Half In The Bagpipe
Amherst Brewing

From a 16oz can, purchased at the brewery. Served in a nonic. Yes, it's the wrong glass, so bite me.

Pours a translucent dark caramel with virtually no head.

Smells like crème brulée and cigars.

The taste is warm roasted caramel malt, vanilla and tobacco, faint note of cacao, a little spicy, drying and smoky at the finish.

Feel is decidedly light bodied, well carbonated but watery.

Overall, a tasty but unsatisfyingly thin take on a scotch ale. Tastes great, less filling? I had it on tap as part of a flight at The Hangar and liked it much better, for what it's worth.

 

 

 

 

Pulled from cask into a pint glass at the brewpub.

Pours a clear garnet color with a one finger off-white head with decent retention and patchy lacing down the glass. Sweet malt and chocolate aromas. Up front flavor of sweet caramel followed by some spicy, peppery hops and finishing with malty sweetness. Nicely balanced, not too sweet. Lightly carbonated, light bodied, starts out silky but becomes slightly watered down in texture, not flavor. Good drinkabiltiy, the spicy hops help control the sweet malt backbone. Worth a try.

My second beer on a recent visit to the pub.
Arrives in 10 oz glass exhibiting a clear mahogany color with thin surface layer of beige colored head.
Aroma is malty with toffee and some light cocoa notes, no real hop presence on nose. Overall the nose is fairly mild but appealing.
First sip reveals a very fine spacious and soft carbonation. Flavor is sweet brown sugar and roasted malt with bits of cocoa again. Surprisingly very roasty here. Again hops are absent from the flavor. Minor alcohol warming towards the finish. A good beer that is malt lovers special.

on cask at ABC on 2/14/08

hazy reddish brown. some head that doesn't fade easily, but leaves pretty minimal lace.

nutmeg aroma and sweet smokiness.

taste is similar, with hint of diacetyl. mild bitterness throughout.

feel is slightly watery, with some faint roughness in the finish.

served a tad colder than i'd like, but as such, a decent beer.

A very nice offering. Fresh off the tap, nicely poured. Very nice nose- huge caramel malts, slight peat smoked emberish nose.

Very malty nose, chocolate finish, with a slightly chocolately aftertaste, followed by a little bitter.

Nice to see ABC taking a littel more concern for their beers, in the past they've been a bit "bunk", none of that today.

Had on tap at ABC. Once settled, it had a heavy, dark amber appearance. Its smell was great: sweet and malty. The taste was went way beyond the smell: it was incredibly sweet and wicked spicy for the season. Half in the Bag was also pretty smooth for my tastes with a very nice carbonation. Overall, this was an awesome, smooth scotch ale.

Purchased at the brewpub, and was presented in a cobalt blue glass 1/2 growler with a swing-top lid.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, a frothy 3/4" light tan head formed over the dark reddish amber hued brew. Excellent foamy lacing even though the head fades relatively quickly down to a thin layer of foam. Aroma is of caramel malts and a light essence of alcohol. Nicely balanced flavor, with no evidence of any alcohol on the tongue whatsoever. Scary. Mouthfeel is great, and so is the drinkability. Another nice one from ABC.