Scotch Ale
Samuel Adams Brewmaster’s Collection appears to be a bold attempt by one of the larger brewers in the US to prove that they don’t just brew ‘regular’ beers. One of the more recent beer related news stories I read was about smaller brewers having to buy both grain and hops from The Boston Beer Company because of a shartage of available ingredients; they certainly seem to be more than just a regular brewer given the blurb on the side of the bottle, I quote: “[This is] an ale with four special malts, including a rare peat-smoked malt used in Scotch Whiskies. This is a unique malt that gives Scotch Ale a subtle smokey flavour and deep amber hue…”
The Beer: Scotch Ale, 15°, 5.4%; Clear, dark tan in colour, visible traces of gas rising; fabulous but subtle aroma; rather robust and strong in its taste, you get that smoky taste in there, malty, slightly bitter, somewhat burnt; slightly harsh in after-taste with that burnt malt taste.
I admire the fact that the brewers are allowed to ‘experiment’ and produce such a beer – there are five more in the Brewmaster’s Collection; it goes to show that a brewer that produces a relatively mediocre lager (at least to my palate) can produce very acceptable alternatives. For this style I am using the Belhaven as the benchmark; after a while this did remind me of a single malt, it has that single malt affect on the tongue. This is notable and I will certainly be trying this again, but not in the sense that I am going to rush out and buy this immediately.
Website: Samuel Adams
Beerohbeer.com 
Samuel Adams has actually made the Scotch Ale since the early 90’s with an unexplained disappearance for about 4 years.
Sam Adams (Boston Beer) was a pioneer in the American craft beer revival and have brewed a variety of styles almost from the beginning.
It is still very good to see the larger brewers brewing this style of beer; one question I really need to find an answer to is why, if there are so many really good beers in the US, do people still insist on reaching for the ‘Lite’ party box? The Sam Adams brewmaster’s collection comes in a case of 12 and offers so much to choose from – and I am enjoying them