Releasing a new Scotch Ale in New Zealand is a brave manoeuvre for two reasons. Firstly, it’s an incredibly niche style, and secondly, the very few core range editions (Renaissance’s Stonecutter first amongst them) are so good and so belligerently consistent, that anything of less than superb quality is not going to land well. So has 8-Wired’s Gallus got the stuff? Yes, yes it does.
Right from the stunning amber mahogany pour, this is a Scotch Ale with something to say. Toasted bread, ginger slice, demerara sugar and crystal malt all weave seamlessly together in the aroma, with just a tiny thread of smoke to add a savoury dimension. The palate, while rich and substantial, drinks drier than anticipated, and the moderately bitter, lengthy finish further focuses in on the subtle but critical savoury character. It’s almost akin to a beer that has developed with age, though this is presumably freshly brewed.
With significantly less smokey character than than the almighty Stonecutter, Gallus avoids a direct comparison, but if the two did find their way onto the same judging table then I would anticipate quite the battle…