Dave's BrewFarm McAnderson Scotch Ale

Whenever I visit the BrewFarm, I pick up growlers of whatever brews I've never had, plus some old favorites. Sometimes, the old favorite is one I've actually not included on this blog, but have taken notes on. I was about to simply open this growler of McAnderson and drink it until I noticed, while exploring  a list of beers here, that it wasn't among them. How could I have passed up on McAnderson for the past four years? The most logical answer is that  I reviewed it before I began using this blog for beer reviews, in mid-December 2010, and those notes were entered on BeerAdvocate.com.

Or, were they? I found the fact of the missing McAnderson while at home, internet-less. The only way to be sure that I'd posted notes on McA. would be to leave home and find some wi-fi, but it was too late and too cold outside. Solution: take new notes, just in case and check the old notes later.

And so, it seems that I wrote this on December 7 of 2010, while entering the beer on BA for the first time:

 Dave's BrewFarm McAnderson, 9.5% ABV. 1 Liter Swing-top Growler

Dark brown coloration...opaque, bright crimson when held to light. Tight beige ring of foam.

Sweet, malty aroma, a little nutty, with a whiff of smoke. Lovely stuff.

Drink up! There's the sweet malt again, little to no hop bitterness. Dark, deliciousness, mostly caramel flavor, toffee, succulent and, again, a touch smokey. Medium bodied. Long, languorous finish, malt flavor lays lazily on the palate. Soft, lush mouthfeel.

I'm not feeling the high ABV yet, but those are famous last words around these parts.

This is a brew I can see myself drinking a lot of...of course, it helps that I'm facing the mirror...

I wrote these notes last night, December 9, 2014:

Dave's BrewFarm McAnderson "Imperial" (my words, not his) Scotch Ale. 9.5% ABV.

This beer had a fine head at first, but drifted to this once I was ready to snap the pic.

Dark crimson coloring, rich, ruby tinges, slim, white head.

Aroma: sweet and malty, molasses and brown sugar. Minor hops, if at all, with massive malt.

Taste: Sweetness and richness take command of the palate from the start. Vast malt flavors, with tremendous balance. Yeah, it's sweet, but it's never cloying or sickly. Rich and delicious is what it is, and the high ABV starts sly, but creeps on up. The flavor of molasses and brown sugar is growing and growing and keeping pace with the rising alcohol.

Mmm, big 'n' beefy, and rich and luxurious. I wonder what Farmer Dave has to say about it? Just this: "A hefty blend of malts, Palisade hops and a kiss of molasses coupled with a Scottish ale yeast. Be sure to mind your kilt…"