Clown Shoes Beer Royal Standard Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy at 10% ABV (C$8.04 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, bottle date 8-Dec-2014)
Pours clear deep amber with one finger of light beige head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap, minimal lacing. (3/5) Nose is dark fruit, caramel malt, spices, tobacco, leather, earth. (7/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium slightly creamy body, lively carbonation becoming soft, warming and mildly bitter finish. (3/5)
Nothing “wee” about this – is “big heavy bastard” a style (as opposed to a description of myself)? Starts off feeling a bit hot. OK, fine, a lot hot. But as the bottle progresses, things smooth out a little. The carbonation is not unpleasant, even if it’s a touch prickly on the outset, and it settles down giving a slightly creamy body. (13/20)
6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
