Beer of the Weekend #750: Claymore Scotch Ale
Last week I mentioned that it has been a long time since I last drank a Scotch ale. I am rectifying that this week with Claymore Scotch Ale, brewed by the Great Divide Brewing Company of Denver, Colorado.
A pathetic straight pour produces a half-finger of gray, tan-tinted head that leaves a ring around the edge and a skim. The color is deep, mahogany brown. The aroma is toasty. There are scents of caramel, toffee, toasted malt, chocolate, maybe a little molasses, and dark fruit. It has a touch of roast here and there, so there may be some roasted malt in the malt bill. The flavor is nice and toasty. It has that peat-like flavor, which could be rye. The flavor does not seem as complex and enticing as the aroma, though. There are flavors of toasted malt, that peat-like rye, chocolate, caramel, toffee, dark fruit, honey, and burnt sugar. Alcohol is noticeable in the flavor, but also in a thinner mouthfeel.
Fun facts about Claymore Scotch Ale:
• Style: Scotch ale.
• Price: $9.99 per six-pack of 12-ounce bottles at the “Drug Town” on First Avenue in Iowa City.
• Alcohol content: 7.7 percent ABV.
• Food pairings: Listed on the beer’s webpage are braised pot roast, seared lamb chops, rosemary white beans, grilled sweet potatoes, Morbier cheese, and bourbon bread pudding.
• Here’s a nerdy detail I noticed about the can of La Crosse Lager I was drinking earlier tonight: Delaware is among the five-cent deposit states listed on the can. Delaware repealed its bottle bill in 2009 and customers stopped paying deposits on December 1, 2010. Update your can, La Crosse!
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
A pathetic straight pour produces a half-finger of gray, tan-tinted head that leaves a ring around the edge and a skim. The color is deep, mahogany brown. The aroma is toasty. There are scents of caramel, toffee, toasted malt, chocolate, maybe a little molasses, and dark fruit. It has a touch of roast here and there, so there may be some roasted malt in the malt bill. The flavor is nice and toasty. It has that peat-like flavor, which could be rye. The flavor does not seem as complex and enticing as the aroma, though. There are flavors of toasted malt, that peat-like rye, chocolate, caramel, toffee, dark fruit, honey, and burnt sugar. Alcohol is noticeable in the flavor, but also in a thinner mouthfeel.
Fun facts about Claymore Scotch Ale:
• Style: Scotch ale.
• Price: $9.99 per six-pack of 12-ounce bottles at the “Drug Town” on First Avenue in Iowa City.
• Alcohol content: 7.7 percent ABV.
• Food pairings: Listed on the beer’s webpage are braised pot roast, seared lamb chops, rosemary white beans, grilled sweet potatoes, Morbier cheese, and bourbon bread pudding.
• Here’s a nerdy detail I noticed about the can of La Crosse Lager I was drinking earlier tonight: Delaware is among the five-cent deposit states listed on the can. Delaware repealed its bottle bill in 2009 and customers stopped paying deposits on December 1, 2010. Update your can, La Crosse!
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
