KATY VS. SASHA: MacKroken Flower Scotch Ale from Le Bilboquet

Katy and Sasha are the contributors for Ottawa Beer Events! They have distinctly different palates and in this segment they go head-to-head tasting MacKroken Flower Scotch Ale from Le Bilboquet.

Katy:

When I brought this bottle to Sasha we both grimaced. Scotch ale - heavy malt, peat notes and high alcohol content, not exactly a beer either of us would order given the chance. The bottle didn't help its cause either, deep black with a single flower and a scary font. What did I get us into..?

MacKroken Flower pours a deep brown with thick mocha head. Sweet aromas of caramel and warming notes of boozy fruit cake (it is 10.8% ABV) waft from the glass. When I took my first sip I expected that biting peat to grab me, but it didn't. Instead I tasted sweet - caramel, toffee, bourbon soaked raisins with more and more honey notes as it warmed up.

This is a great take on a scotch ale and because of its sweetness and high alcohol it would be great to share at the end of a meal or when you're hibernating during a particularly cold evening.

Sasha:

I'm not going to lie - the word "flower" and "scotch ale" made me judge this beer before I tasted it. I was sure I wasn't going to like it - picturing a floral beer with a biting scotch flavour.

This beer poured a cloudy dark amber color with a thick toffee colored head, which was quick to dissipate. The first thing to hit your nose is caramel paired with the apparent scent of alcohol.

The taste was definitely not what I expected. It was sweet, almost biscuity, reminding me of a Newfoundland toutan smothered in molasses. I have to admit I was wrong (again!) this tasted nothing like I expected and I was disappointed to only have poured a taste and given the rest to my boyfriend (no take-backs!). Overall a nice warming beer with a sweet finish,whose taste lingers on your palate long after your last sip.