Beer Review: Dark Horse Scotty Karate

Dark Horse Brewing Company: Scotty Karate
Michigan, U.S.
Style: Scotch Ale
ABV: 9.75%
Beeradvocate Rating: B+, #23 on top 50 Scotch Ale list
Serving Type: Bottle
Purchased at: The Foodery

Look: Mahogany

Smell: Earthy, Oak, Cinnamon

Taste: Chocolate, Dark Malt

Feel: Spicy & Clean

Drinkability: Medium-Low

Scotty Karate is a fall/winter seasonal beer. The first and only time I had Scotty Karate (before this) was on tap at City Tap House in West Philly and it was a memorable one. That night I went out with a couple friends and one of my friends was supposed to meet a girl there. Long story short, I got drunk. Intoxication was completely acceptable due to the huge selection of tasty beers they had to offer. What wasn’t acceptable was me ending up playing grab ass with the girl my friend was meeting (and supposedly her crotch, but I disagree), spilling her beer all over the floor, and getting caught stealing cookies from Jimmy John’s and bullshitting my way out of it. I went home and my friend stayed behind with that girl to try and get some play (he didn’t). To add insult to injury, when he made it back to the house I was knocked out and the door was locked. Sorry Roni!

On my second encounter with this beer I took a more civil approach. As you can see it was poured into a piece of my finest stem wear. This glass is actually the same exact glass that Scotty Karate was served to me in by a waiter that said “chop suey” as he gave it to me at City Tap House. Somehow the glass magically made it back to my apartment (sorry City Tap House, I steal when I’m drunk), and served as my glass for this review. It pours a dark mahogany like color with a dissipating head. There is a strong smoky/toasted earth smell to the beer. You can smell the presence of cinnamon and toffee. It has a very dark malt taste like smoky chocolate with notes of dark fruit (raisins). The toasted oak taste gives off a warming feeling. This beer is not hoppy and has little carbonation. Its clean and spicy finish makes this beer more drinkable than other beers carrying similar ABV.

My Rating: A. It tastes so damn good.

Flashin Cash: City Tap House

For all yous that don’t know, “Flashin Cash” means to go out. You can go out Friday & Saturday on pay weeks and only one weekend night on non-pay weeks. My recent trip to City Tap House was in celebration of getting dem tax refund checkz. I went out with one of my friends and a few more people met us there. If you’ve never been to City Tap House, then go. They offer a huge selection of beers with atleast 5 different selections of every major style of beer. In total they have 50 taps flowing on any given night. For some reason, City Tap House brings the beast out of me and I end up getting very drunk when I go. This time was no different. Before I left I drank a few Bear Republic Hop Rod Ryes and had a jam sesh to set the tone.

We got there and I went right for the IPAs. They didn’t really have anything special to offer. They had the Yard’s IPA, Dark Horse Crooked Tree, Flying Dog Snake Dog, and Dogfish Head 90 Minute (said 60 minute on the menu). I had a draft of each of the beers I mentioned as well as an Allagash Tripel which tasted awful but was high in ABV. As I drank my last beer, a Yard’s, I began to feel all the alcohol catch up to me. I don’t remember too much after that point, but I know I went to Jimmy John’s and got a hoagie and took a cookie again. I also got into a little (drunk) conflict with a guy trying to pay his bill before leaving the tap house. I thought I was going to vomit the whole cab ride home. January 29^th was a day I spent a lot of money. I don’t want to go into details, but it was acceptable because it was payday as well. In terms of damages that night, City Tap House tends to run a little on the pricey side. Each beer is atleast $6, some are $6.50, or even $7 (damn Allagash). We offset the cost by adding a few more glasses to my collection. Sorry….

Beer Selection: A+
Price: C