Brave Liver Scotch Ale

 

          You know, it seems I’ve been seeing Mt. Begbie’s beer at my local liquor stores for almost as long as I can remember. I would often look their beer over while reaching for something else. Well, for the first time ever I decided it was time to give Mt. Begbie a first look in the form of their Brave Liver Scotch Ale. As a lover of Scotch ale, and never one to turn down the challenge of a strong beer, Brave Liver seemed like the apt choice.

Located in Revelstoke B.C., Mt Begbie has been making beer since 1996. Today, Mt Begbie Brewing has expanded into its third location (still in Revelstoke) and has included a tasting room in its facility. Here you can enjoy more than a dozen beers including their core lineup, seasonal beers, and a few specialty brews. Brave Liver pours into my glass leathery brown with ruby highlights. This crystal clear Scotch ale supports a dense, cream colored head.

          Brave Liver’s nose is very malty. It’s rich and sweet with notes of leather and brown sugar. Aromas of leather and brown sugar lead into a center that gives me a restrained, and therefore not unpleasant earthiness. As the aroma’s earthiness moves towards its finish, I’m picking up aromas of ripe dark fruit and just a wisp of smoke. Dark fruit has a richness to it that comes in somewhere between dates and dark chocolate.

           Taking a sip forces me to confront a medium bodied ale that is full flavored, well carbonated, and showing initial promise of genuine complexity. Brave Liver’s flavor is huge and malty with flavors of leather and damp earth leading the charge. The beer’s assertive carbonation lead the flavors into a dryish center before becoming somewhat sweet again in the finish. Somehow the whole flavor profile comes together in a rum and raisins sort of way without giving me any actual flavors of rum and raisin along the way. Interesting.

          Overall, I’m giving Brave Liver Scotch Ale a 7.25 out of 10. This is a very full and complex Scotch ale, one that’s definitely not for the faint of heart. It reminds me of Traquair House more than beers like Belhaven. I think this will make the craft beer lovers happier than those who are less experienced in the world of craft beer. All I mean to say is this: Brave Liver is a respectable, well executed example of a strong Scotch ale that may not appeal to all drinkers despite how good it is.