Slap me silly Sidney

Brasserie de Silly S.A. – Scotch Silly
brewery: Brasserie de Silly S.A. – silly-beer.com
style: Scottish Ale
abv: 8.0%
serving size: 750ml
glass used: snifter
price: $8.99

Overview
It offers a finely wooded nose hinting at hazelnut, and is therefore distinct from traditional British scotches. It has a more rounded taste letting a discreetly full-bodied bitterness come to the fore, and will naturally seduce you.

What I think
The only reason why I bought this beer was due to the name. Sometimes you gotta give in to curiosity. The pour was curious. The head appeared at first like it was sticking around for the long haul but much like the Ottawa Senators defense it vanished fast (haha couldn’t resist. GO PENS!). Unlike most scottish styles I’ve had in the past there was very little malt. Each drink was full of body and slightly bitter but I felt like I was missing something. the finish was too dry for my taste.

Would I buy this again? Eh maybe. Depends on what my other options are. Give it a shot and let me know what you think in the comments below.

Spoon’s rating: C+

Camera is back in a couple week with corrected white balance. woooooo!

Dark Horse – Scotty Karate Scotch Ale
brewery: Dark Horse – darkhorsebrewery.com
style: Scotch Ale
abv: 9.5%
serving size: 12oz
glass used: pint
price: $2.69

Overview
For those of you who don’t know who “Scotty Karate” is… He is a local one man band who plays an amazing slurry of honky tonk influenced, punk country songs. His voice is amazing as well as his high energy shows. (Check him out @www.scottykarate.com) So, we decided to make a beer and name it in his honor. This beer is a big, full bodied Scottish ale. It is 9.75% alc. but it is very smooth and balanced. Since Scotty is also very passionate about  beer I asked him to write a description for you, so from the man himself…

Aroma: Smells like A fresh caramel apple with a hint of cinnamon inside of cranberry shortbread. Or maybe fresh home made hard candy (from home economics class-7th grade).
Flavor: Tastes like a smokey chocolate chip cookie, wild roadside cherry-asparagus, woody, crispy leaf on a fall day. -SK

Silver medal winner 2007 Great American Beer Festival

What I think
The aroma for me was close to the commercial description with the presence of caramel noticeable as soon as I put the bottle down. The taste was pure malt with a twang of alcohol, a little nut and slight hops. The finish was smooth and a little on the bold side. It packed a wallop and felt great.

For the price, if you don’t pick up a bottle of this to try, you’re a fool. Even if you aren’t fond of the style you MUST give this a try. Besides at less than $3 you can’t lose. That’s 1/2 a pack of smokes and you will feel much better drinking one of these.

Spoon’s rating: A-

This week we feature a seasonal beer from a brewery back in my hometown of Erie, PA. I know it’s early in the site to repeat a beer already but after reading the original review here I felt it needed a worthy review. Plus I thought I reviewed the older, less ABV version which was retired.

Ol Red Cease and Desist
brewery: Erie Brewing – www.eriebrewingco.com
style: Wee Heavy Scottish Ale
abv: 10.1%
serving size: 12oz
glass used: sniffer
price: $31/case, $3.50 bottle

Overview
Erie Brewing presents the Beer formally known as Red Ryder BIG BEER – A beer dubiously awarded two cease and desist letters for its name. Ol’ Red Cease and Desist brings more to the table than just a big malty flavor and climaxing warming sensation…a legal record! This beer so recognized and loved by many deserves a unique name to match its unique history. What better name than Ol’ Red Cease and Desist – a name inspired by the long arm of the law!

What I think
Every winter I look forward to this beverage. The pour brings a crisp amber hue and a modest head. Lacing vanishes rather fast but that isn’t always a bad thing. You will get a gracious amount of malt on your palate that will do a great job of covering the 10.1% ABV. I purchased a few of these and noticed the body was heavier on one bottle over the other but didn’t result in much flavor variety but very very smooth. You’re going to be able to drink many of these before that ABV kicks you in the head. Treat it like NyQuil, plan a long slumber in Scottish ale bliss after consuming.

