Founders Dirty Bastard
Picked this up in Totowa because it was available via the single bottle. I don't drink this style of beer much, but it's cold out and it's good to have a brew that can warm me up. This certainly fit the bill as it's one of the better beers I've had lately, and a very drinkable Scotch Ale to boot! Good pour to this, as the hue was a very cloudy deep brown with some head and nearly no lacing as I worked my way down my glass. This has the mouthfeel of a scotch ale with the caramel and smoky taste that one would expect, but there's not a lot of stickiness here. The roasted taste isn't overdone and plum, cherry, and banana fills in instead. What results is a beer with a slightly burnt taste but a much richer and more even mouthfeel - neither too light nor too heavy with just a hint of cherry in the aftertaste that lingers and leads to a dessert-like quality to this beer. The only heaviness in this beer is the 8.30% ABV but it's not that noticeable in terms of the taste. This is one solid brew that has made me appreciate this style more. Scotch Ales will never be my forte, but after having this offering from Founders, I'm actually inclined to seek these out a bit more now, and isn't that what a good beer should make one do?