By Ed Westemeier
Enquirer contributor

With spring upon us, those massive cold weather beers will soon be a pleasant memory. But before the warm weather finally arrives, let me introduce you to one more winter warmer.

Scotch Silly is one of those oddball beers that seems to defy rational description. It has been a personal favorite for years, and available at a number of local retailers, yet it's virtually unknown in the general beer community. Simply put, Scotch Silly (pronounced SEE-yee) is a Scotch ale brewed in Belgium.

People enjoy Scotch ales for different reasons. Some like the malty sweetness of the style. This tends to play into the stereotype of Scottish thriftiness, since Scotland is far north of the traditional hop-growing regions. By using fewer hops for bittering their beers, Scottish brewers saved on transport costs, and created more malty beers.

Others enjoy Scotch ales for the caramel flavor notes. This is generally a result of a long boiling time, when the brew kettle concentrates the sugar and the alcohol, and also gives it a slight smoky character.

Old Belgian brew

On the other hand, this is a beer made in Belgium, and we all know how quirky and individualistic Belgian beers can be. So how could a traditional style like a Scotch ale originate there?

Fact is, Belgians have been fascinated by English and Scotish ales for centuries. While they love their own odd beers, there have always been Belgian brewers who tried to emulate styles from across the English Channel.

The Silly brewery is in a small town in a farming area south of Brussels. Founded in 1850, the brewery is named after the town of Silly, which is named after the Sylle river. This used to be a major hop-growing area, so brewing came naturally.

The Silly brewery has become one of the top microbreweries in Belgium, and has been exporting for over 10 years. Scotch Silly is just one of the products of this brewery, but the only one available in our area. It's clearly a Scotch ale in style, but it's a big one. Dark ruby brown in color, it boasts 8 percent alcohol by volume, so it hasn't been available in Ohio until recently. The Belgian brewery uses only traditional English hops, but with a light touch.

Slightly spicy

The initial impression when drinking the beer is a great sweetness from the intensely boiled malt. Even the finish carries the malty Scotch ale character, with just the tiniest hint of a Belgian yeast at work. That almost imperceptible spicy note is what makes Scotch Silly such a delightful surprise to the first-time taster.

You'll notice not only the sweetness, but also a bit of fruitiness along with a rather interesting complexity of flavor. Surprisingly, the high alcohol content is hardly noticeable.

Serve Scotch Silly between 45 and 50 degrees. After a fine meal, this might become your favorite dessert beer.

Contact Ed Westemeier by e-mail at hopfen@malz.com.