It’s been a beery month, indeed … we’ve been preparing for a cover story on the worldwide hops and barley shortage and how it’s affecting the local craft brewers (stay tuned). City Paper enjoyed a really nice sample of Coast Brewing Company’s new Red Legs Scotch Ale — a whole growler’s worth! Brewers/proprietors David Merritt and Jaime Tenny are starting to bottle more frequently, in addition to the kegging of their big-flavored Hop Art I.P.A. and specialty ales.
The Red Legs Scotch Ale is an astonishingly malty, slightly smoky take on the traditional Scottish style. The term “Scotch ale” is normally used specifically to identify a very strong, dark, malt-accented speciality from Scotland. Other Scottish styles include Light, Heavy, Export, and Strong. Coast’s version is perhaps slightly lighter in color (deep copper/brown), with a touch heather in the mix of ingredients. 
Well-conditioned, and clean-tasting, the Scotch Ale is
The ale is available on tap at EVO Pizzeria, Mellow Mushroom, Brixx Pizza, and Daily Dose. The next release for April will be a Honey Wheat Pale Ale, brewed with local honey. Cheers to all of that!
