In celebration of the birthday of great Scotsman Robert Burns, affectionately known by many as Rabbie Burns, I have decided to write an article dedicated to my personal favorite Scotch Ale. This Scotch Ale brewed by Le Bilboquet in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec comes in at a whopping 10.8% ABV in what you could refer to as a “more than wee” Heavy. The addition of honey to the brewing process helps to increase the alcohol content of MacKroken to this high level. To be honest I find most Scotch Ales produced by alot of craft breweries to be corner cut ales made with a bit of peated or scotch malts. Unlike many of these other beers, I find MacKroken to be a truly unique beer with a ton of heavy and authentic flavours.
Pouring into a stemmed glass I first notice a beautiful dense beige head form and die slowly with a few remnant lacing blotches sticking to the glass. The body has a beautiful dark roasted copper-brown coloration with a few meandering carbonation bubbles. The nose has a potent booze scent right off the top of the glass with rich treacle and caramelized toffee aromas. A ton of sweet roasted notes accompanying mild peat and scotch malt scents that pair well with the sweeter notes. The aroma while rather boozy and intense smells absolutely delicious. Mid-palate I am greeted with sweet caramel and toffee malts with a kick of light woody malts and a hint of vanilla. A light floral and surprisingly fruity note soon encroaches with a mildly obtuse booze finish that lingers for just an instant. Despite the aroma has a bold and robust character, the taste profile is rather smooth and incredibly well balanced. Mild peated scotch notes linger as just an indentifiable trace and MacKroken has a sublime warmth to the finish accredited to the 10.8% ABV. IN conclusion, this is an utterly smooth and extremely well composed Scotch Ale unlike many others on the market.
Grade: 91/100
Price: $8.50
The Alberta BeerSmith 