Four Peaks Kilt Lifter Scottish-Style Ale

Brewed by Four Peaks Brewing Company
Style: Scottish Ale
Tempe, Arizona USA

Thanks go to either Beerhandy or FlacoAlto who both sent packages that arrived on the same day. Very sweet aroma and no smokiness at all. Almosts mells like mango juice which I have to assume wasn’t intended. Dark amber color with a huge head that fades to nothing in short order. Very light with, finally, a touch of smokiness and a dash of caramel, but scant else and little intensity in the present flavors.

Light brown color with a thin head. Aroma is odd... it seemed like smoke, but more like smoke from a grass fire than a wood fire. The taste was very heavy on the malt and had the dry finish I expected. Slight alcohol burn on the end.

Doughy diacetyl aroma - almost Bohemian Pilsener. Good coloring. Not sweet at all. A definite spike in the bittering, doughy, peaty, quick crisp finish, although some tannic qualities linger on. Not ale-y enough, but well-balanced and very drinkable. Initally served ice-cold at a Phoenix, AZ resort, I expected it to get a little bit more caramel as it warmed, but it didn’t. This almost reminds me of an alt. Good, drinkable, but just mildly Scottish.

This beer sits a brilliantly clear, amber-ruby color in my glass. It is topped by a 1 finger thick frothy, tan colored head that is held up/ generated by a fairly strong level of carbonation. The aroma is malt dominated with notes of caramel, toasted bread, a hint of chocolate, perhaps a hint of peat smoke and just a dash of fruitiness. The beer tastes of a caramel sweetness that shows up from start to finish. There is also a nice level of fruitiness here, perhaps reminiscent of raisins, cherries, and even some hints of strawberry. The finish is dry, despite the malt sweetness, and has a hint of astringency that seems to be derived from the wisp of peat malt that was used in this beer.

There is also a nice level of hop bitterness in this beer that adds just enough bite in the finish to help balance the malt. I also think that some of the fruitiness found in this beer is from the flavor hops used. This is a nicely quaffable brew, and it has a fair amount of complexity for a beer of this strength.

uhm, super smooth, somewhat straightfoward amber. What makes it a scottish ale is a bit unclear to me. There is maybe a hint of smoky wood character. Other than that this is a Scot that’s been living too long in the desert. I’m taking major points off for style issues as opposed to drinkability, which is really not bad.

I did not sense any Scottish peat smokiness. Good round mouthfeel made me think of pears or melon, like a German dark wheat. Amber to brown, taste of malt with sweet finish.

Another good beer on the sampler platter. Nice amber color to it and had some good carbination. Sweet aroma and flavor to it. Will have to go back and have a full glass. Rerate: Detected a malty musty bar odor and sweet. Amber body and decent head. Not overly sweet and a maly back bone to the beer flavor. Clean and smooth on the palate. Also had this on cask in Tempe; Had a great aroma of a wooden barrel. Body was dark amber with off white head. A wooden alcohol flavor. Just glad the alcohol wasn’t overdominate. Smooth on the palate an enjoyable brew.

Clear amber color with thin head and no lacing. Stinky sour malt nose. Sour malt flavor with some alcohol warming. Not that great. Maybe the bottle was bad.