Claymore Scotch Ale - Wee Heavy

We thought we might introduce the "Two Guys" who are writing about some beer.

Justin Hill is from way up north where snow is manufactured but now lives where Posey County melons are supposedly grown.

Joe Vieke is from where Posey County melons are actually grown but now lives in the city that designs expressways that come with stoplights.  Stoplights on an expressway?--seriously.

We both have wonderful wives who actually came up with the idea of writing about our journey of beer exploration in blog form.  And for those who care about such things, they act as designated drivers when the need arises.  We also believe that football is best sport invented in the history of ever. Now onto the beer.

Joe :  We sampled Claymore Scotch Ale from the Great Divide Brewing Company located out of Denver, Colorado. It is a dark beer that has ample carbonation.  As you drink, it gives you two dominant tastes--a caramel malty flavor with a punch of alcohol as it hits the back of the mouth. The hops also give a bit of a bitter taste mixed in with the caramel.  I really enjoyed the caramel taste but I, normally, am not a big fan of beers  that give you taste reminder that it is an alcohol beverage.  This is beer blog, not a rum blog.  But saying  that, as I acclimated to it, I enjoyed it more and more. My first impression was to give it a 3.0 score but by the time I acclimated to the alcohol taste I moved it up to a 3.5.  The beer has a 7.7% alcohol volume so it is not a beer that you are going to be slamming down Busch Lite style.  It is beer you savor.

Justin's wife Jamie was a guest sampler.  She took a sip of the beer and there was brief moment where we thought we were going to have scream "don't go toward the light!!--don't go toward the light--stay with us!!."  While she survived the experience, she did not enjoy the beer.

Justin: As I was browsing the beer selection in the liquor store, I picked up a bottle of Claymore Scotch Ale and read "Suggested Food Pairing: Pot roast with roasted vegetables, seared lamb shank with white beans, bread pudding." Sold! This was the first time I've seen a suggested meal on a beer label and I'm not sure if I was hungry at the time or if I was influenced by the fact that it’s named after a medieval Scottish Sword but this beer just sounded cool! I really enjoyed the rich toasted caramel, coffee, and butterscotch flavors. The ‘subtle warming character’ however was more like a roundhouse kick to the back of your throat as it traveled to your stomach. The strong after taste became subdued the more I drank likely due to high alcohol content. I did enjoy this beer and I rate it a solid 3 stars. I look forward to trying more offerings from Great Divide.