Holy Smoke - Church-Key Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Campbellford)

Holy Smoke - Church-Key Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Campbellford) 6.2%

Dark brown in a glass, like a chestnut. Very smoky, peaty and slightly salty aroma. Based solely on the aroma I am sure this beer would appeal to Scotch drinkers that like a smoky, peaty Scotch. There are also some dark malt tones, like dark dried fruits such as fig or prunes, in the aroma.

The flavour is quite sweet and dark malt flavours now take the lead ahead of the smoke and peat flavour though the latter does continue to feature. A watery mouthfeel and some alcohol does come through but it would be highly suitable for a drink in a pub.

Regular readers of the blog will know that I tend to prefer my beers on the warm side. Particularly very malty and high alcohol beers. This beer also benefits from being served a bit warmer as the smoke and the malt flavours come out. Overall, Holy Smoke is very drinkable, the smoke and peat flavours are well done and tasty but its malty body is a wee bit thin, still a fine beer when it is all said and done.

St-Ambroise Scotch Ale - McAuslan Brewing (Canada - Montreal)

St-Ambroise Scotch Ale - McAuslan Brewing (Canada - Montreal) 7.5%

A brown amber in a glass. Initially a dry, lightly hoppy aroma that reminds me of euro lagers (which was unexpected) but after the head faded (which happened rather quickly, actually) dark malt aromas of grain, peat (that's probably because I'm looking at the word scotch too much but it is a touch smoky), roasty glaze and not quite coffee tones continuing on into a quite sweet aroma with molasses, light wood tones and vanilla is a late arriving scent. The vanilla is very pleasant and very noticeable once some of the other aromas fade. Really, the vanilla comes to dominate with dark malt sweetness and the hops sticking around and keeping the balance nicely. No alcohol really detectable in the aroma but that may change as it warms up.

Bundles of flavours to taste here. Clearly high in alcohol that you can taste in the roof of your mouth but carried so nicely by chewy malt flavours of molasses, dark bread and some dark fruit touches like prunes or dark candied cherries. The aftertaste is long lingering, less sweet and hoppier with grain flavours as well as the shadow of dark malt flavours. As St-Ambroise Scotch Ale warms, caramel flavours reveal themselves from the mix and assert themselves quite strongly and round out this Wee-Heavy inspired winter seasonal. The mix of flavours is just perfect for a cold winter's night (or day).