Highland Shining Rock Lager

Brewed by Highland Brewing Company
Style: Heller Bock
Asheville, North Carolina USA

Bottle, pours a hazy orange red with a big orange head. Aroma is nutty with strong notes of malt. Flavor is also nutty, reminds me of a CBC pale. Pretty good for a highland beer

Got this on draft at Mellow Mushroom and expected it to be a easy drinking lager. It turned out to be a heavy, almost brown ale with dark malt charachterstics and a hefty bite, call it a BOCK so i dont have to chew a beer down that i expect to be crisp and clean. Nothing "smooth" about this.

Bottle. Copper pour. Small white ring of foam around the glass. Aroma is nutty, malty with earthy hops, light cocoa, and caramel. taste is spicy and earthy hops, nutty malts, caramel, light toffee, and some light grainy flavors. Body is medium but chewy with a strong carbonation bubbliness to it. More spicy and earthy hops throughout the finish. Lots of nutty malts, toasted malts, caramel, toffee and whole grains. Some dark bread as well. Not bad.

12 oz. bottle on 6/14/08.

Aroma - Toasty grain, hay, caramel, floral, peppery spice.

Medium body and carbonation, and a surprisingly clean palate with the substantial malt contributions.

Flavor - Malty, burnt sugar flavors support a lengthy, spicy bitterness.

Medium body and effervescence, clean palate.

Actually, a refreshing and well crafted beer, and it kind of surprised me. Based on the name (probably an unwise assumption) I was expecting some type of genreic light lager. This has some character and appeal.

Tap. pours a dark amber, thin white head. Great lacing. Toasted malt aroma. Nice sweetness. Surprising appearance, wonderful aroma, but the flavor... Wow. Very full flavored. And it’s a lager! Rich nutty, caramel malt. Lots of earthy flavors, so toasty, and nutty. Finishes with a very soul quenching spice. Nice noble hop bitterness. The finish is not distant from the flavors of a Mr. Pibb. Kinda tasty. Very filling. Surprising and overall a great find. Cheers!

12 oz. Dark copper with a medium-sized, lasting head. Nice frosty lace everywhere. Earth-spicy grain, molasses, occasional corn, woody and toasted nut aroma. Flavors are similar, but have some caramel and more emphasis on the spiciness, wood and nuts. Even some dry cocoa in the finish, and occasional iron. Slightly larger-than-medium body is smooth and dry. Was kind of postponing the tasting/rating of this lager, but this is one damn fine bier. Beats the hell out of Dead Guy and is one of the best lagers I’ve ever had.

Appearance: Lovely! A nice, deep amber body with a well-formed, frothy, white head. Smell: Aroma of toasted, biscuity malts with an overlaying note of spice. Taste: Toasted caramel and biscuit crumbs with an everpresent spice character, a bit like cinnamon, and a medium sweetness. Dry nuttiness. Spicy hops, restrained bitterness. Finishes decidedly sweet though, with a taste of toast and honey. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-low carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel. Drinkability: Whaddya know, it’s pretty good! Having done zero research beforehand, I was wrongly assuming Highland was just cranking out some bland, basic lager. Shame on ME.

This Heller Bock pours a medium amber color from a 12oz bottle. Small sized white foamy head. The aroma is caramel and sweet, touch of floral hops. A medium bodied Heller Bock. The malts are caramel, fruity and sweet. The hops are floral and earthy. It seems a little hoppy for a heller. Good carbonation. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.