Four Peaks Kilt Lifter Scottish-Style Ale

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

An average beer... can’t be drunk super quick. Satisfying ... heavy. Not very bitter semi dry... enjoyable with earthy grain flavors.

12oz bottle, no date from Sparky27--thanks Eric! Clear orange with a small beige head that faded to a tiny tiny fizzy ring, and didn’t get any bigger with agitation. Aroma has some faint caramel, brown sugar and. . . sour red grapes, cinnamon and ginger spice? Double you tee eff? Flavor has an off fruit sourness that lasts throughout and light rancid malt flavors. Semi-dry finish with earthy bitterness peaking around a 2-3. Minimal carbonation with a light to medium body. Bad bottle--probably needs a rerate.

I used to go to school in Arizona and I became hooked. I now crave it and wish there is some way that I could get some sent to me in Illinois. But alas.....I cannot *tear*

On tap at Tempe brewpub. Strong in alcohol and flavor. Nice smokey, creamy caramel flavour and amber colour.

(bottle, from Sparky27, thanks Eric!) Pours clear red with a small white head. The aroma is nice, with vanilla, caramel, a touch of smoke, toasty malt, and candied nuts. Taste is primarily sweet caramel, light cherry, and smoke, that abruptly finishes with a bitterness and light bready note which becomes increasingly dry. There’s a really good contrast between the initial sweetness and drier finish. The mouthfeel is medium. This is surprisingly good, and is grossly underrated. Sure, it’s not a bombardment of flavor, but everything you’d like in a Scottish ale is here.

A- Clear brown amber hue, white creamy head with moderate lacing S- Subtle bread malts, grains, pale malts, some roast and smoke T- Biscuit and bread malts, hints of toffee, toast, smoke, and woody flavors, hints of sweetness throughout, finishes crisp and bitter M- Medium-bodied, watery texture, moderate carbonation D- Super scottish ale with big malt profile that is well-balanced and one of the most drinkable I’ve ever had, I probably drank this more than any other craft beer while I lived in Arizona, so I am a bit biased.

Tap @ Patsy Grimaldi’s. Served a little cold, so the rating probably suffered a bit. Poured hazy orange-gold with a short white head. Minimal lacing. Caramel and butterscotch nose with some earth. More cake batter than peat in this one. Solid, firm motuhfeel, some stickiness, long finish. Nice, sweet maltiness that lingers. Again, caramel and butterscotch dominate, with no real hop presence. Kind of like drinking a snickerdoodle cookie.

On tap at Majerles in Phoenix. Poured dark amber with a generous white head that left a very strong and full film and nice lacing. Sweet malt aromas included biscuits, some smokiness and a hint of vanilla. Solid malt flavors as well, with caramel and oak also featured. Medium body, medium carbonation, and an aftertaste flush with malt sweetness.