Come Heavy Or Not At All
Hubbard's Cave Brewery

It's brown, but not the blackish brown of stouts and porters. Even lighter in color than a cola soda, it arrived in a pint glass, drawn from a tap. The head is modest, tan, thickly foamy and short-lived. The aroma is malty and brings hints of brown sugar. The mouthfeel is very smooth, impressive for carrying a ten percent ABV. No glass lacing, but there's no demerit there for this one.The malt and alcohol combined with something reminiscent of molasses are in excellent balance. Not a common style, this is a must try for those that like them. If you want to learn what the wee heavy Scottish ale is all about, this is a good place to start. A dose less than a full pint would be prudent.

Served from the can in a Lagunitas mason jar.

Pours a slightly murky umber topped by a finger of sandstone foam. The nose comprises toffee, candied orange peel, heather, light pine sap, and a touch of molasses. The taste sharpens the pine a bit, but the focus is on the malts here, with some honey, marble rye, cocoa powder, and that vague dark fruit character that tends to leave me reaching for a better descriptor (alas...). The body is a stolid medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a tick-leaning feel. Gotta love what I believe to be a Proclaimers reference on the label.

Aroma is scotch, malts and medium sweetness/hint of honey. The flavor is malts/slightly toasted, fruit, dark fruit/mild tobacco and a medium sweet/toffee/caramel finish.