A bit of a two part question: 1.What is your favorite Scotch ale? 2. What is your favorite Scotch ale to age? For me it's Founder's Dirty Bastard for both. It doesn't need much age though. If you let it sit for more than a month it becomes real smooth and malty. What else do you recommend?
Dirty Bastard is a good one but I like Backwoods Bastard better if a BBA beer fits in as an answer to your question. Arcadia's Loch Down is also a good one.
I'd have to agree with you on Dirty Bastard (fresh), though for #2 I'd shade towards Backwoods Bastard. I know some people have had mixed experiences cellaring their backwoods, but I find it a bit too hot when fresh, at least the most recent release.
I have a 2-year old bottle in my cellar... so good. I couldn't resist and drank all my others Another great one from Quebec that I tried recently is Le Castor's "Wee Heavy Bourbon". If you like a lot of barrel flavor, this one does the trick.
Not a style I drink to often but one of my favorite beers is Alesmith's Wee Heavy, great great beer that I'm sure would age very well, although I've never tried it my self.
Backwoods Bastard for me, also Arcadia's loch ness is pretty good. But BB is one of my favoeite beers, period.
Finally, a fucking thread right up my alley. I'm so tired of BCBS, Heady Topper, Pliny bull shit around here... My favorite Scotch Ale is Great Divide's Claymore. I think it's a really spot on example of what a Scotch Ale should be. I've yet to age any Claymore, because it's too good to ignore drinking. I've aged an Old Chub, Bagpiper's, and Dirty Bastard and really only found that the Bagpiper's (Pennichuck c.2007: retired; brewery closed in 2009) was the only one that actually got better for the real value of a Scotch Ale. The others just sort of mellowed out from the insane levels of maltiness. The Bagpiper's (which was aged for 5 years) exploded with peat and smoked, sprouted barley which is what a real Scotch Ale drinker wants. God damn fan-boys these days don't even appreciate Wee Heavy's anymore. Dark Horse Scotty Karate is really awesome, too. It basically tastes like whiskey, which is cool. Really smooth with no bite at all.
I might have to try that, not sure if I can wait two years but better to start aging it sooner than later. Definitely will do...
Traquair House Ale is my favorite. Smuttynose Scotch Style Ale and Equinoxe du Printemps would be my other faves. All age well.
This happens to be my fiancee's favorite style and therefore I have had a lot of them. Backwoods Bastard, Bellhaven's, Wee Muckle and Robert the Bruce are all house favorites.
As unimpressive as Lake Louie's beers are, their Reserve Scotch Ale is some of the best I've had. It is awesome.
This. Scottish Ales don't get a lot of love, but they are one of my favs. Did a blind test recently with Scotty Karate, Dirty Bastard, Robert the Bruce, and Tyranena Sheep Shagger. Scotty was the consensus winner.
Yeah, I would have gone with the same, but the reverse. Backwoods Bastard followed by Dirty Bastard. Although, I would like to try some of the Wee Heavy and the Scotty Karate that Ricochet173 mentioned. I'll keep my eyes out for it.
Third question: What do you consider a Scotch Ale? Considering this has been bastardised in America for a long time. When you actually go to Scotland you you realize that Scotch ales can be hoppy, stronger, weaker, bitter, roasted, chocolaty, etc. Anyway, my favorite beers from Scotland: Anything from Traquair Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted Harviestoun Ola Dubh (all are excellent, and age great) Inveralmond Ossian, and Thrappledouser Deeside Talorcan Anything from Orkney And plenty more...
Old Chub, Scotty Karate, and Dirty Bastard are my regulars...Backwoods Bastard being the best, though not as easy to come by.
Everytime this comes up, I mention arcadia's loch down ale. Dirty bastard is good too. I just came across two year old old chub in a cooler in Podunk TN, and it kicks ass! It reminds me of Old Curmudgeon... Tastes like an old ale instead of a scotch ale. Gonna need to give Scotty Karate another try, last time I had it, it was terrible, maybe it was skunked or something...
Love Scotty Karate. Fresh or with a few months on it. It's a totally different beer. There's something about a Scotch ale that has sat for a few months. I know it sounds weird but in that short time they seem to completely change. By the way I have a Kuhnhenns A Few Shillings Too Many sitting in my cellar right now. Fresh it was amazing, but I'm going to sit on my last one for at least a year.
Oh, and another great one from Quebec is from Brasseurs du Monde, "Le Trinqueur"(http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25775/86084); it's a scotch ale brewed with coriander. Really, really good.
Dark Horse Scotty Karate is my favorite. I haven't aged one, but I'm sure it would be even better aged!
Founders Dirty Bastard is very good, Robert the Bruce very good too but not as good as DB and Scotty Karate the best Scotch Ale I've ever had
Dirty Bastard is awesome fresh - with a couple of months it seems to drop off a bit - maybe it comes back I will have to experiment. Backwoods Bastard with a year on it is a little better than it is fresh, but the vanilla did not drop off at all like I thought it would.
Scotty Karate for me, in the US I don't age Scotch Ales intentionally. Skullsplitter overall. All of that said, I've only had about 8 different ones.
Although not considered the best of the best, I really enjoy Olde Burnside Ten Penny ale when I go to the Pipes in the Valley Irish fest every year in Hartford, CT.
Just drank an 18 month old Dirty Bastard last night. It was goooood. I like Old Chub but doesn't age that well IMO.
Robert the Bruce to drink right now. But my favorite to age is my own homebrew. After letting it age for 8 months, it's really quite good. We called it "Piper Down" after a bit in the movie So I Married An Axe Murder. I'm pretty damn proud of it.
