Highlander Heavy
Red Brick Station

 

Appearance - Pours a deep amber with clear burgundy edges and a persistent head. The lacing is solid.
Smell - Peat and caramel/toasty malts. Not very distinct, but a well balanced aroma.
Taste - Nice balance of peat, smoke and malts.
Mouthfeel - Very smooth, medium-bodied with a nice gradual, yet pleasingly dry/crisp finish.
Drinkability - Although not overly strong, I was happy with just the half pint it was served in.

We had this on tap at Max's in Baltimore.

Pours a nice clear amber with a thin white head. Smell and taste is all smoke. Not what I would expect from the style but pleasant nonetheless. Nicely clean mouthfeel. Very drinkable if you are in the mood for something smoky.

HV

I was pleasantly surprised that this was on the menu in place of the unfiltered wheat yesterday. Great amber color; nice subtle carbonation; all (sweet caramel) malt in the nose. Taste was scotch ale. Amazingly smooth, given the high ABV. I'm glad this one was a sample because I could have enjoyed a pint--and paid for it with twice the alcohol. Really a great beer.

Cask serving on 28 Jan 2007.

This beer was presented with a small, yet firm tan head which held in a ring for most of a glass. The body was a deep copper color with a rich burgundy shade.

The nose was a little weak but still enjoyable. A nice, toasty malt aroma throughout with hints of peat and strong hops.

A rich, malty flavor with hints of peat smoke start this ale with a very earthy flavor. A very notable hop flavor mixes with a very dry and earthy flavor. Overall, this could've used a little more heavy malt presence but it does a nice job with smokiness. The finish is quite long and holds the overall flavor profile nicely.

The mouthfeel is quite dry yet buttery at the same time. Unfortunately, it is a touch chalky after each sip.

Drinkability is good. The cask serving was likely to really help this beer. I would definitely get this again and it did a wonderful job of masking the acohol content. It accompanies food well even with its strong flavor profile.

Its foamy, yellowish-tan head slowly subsides atop its reddish-mahogany body. Brilliant ruby highlights can be seen when held to the light. It's an impressive looking beer in the imperial pint (which they serve it in), and it maintains a creamy collar but leaves little lacing about the glass (probably due to its strong alcohol content). The nose displays buttery diacetyl and caramelish malt laced with fruit (berries, sweet apples, pear), and accented by some background leafy, and mildly grassy hops. Its medium body and fine, moderate carbonation leave it just lightly crisp on the tongue before warming to become smooth and lightly creamy. The flavor reflects the aroma but with a bit more deeply caramelized, just on-the-edge-of-being-burnt maple syrup added. There's a subtle cusp of deeply kilned/almost roasty maltiness, and the fruitiness is accentuated as well; melding into the overall flavor nicely with the diacetyl lending a soft edge of buttery/nutty roundness. The alcohol is surprisingly well-hidden once it warms; and it finishes with a short lingering note of toffee-like, caramelish and buttery malt that fades to dryness with a dull note of bitterness. Really nice!!!