Highland Imperial Gaelic

Formerly brewed at Highland Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Asheville, North Carolina USA

Date: 09/23/2006
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewfest, Asheville

opaque orange, thin creamy beige head, nice lace, big earthy hop aroma, creamy body, big hop flavor well balanced with some nice sweet carmel malt,
-------- /> Date: 10/01/2006
Mode: bottle

hazy dark red, the beige head is easily roused to produce lots of drippy lace, a touch of malt sweetness to go with the earthy hop aroma, a bit of alcohol initially coming through on the flavor along with the carmel sweetness, the rich carmel malt flavor only has a touch of the sweetness that normally occurs such rich carmel malt, lots of the earthy hop flavor but well balanced, a good strong ale with lots of hops balancing the rich carmel malt
-------- /> Date: 01/26/2007
Source: tasting

lots more of the caramel sweetness foming through and taking over, still enough earthy bitterness to provide some balance but it it becoming a sweet caramel story now

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

Bottle sampled on 10/23/06: Pours a slightly hazy copper with a nicely-lacing wispy white head. Big citrusy grapefruity hoppy aroma has a sweet toasty pale malty presence. Body starts with a nice rich caramel sweetness with lots of fresh citrusy bittering and flavor hops. Well-balanced toward a crisp, slightly-warming bittersweet finish.

Swingtop bottle probably from either ross or durhambeer. Pours mahogany with a thin tan head. Smells spicy and citrussy with lots of brown sugar present. Tastes floral and citrussy with some peaty hints, figs, raisins. Mouthfeel is a little on the thin side considering the warming alcohol presence. Finish yields some fruity qualities. Great beer that I hope they brew again.

Big thanks to Ross for this one. Pours turbid amber/deep copper with 1-finger khaki head and great lacing. Smells very hoppy in a wet sticky sense, with bready caramel malt, some fruit, and some spicy peppery hints. Tastes bready caramel malty, with big hops, and solid spicy peppery notes, plus some mango, tangerine, and perfumy hints. Very complex. This one tastes and smells very similar to the Impy Kashmir, but this one has more complexity and I just found it to be a tad better, although I consider both to be outstanding.

Poured a hazy brownish-orange color with a small off-white head. Caramel malty aroma with notes of alcohol and some hops. This was followed up by toasted bread and then earthy and sweaty notes. Malty flavros start this off and some hops come out on the finish.

This American Strong Ale pours a medium orange gold color from a 22oz bottle. Small sized white foamy head. Aroma is malty and sweet, touch of spice. A medium to full bodied American Strong Ale. Malts are caramel and sweet, cookie and bready. Hops are slightly piney and a touch spicy. Nice balance. Touch of smoke and peat, maybe some cinnamon. Interesting beer, Very smooth and warming throughout. This is one of those beers that just have to fall into that American Strong Ale category. There is nothing else to describe it. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

I guess after reading previous reviews of this, I was expecting a really hot, alcoholic brew, and that probably played into lowering my expectations. But this was pretty tasty - very tasty, in fact. Cloudy brown, with a nice white head. Really nice aroma of walnuts, vanilla, toffee. First sip is earthy and nutty, with hints of vanilla and a touch of oak. Slight winey character, too, but definately in the background. There is some alcohol heat, too, but it never overwhelms, even as the glass rises to room temperature. Is it worth the hype the brewery put into this? Maybe not, but I do think this would be a great fall seasonal.

Appearance: Pours a surprisingly hazy, dark mahogany-hued body with a thin, bubbly, off-white head. Smell: Toasty malts with a decent dose of sweetish, fragrant caramel with mellowed hop notes of dried citrus peels and a spicy herbaceousness. Taste: Pale malts, lightly toasty, with sweet tastes of aged caramel and toffee candy. Faint fruitiness. Though the bitterness has long since diminished, and is now mild at best, there’s still a fair share of hop flavor left to enjoy, including tastes of citrus, wood, and a few leafy herbal undertones. A few more final fruit hints on the semi-dry finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: After around 2 years and 4½ months after it’s official release on the day following the Bluegrass Beer Festival in Asheville, it’s still an enjoyable beer. However, it seems to be beyond its peak, so if you have a bottle left, I’d get around to it sooner rather than later.