High Road Scotch Ale
Walking Man Brewing Co.

 

 

I picked up a bottle to go from Walking Man. Poured a deep brown color with a lasting shallow head that you would expect from such an ale. Fruity aromatics as expected. Notes of cherry, toasted almonds, toffee and easy on the hops. Well done Walking Man. Well done.

 

 

First had: on tap at their brewpub

High Road poured a dark reddish brown with a tiny ringlet of bubbles for a head. Aroma was fruity, with notes of almond and hazelnut. Taste started out a bit bland actually, but moved on to present caramel malts, smokey peat, and chewy cherry and raisin. Medium-bodied and pretty easily drinkable and smooth for a higher ABV brew.

64oz growler filled saturday

expected dark brown pour with a tan ring of head foam. toasted hazelnut aroma accented by a smoky, woody quality. medium-bodied overall, not too thick but certainly substantial. big brown sugar hits the palate immediately. sweetness does not linger, though.. raisin and date flavors emerge with warmth. some pie cherry too? very complex smoky toffee flavor shows up occasionally in the aftertaste. the beer finishes very clean with the faintest hint of bitterness. there is almost no sign of the 9% here, there are no rough edges on this brew. certainly one of the best big scotch ales i've had the pleasure to try. walking man rarely disappoints.

On tap at the Walking Man brewpub, menu listed 9.2%

Aroma: Very mild peat in the malty base.

Appearance: Very clear dark brown glass struggles to hold a thin collar that fails to lace.

Flavor: More of a coriander and malt toffee note than peat, but a bit of a boggy celery (not vegetal) aspect is deep in there.

Mouthfeel: Medium heavy body triggers a mild chew. Carbonation is so low that it’s almost flat.

Overall Impression: Notes that this is a GABF ’05 winner in the Strong Scotch Ale category. Given that, I think this one’s not retired just yet as the database currently lists. It’s an easy drinking Scotch ale, but pretty mild for my money.

A clean brown beer with some ruby highlights. Has a small beige head. There is a nutty sweet malt character up front in the aroma. With a smokey note in the middle and a hint of alcohol in the background. That nutty sweet note lands right on the middle of your tongue and some smokey notes in the background. Still some sweet malt notes on the finish with some alcohol heat.

From a growler straight from the brewery, thanks go to Skyhand for providing me with this chance to sample this brew.

Pours a deep and crystal clear mahogany in color, fairly light for the style. Poured with a thick and foamy off-white head that fizzled down to a crown after a few minutes, a thin head reformed with a quick swish of the glass however. Nose is quite rich and multi-leveled. Sort of a wine like dryness compounded with a multitude of fruit tones. Cherry prevails over all, along with a bit of scotch musk. Taste is very nice, smooth and silky. Reminds me a little of cream sherry, Scotch whisky, and cordial cherries. Notes of peat and smoke as an undercurrent. Mouthfeel is sticky, almost syrupy, quite unnatural for the style but somehow it works quite well. Alcohol is quite high for the style as well, but you'll get no complaints from me to that end. While chilled the alcohol was a bit cloying, but as the brew warmed that receded quite well.

This is very strong and brutish scotch ale, this one is the 7'0" highlander with claymore in hand, kilt to the wind, war cry bellowing across the moor kind of scotch ale. But under that there is a lot of complexity and intelligence here. Let's call that a metahpor, hm?

Very nice treat, well done. A little bit of a departure from the style maybe, but very good nontheless.

Slàinte!

Served in a tulip, it tastes like a lollipop. Seriously, this brackish Scotch ale is heavy, syrupy, and drinks like liquid candy. Of course, at 9.4% ABV, it ain’t kid’s stuff. The color is deep cranberry with a fruit-basket nose that hints of sugarplum and warm honey. The malts impart flavors of candied strawberry, cherry and dried fruits – a chalice of beatific malts with minimal bittering to hold it in check.

High Road has a clear but dense body with a heavy, sullen feel fed by virtually no CO2. There’s no head or lace to speak of, and while alcohol makes a slight showing in the nose, it hardly appears in the taste.

An all around fine Scotch ale though just across the river lurks a formidable rival in the form of Big Horse’s Macstallion.

Oh man. What an amazing beer. A weighty strong Scottish ale that gives no evidence of the high alcohol. Dark amber brown, approaching black with a hint of red. The head dwindles but is easily coaxed back with a swirl of the glass. Aroma of grass, malts, and an awesome rainy-day mustiness. Insanely big chewy malts, with a slight roastiness, and not particularly smoky or peaty. Some dunkel lager or schwarzbier characteristics alongside a twinge of butter and caramel. The hops are appropriately muted, but ample, and the sweet finish does not overstay its welcome. Ridiculously smooth, mindbogglingly complex, comfortably warming. Slow drinking but effortless to put down. As fine a beer as one could ever hope to drink.