Chaos Mountain Squatch Ale
I picked up this bottle of Chaos Mountain’s Squatch Ale for two reasons. First, and primarily, it served as my first introduction to the Floyd, VA brewery. Secondly, I particularly enjoyed the quirky illustration on the label. It’s not often you see bigfoot donning a kilt while toting a keg through the trees.
At any rate, Squatch Ale is a 7.5 (25 IBU) Scotch ale that provides all of the required elements for the style, but not much more. Caramel, bready malt, a twinge of hop bitterness and hints of dark fruits mingle before disappearing into the lightly drying finish. The alcohol is hidden quite well and the beer is there and gone before you really know what happened.
Squatch Ale is a capable, if somewhat forgettable, brew. It’s not a bad beer, but it’s not quite on par with some of its contemporaries in the genre. That said, this easy-drinking, malty brew made for a solid introduction to the company and I look forward to checking out more of their products in the future.