Highland Heather Ale
Swashbuckler Brewing Company
- From:
- Swashbuckler Brewing Company
- Pennsylvania, United States
- Style:
- Gruit / Ancient Herbed Ale
- ABV:
- 7.5%
- Score:
- +7 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 2.12 | pDev: 37.74%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 2
- Status:
- Inactive
- Rated:
- Jan 24, 2014
- Added:
- Nov 14, 2013
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
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No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by pcsnyder from Pennsylvania
2.86/5 rDev +34.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.75
2.86/5 rDev +34.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.75
A: Not that great of an appearance -- it's a murky burnt-orange color and pours with a thin, white head. Retention and lacing are minimal.
S: The aroma is very interesting -- smoky peat stands out the most, followed closely by leather, with caramel, honey, floral, and fruity notes lurking in the background. As the beer warms, the aroma improves, so I tried to score it on an average, since my initial reaction was that it smelled nasty, but by the end of the glass, I found it much more pleasing.
T: The flavor profile is similarly smoky and leathery -- it tastes like whiskey would if you eliminated most of the alcohol, but there's more of a honey-sweetness to this brew. I went into tasting this thinking it wouldn't be THAT much different from a regular beer, so once I got over the differences and started to taste this without trying to compare it to other beers, it became much more enjoyable. I think the very strong earthiness would throw most people off; I like earthy, but this hits near the top of my earthy limit.
M: It has a pretty thin mouthfeel, so it seems more watery than I'd like.
O: I found that I only disliked this brew because of the expectations I had going in. Once I was able to get past that, I was able to appreciate the flavors much more. When I first tasted this one, I was ready to pour it down the sink and give it an F, but as I tried another sip and then another, it started to grow on me. By the time I finished the glass, I was thinking more like high C range, but I tempered the scores to reflect my initial reactions as well. If you're not into earthy/smoky flavors, or if you're looking for something akin to "real beer," this probably isn't up your alley. But, if you don't mind experimenting, you might find you enjoy this one.
Jan 24, 2014S: The aroma is very interesting -- smoky peat stands out the most, followed closely by leather, with caramel, honey, floral, and fruity notes lurking in the background. As the beer warms, the aroma improves, so I tried to score it on an average, since my initial reaction was that it smelled nasty, but by the end of the glass, I found it much more pleasing.
T: The flavor profile is similarly smoky and leathery -- it tastes like whiskey would if you eliminated most of the alcohol, but there's more of a honey-sweetness to this brew. I went into tasting this thinking it wouldn't be THAT much different from a regular beer, so once I got over the differences and started to taste this without trying to compare it to other beers, it became much more enjoyable. I think the very strong earthiness would throw most people off; I like earthy, but this hits near the top of my earthy limit.
M: It has a pretty thin mouthfeel, so it seems more watery than I'd like.
O: I found that I only disliked this brew because of the expectations I had going in. Once I was able to get past that, I was able to appreciate the flavors much more. When I first tasted this one, I was ready to pour it down the sink and give it an F, but as I tried another sip and then another, it started to grow on me. By the time I finished the glass, I was thinking more like high C range, but I tempered the scores to reflect my initial reactions as well. If you're not into earthy/smoky flavors, or if you're looking for something akin to "real beer," this probably isn't up your alley. But, if you don't mind experimenting, you might find you enjoy this one.
Reviewed by RblWthACoz from Pennsylvania
2.49/5 rDev +17.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.75
2.49/5 rDev +17.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.75
Not sure what's going on here. This is either poorly made or slightly infected. Nose is of leather and a mild varnish, or something. Flavor is way too earthy with a muddled heather tone to it that is nowhere near enough. Smooth feel, but a very poor drinker. Not too pleasant and it's going down the drain.
Nov 14, 2013
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