Spoon’s rating: B

Yeah, go ahead and make the jokes. It’s inevitable at this point. I did it myself. Old Chub holds a place near and dear to my heart. Back when SIDT started we did a show about a favorite drinking game of ours called Beer Hunter (click here for details). I know, I know, it’s supposed to be played with junk beer but hey, we’re the craft beer guys. Why WOULDN’T we use a good beer?

Last week while at 3 Sons I picked up a 6 pack for home since it’s been awhile. I’ve had my share of Scottish ales and wanted to revisit the first one I ever had. If you’re unfamiliar with a Scottish Ale there is usually a higher malt flavor which is the shining star of this style while carrying a low hop profile. If you want to know why, this is caused by the wort carmelizing after a long boil. Hey, you asked. The ABV in Old Chub is 8% but in other Scottish Ales can reach as low as 4. Most of the ones I drink are a high 6 to a low 7.

The can I had poured a dark copper hue and finished with a solid 2 finger head which stuck around until midway through the drinking. There was a fair balance of malt in it but not to the point that it made my mouth fill with sweetness. I did have some lingering malt aftertaste but not enough that it bothered me.

Old Chub is made by the Oskar Blues Brewery in Colorado who have become famous for successfully distributing craft beer in a can. Previously this was unheard of but these guys got the system down without the use of that bullshit “venting” system that Coors has.

Overall this is an A from me. When I get a grading system down I’ll have to figure out what that is. Maybe the Fonz.

Oh and for the record, you college kids or jagoffs who shotgun beer cans, don’t try it with any of the Oskar products. You’ll fail miserably. We tried for the sake of science once… ONCE!

cheers!

It’s been a few weeks so what do I do on my first day back… happy hour of course! Lushie and I actually went to dinner at Mad Mex tonight and since it was during happy hour I had to take advantage of the specials. Honestly the $7 for a pint (16oz) seems VERY high since I can buy a bomber bottle (22oz) from 3 Sons Dogs and Suds for $8 but this WAS happy hour so I partaked in 32oz for $7.

Moylan’s is the most hyped beer in recent memory to come into the Commonwealth of PA. A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to get the hopsickle on cask at Fat Heads. A day later 3 Sons announced they had a well stocked supply of all available in PA. I was geeked and when I arrived last Thursday found myself engulfed in the Pens game plus many bottles of Shipwrecked Porter.

The scottish ale comes in at 8% which is around average for a scottish ale/wee heavy. Since this was brought from the server the head had pretty much dissipated. This craft beverage could very well be the best draft I have ever had at a Mad Mex. The perfect mix of hints of malt, hops and fruit with a creamy finish ranks this as a gold medal winner in my book. No lingering overkill taste on the palate makes this a must buy on tap. I’ve been told that this is a must buy also in the bomber bottle so that may be this week.

My opinion, go buy it NOW! Seriously… stop now and buy it. I have a feeling that after a few of these you could live up to it’s aptly titled name.

cheers!

I picked up a case of this year’s version of Ol’ Red from Erie Brewing. For years this has been one of the few beers that I wait to hit the Pittsburgh market since it is a limited brew. This year is 1%  higher in alcohol to push it to 10.1% and has another new name. From what I learned via email from Erie Brewing that they were served a “Cease and Desist” letter (hence the name)  because the old logo was a kid with an eye patch and b.b. gun ala A Christmas Story.

Ok, now the beer. I broke my rule and bought a case of something I never tasted. Usually I try a bottle at 3 Sons Dogs n Suds first. At $30 a case at Save on Beer I figured wtf, why not. First off it’s 10.1% so that right there makes it a buy. It’s a scottish style ale with a hint of alcohol taste. Not like Ole Heathen but it’s noticeable. It has great head retention with a perfect 2 finger pour and a nice malt finish.

I give it a thumbs up. Overall I think this is one of my favorite Erie beers. I did get a sample of the Misery Bay IPA while at the Great International Beer Fest last weekend. You will be in for a GREAT surprise once it’s available.