Cinnamon Cocoa Drafty Kilt Scotch Ale
Monday Night Brewing

My brother who lives in Atlanta gave me a 6 pack of beers from local breweries from Georgia. I always like trying beer from other small, regional craft breweries who's stuff doesn't get distributed where I live, so this was a very cool Christmas gift from my brother. Been storing this one in my beer refrigerator for the past 4 months. Until tonight Poured out of a 16 oz can into one of my tulip glasses, this beer pours a very dark brown color that is not interested in letting any light at all to speak of. Has a tan head that's about half an inch thick when poured that settles fiarly quickly to a very thick ring lining the inside of the glass along with a pretty solid film layer of surface foam. Good lacing here too. Some toasted, bready, caramel malt aromas along with cinnamon and cocoa are all very strongly present on the nose along with a hint of coffee. A very similar flavor profile of course, with toasted, bready malt with caramel sweetness and cinnamon spice followed by a string hint of chocolate that provides some additional sweetness that's all rounded out with moderate note of black coffee bitterness with just a touch of earthy hops. There's also some dark fruity notes, plum and dates come to mind for my palate. Really nice overall flavor profile here. Spot on for the Scotch Ale style of beer in one sense, and the coffee and cinnamon notes add something nicely unique. Has a crisp, slightly tingly, also smooth and even slightly creamy, medium bodied mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. Has a clean finish with a slightly sweet and spiced aftertaste. A very good beer all around here. Glad I got the chance to try this one.

Eric

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from 12 oz brown bottle into a clear oversized wine glass. No obvious freshness date. Received as a gift from generous bud Erinn.

A: Black with beige 1-finger foamy head with decent retention and a nice solid stripe of lacing around the top of the glass.

S: Delicious cinnamon and cocoa aromas with softer dark fruit and light roast

T: Strongly bitter cinnamon note up front that doesn't meld with the cocoa and dark maltiness and roast that well - has an artificial chemical bitterness to me. This blends weirdly with the mild sweetness of the caramel malts.

M: A little astringent to me with the bitterness with a tacky feel in a medium-full bodied beer.

O: I liked the regular Drafty Kilt quite a bit better but give MN credit for their creativity and risk taking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's a beautiful chocolatey-black color, though I didn't get much head on my pour. The aroma is faint, but pleasant. I'd smells and tastes great. Sweet and bitter and smooth. The body is dense and creamy, with gentle carbonation. This ale is like a nice dessert in a glass, with just the right level of sweetness.

 

 

This is a very interesting, yet satisfying Beer by Monday Night. I was a very big fan of their Drafty Kilt, so I was very interested to try it. Comes in a standard 12oz, pour with a short, quarter-inch head of foam. Mild, seltzery carbonation. You're hit right away with that recognizable Drafty Kilt smokiness, but this time with a very noticeable cinnamon essence. The flavor again has that Smokiness punching through , but you definitely get a bitterness from the cinnamon that the regular Drafty Kilt doesn't have. The cocoa nibs hit you upon swallowing , and accompanies the smoky Scotch ale taste well as it sits on your pallet. Overall a very good beer, however I think if I had to choose I would stick with the regular Drafty Kilt. Not taking anything away, however, it's definitely worth trying.