Brewery: Guadalupe Brewing Company
Beer: Scotch Ale (2013)
Style: Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy
ABV: 8.17%
Character: Brewed with some of the best grain available out of the UK, and aged on American Oak
Ratings at time of Review: BA: n/a | RB: 92
Metal Connection: FOOTPRINTS IN THE CUSTARD – Wasted

Rating: 5/5

As I do most of the time when I buy beer, I store it, I store it for a very long time. Do I do this on purpose? Sometimes! Problem is, I get trade boxes in the mail and I am constantly buying beer at the local stores around me. I have a well stocked mini beer fridge, and the entire bottom shelf of my food fridge, along with the door shelf full of bottles ready to be drank. Bottles I buy in the meantime make it to my hallway closet or my bookcase of beer bottles. My entire apartment is made up of beer bottles. Ha ha ha. Some of you have been to my place, and can concur with this statement. Anyway, my point is that this particular bottle of Guadalupe Scotch Ale was bottled on December 19th, 2013, and has been sitting on my bookcase for quite some time, before I decided to pop it in the fridge to get it cooler for consumption for this review. In all fairness to all parties involved, Guadalupe Brewing Company, and you the reader, basing an opinion on this beer based on my opinion, this beer is always a 5/5 rating from me, both fresh and aged.

The label is pretty simple and to the point. The whole background is like an old paper texture, which I love to use. I love the old rustic look to things, including paper. Simple text is used all throughout the label from the brewery name written small on top, to the large text of “Scotch Ale” taking up the rest of the top portion of the label. The picture on the label is the breweries logo of a cowboy looking dude, riding a barrel down what looks like water, representing the Guadalupe River, I suppose. The texture within the drawing is of a red plaid color, typically used for a Scottish kilt. It’s very simple, and to the point!

I used a snifter glass from a local San Antonio Craft Beer bar named Missions Untapped for this session. Guadalupe Scotch Ale poured an opaque mahogany color topped with a half inch light tan bubbly head, which moderately dwindled down to a thin layer atop the beer, leaving small lines of lacing down the glass.

The aroma was strong caramel right up front, and overpowers the nose. There are other hints of toffee, wet oak wood, booze, dark fruits like raisins and figs, crackers, brown sugar, sweet hard candy, and a faint dark cherry aroma all make up the nose of this beer. There is a lingering booze, cracker, and caramel aroma that lasts a bit after each whiff.

The taste of this beer has all the same characters as the aroma. Heavy caramel hits the palate first, followed by toffee, brown sugar, and sweet hard candy. After the sweetness, there is a bit throat punch of booze, wet oak wood, crackers, raisins, fig, and a faint dark cherry flavor. There is a lingering aftertaste of cracker grains, wood, and booze.

The body is thick and heavy on this Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy. The mouthfeel is oily, slick, with a sweet sugary residue on the lips, and a strong dry finish. There is moderate carbonation that works well with this beer.

Overall, I will say that I love this beer. Ever since I first tried this beer from Guadalupe Brewing Company, I was hooked. There a re a lot of people who agree with me on this one, as well. I can tell cause of how this beer is selling. So far, I have worked at 3 different Craft Beer bars, and at all three locations, this beer flies out of the tap. My favorite part about serving a beer simply named “Scotch Ale” with a tap handle with Scotch written in large letters is listening to people talk about how there is actual Scotch in the beer, or that it is aged in Scotch barrels, or how they taste the scotch after sipping on the beer. I love the reaction I get when I explain that a Scotch ale does not contain Scotch at all in it, but rather a beer named for it’s style which was created in 19th century Scotland, and are also known as a Wee Heavy. Their blank stare is priceless.

As I have said before, this particular bottle was aged a couple of years before I drank it. The beer label on this one shows their 2013 US Open Bronze medal winning. Since then this beer has won gold in 2014 and 2015. The recent released bottles of this beer also wears newly designed label (see here). The beer itself is still a great tasting beer served fresh, or not aged. It is one of my favorite local beers.

Metal Connection: I have said this on several occasions here, but finding the perfect Metal Connection for each beer review is my favorite part of what I do here on this site. There are times, such as this, that I run across a band I have never heard of before, and am impressed by their style of Metal. I wanted to find a song that mentions the word “Scotch” and uses it to name the alcoholic beverage, Scotch. What I found was this really humorous Heavy Metal/Punk Rock band from Manchester, England named Footprints in the Custard. What a strange name! The music is just as humorous. The band’s two full length albums have titles of Oh God, It’s Warm, and Every Hole is a Goal. In 2013, they released a split album with Punk Rock band, Scumface. The side released by Footprints in the Custard was happily titled, Gone Fisting. The song chosen for this Metal Connection was from this release. The song is called “Wasted” and is about, well, getting wasted! At the 2:08 mark in the song, I am sure you will all enjoy the 40 seconds of fake puking by vocalist, Russell Gregory. Why wouldn’t you love a song about getting fucked up with lyrics like these…

I’ll tell you
When I had enough
I’ll drink beer
From your Mum’s muff

Yeah, I went there
I’ll say it again
Have I ever told you
You’re my best friend

Okay, I see
I’ve gone too far
Be a good time
To jump in the car

Where are my keys?
Where is my scotch?
Why is there vomit
all over my crotch?