McEwan's Scotch Ale is Good !. Review on McEwan's Scotch Ale

I actually first came across McEwans whilst on holiday in Edinburgh where it is termed as a ''wee heavy'' and I guess the spiritual home of this Scottish beer is Central Scotland,particularly the rival big cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh.It certainly has a loyal patronage from old timers and in bars in Glasgow you will hear customers asking for a pint of ''wee heavy'' together with a single malt. A pretty potent combination, I should add.

It is brewed by the giant Scottish and Newcastle Breweries plc and so you will find it available in most of the pubs in their chain in Great Britain.. McEwans beer is also stocked by many of the large supermarkets and the majority of the principal off licences also give shelf space to this beer.It is also exported to North America, South East Asia ,South Asia,and to Australia and New Zealand ,among other places,not just for expatriate Scots but for all who appreciate a good beer. Prices vary considerably around the country with Central London generally being the place where it is dearest. I believe it is a bit expensive in the USA but guess that most imports will be at a price premium compared to US produced beers. As for the beer itself it is a deep,rich,full flavored beer that appeals to old style drinkers rather than trendy yuppies. It is I suppose something out of yesteryear,a rather old fashioned beer. Still it pours well,has a strong alcohol content and has a slight aftertaste. Actually Scotland has a very lengthy beer brewing tradition-among the oldest in Europe- and has equally a long history of producing good barley. McEwan's Scotch Ale is a splendid example of the Scottish brewing tradition and has a real kick to it,as you would expect from a beer whose alcohol by volume content (ABV) is a hefty 8 %. This is a fine beer to consume on a cold winter evening.

It is available in 500 ml cans and in bottles. McEwans goes well with hearty food. Try it with a good filling Scotch Broth, a Cock'a Leekie, or a traditional Stew or Casserole. Whilst whisky is most decidely the preferred drink of choice with Haggis I suspect it would also accompany the Caledonian ''wurst ''quite well. I hasten to add though that I have no personal experience of consuming that combination.!