, with toffee and molasses, brown sugar, a hint of dark fruits, and some fragrant pine resin for balance. Some smoky, peat ash lurks in the background. Impressive aroma!

Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with below average carbonation.

Sweet toffee and molasses dominate the taste, but this has all kinds of beguiling complexities. Brown sugar is noted, as well as a subdued, pine resin hoppiness. Charcoal ash adds to the Scottish character, but there is a barnyard yeastiness that is distinctly Belgian, and adds a nice earthy character.

I find it amazing that a Belgian brewery can pull this Scottish ale off so well. This has all the nice characteristics of a Wee Heavy, but tosses in the signature, Belgian yeatiness just to keep things honest. Impressive aroma and taste, but too malty sweet to handle more than one at a sitting.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2004 01:28:39 | More by merlin48

Vancer

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Cold winter night, how 'bout a big scotch to get 'R done?

BIG frothy tan head bubbles up from a hazy and chewy (lots of yeasties that I swirled up) oaken pour. Lace is looking like tan marshmallow on the sides of the Corsendonk tulip.

Belgium yeast, caramel, dark fruit and malt dominate in the aroma. Ultra smooth quaff of sweet caramel malt. A pop o' hop in the finish help to balance it out well. Even a hint of anise, if not for the color, it would border on RIS.

A tasty find - just luv finding this lil' gems while out beer shopping.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2009 22:15:06 | More by Vancer

Bierman9

New Hampshire

3.83/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Silly Scotch possesses a somewhat cloudy brown color. A hard-pour whipped up a frothy, tan, 2" head, which shrank down to about 1/4". The head thereafter resembled one on a chocolate shake, and left decent lacing. Nose was a bit toffee-ish, and I could detect a bit of alcohol seeping through. Body was a bit above medium, and it felt quite nice cascading over my tongue. I enjoyed the flavor, which I found to have some nice malt, more toffee-like notes, and a subtle sweetness. I did, though, detect a trace of a metallic flavor near the finish. I expected a bit more, yet still not bad for a Belgian Scotch.

overall: 3.85
appearance: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | mouthfeel: 4.5 | drinkability: 4

384

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2002 14:45:09 | More by Bierman9

Durge

Connecticut

4.2/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed at The Grille Next Door in Haverhill, MA, this stuff shows a rosey brown color with a fair off-white head and very little sign of lacing. It gives off a malty Moxie and maple sugar smell with lemony accents. I like it. The flavor says thick vanilla and candy apple with Dr. Pepper ideas and a little whiskey to boot! It's a medium-plus bodied brew, near syrupy but fair carbonation makes it plenty drinkable considering the ABV. Very enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

12-21-2011 03:11:19 | More by Durge

lordofthewiens

Maine

4.22/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Ebenezer's, served in a tulip glass. A dark brown color with a thick head. A fruity aroma, with a malt presence. The taste was all dark fruit, grainy. A real mouthful, and fun to drink. An interesting interpretation of a Scotch Ale. You can definitely see the strong Belgian influence.

Serving type: on-tap

06-20-2007 13:10:23 | More by lordofthewiens

Suds

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark, ruddy brown with a solid tan head. The aroma is malty and grainy, but not nearly as intense as I would have preferred. The beer is extremely sweet and malty, and a bit oily, with nut and caramel flavors. Very heavy, thick mouthfeel, with a slight alcohol warming. Very good for the style, and worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2002 17:14:56 | More by Suds

kmpitz2

Tennessee

3.43/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to clvand0 for sharing this beer with me. This beer pours a nice brown color with a finger of head over top that slowly falls to coat the beer very well. The nose is buttery toffee, with a bit of peated buisness in there as well. The flavor is butterd raisins, lacking the earthy peated notes I want. The feel is a bit south of moderate. I'd rather see a little more thickness as well. The beer is easy drinking and smooth. I like it, but not as much as other I have had.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2005 07:07:45 | More by kmpitz2

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12oz Bottle from the SAQ Quebec for 3$

Appearance - Clear copper/brown colour with an average size frothy beige coloured head. There is a low amount of carbonation showing and there is some decent lacing. The head lasted for only a few minutes.

Smell - Malts, dark fruits, butterscotch, herbal notes

Taste & Mouth - There is a below average amount of carbonation and I can taste raisins, currants, malts, and some butterscotch. The alcohol is well hidden and there is some anise/herbal flavours. It ends with a somewhat sweet buttery dark fruit flavour.

Overall - The mouthfeel leaves a little to be desired.. but it's still a very drinkable above average brew. With the limited amount of scotch ales available in my area, this is a welcome addition.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 00:48:33 | More by spinrsx

beerguy101

California

3.68/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Medium brown color. Large head. Aroma is malty and a little fruity. Full-bodied Scotch Ale. Malts are bold, but a little too sweet. Very fruity tasting. Flavors are molasses, chocolate, cherries, peat and smoke. Very smooth taste. Nice beer, its just a touch too sweet, but there is a slight bitterness at the finish to balance it out. It hides the 8% alcohol well. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2003 02:44:50 | More by beerguy101

ADR

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Opaque mud sienna color. Lots of stiff and rising foam in the glass. Lace is very good and intricate. Aroma of spiced pears, cinnamon and alcohol notes, traces of yeast. Big flavor, but an odd marrying of mustly farm yard yeast and prune and toffee-ish qualities. While this isn't a hugely alcoholic beer, there's a Canadian whiskey quality to the mid mouth, complete with bitters and candied cherries in a lowball glass. Carbonation is quite moderate, mouthfeel is silky, but the beer is a little odd to be enjoyable for me -- just a weird combination of characteristics.

Source: Liquid Solutions

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2004 19:57:56 | More by ADR

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.83/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured on-tap and served in a tulip, the beer is a dark, vibrant ruby coloring that is hazy, giving it a bloody quality. The head starts out a foamy, rising, light tan color that is almost an inch, but quickly settles into a sparse covering film. Aromas are extremely sweet and boozey, with a strong nut character, as well as a roast and scotch backbone. The nose is very forward and strong, tipping it's hand towards a stronger flavor profile. Initial taste does not disappoint, with a blast of rich and deep flavors. More roasted than the aromas depicted, the nut and caramel malts remain strong, with a more subdued alcohol characteristic. Smooth bodied, and surprisingly not cloying, the beer is an easy drinker. The aftertaste is rich and sweet, with a hazelnut flavor, and the finish is quick, despite the full body. A slight tang of booze on the very end of the palate. Good beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-04-2012 18:35:33 | More by GarthDanielson