Dark in colour, sweet in taste (McEwans Champion No.1 Ale)

Member Name: Squeesfan

Product:	McEwans Champion No.1 Ale
Date:	04/07/09 (45 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Strong tastes, a great winter beer

Disadvantages: Perhaps too sweet for some. Very high ABV

While milling over the bottled beer range at Tesco's recently, I noticed a beer I had tried before - McEwan's No.1 Champion Ale.

Brewed by Caledonian Brewery, the people that have brought us such greats as XPA, Deuchers IPA, and the incredible Raspberry Fool, I thought I had to give this a go.

The first thing that strikes you is the strength; at 7.3% ABV this is a beer not to be taken lightly, excuse the pun. Once poured into a glass, the colour is dark with a medium, cream-coloured head. The aroma is slightly odd, hinting at caramel as well as subtle bursts of winter fruits such as grape and plum.

Once sipped, the sweet caramel flavour is evident, and with the firm malt manages to mask the high strength favourably, leaving a strong but not overwhelming alcohol taste. Toffee also comes through and accompnies the almost roased malt very well. The pint goes down so easily for me, and by the end I managed to detect a subtle hint of winter fruit which is apt for a winter beer.

Unlike certain winter beers, this does not have that sticky, almost stale aftertaste. Of course as such a strong beer, you can only have so many before it starts to kick in, so drink with caution! This beer won the tesco 1997 beer challenge, hence its name, one I believe is rather deserved.

FACTS:

ABV: 7.3
Bottle: 500ML

Summary: Mcewan's No.1 Champion is a great winter warmer that calls out your sweet tooth