I stopped in to Troegs Brewery today to pick up some growlers of Scratch 21- Artisan Ale. This scratch is supposedly very similar to the Naked Elf. Troegs was taking a run at making Mad Elf without the cherries, honey or chocolate malt [so not really Mad Elf]. The beer pours a very similar reddish-brown color as Mad Elf. It smells of a strong alcohol content, similar again to Mad Elf. The taste is very malty and sweet. It definitely is not as potent or as sweet as Mad Elf, but you can't really expect to get Mad Elf with the Scratch. In comparison, it is not as good as Mad Elf. However, as a standalone beer, it is excellent. The after taste maintains the sweet malt taste with a strong yeast flavor. The alcohol content is 7.8% ABV. I think Troegs could market this beer all year long and it would sell very well.As a side note, Troegs released Scratch 22 today when I was there. I was going to get a growler of it, but I decided to make a return trip in the near future. However, I did not pass on the opportunity to sample it. Scratch 22 is a pilsner, and at first I was not impressed. However, after sampling the beer, the after taste of coriander would not leave my mouth and I wanted another glass of it. I definitely plan on going back for a growler and a full review. Make sure to make a trip down to Troegs to check it the newest Scratch beer.
