Middle Ages Kilt Tilter

Brewed by Middle Ages Brewing
Style: Scotch Ale
Syracuse, New York USA

This beer is a Wee Heavy or as well like to call it in the US, a Scotch Ale by style, coming in at a warming 9% abv. Scottish and Scotch ales tend to be on the malty side, and Kilt Tilter is a strong, rich, delicious, malty beer, that has just a little something extra due to the use of Ringwood yeast. Kilt Tilter Scotch Ale pours to a beautiful, bright, deep chestnut to brown color with a thick and creamy white head, and a moderate amount of carbonation. The nose on this beer is wonderful with lots of good aromas of sweet malt and toffee paired with earthy/yeasty aroma. The palate is rich and full on the tongue with lots of good sweet malt, toffee, and butter scotch flavors. Kilt Tilter finishes with more of those delicious sweet malty flavors up front, then ends with just enough hop bitterness and warming alcohol, to take the sweet/cloying edge off this beer. Another impressive brew from a very impressive NY brewery. Kilt Tilter was once a draught only product, but I am happy to say, it is now available in 22 oz bomber bottles to take away from the brewery, and markets where Middle Ages beers are sold. Retailing for $4 a pint, and $4-$5 a 22 oz bottle, Kilt Tilter is a beer well worth seeking out. This beer makes a wonderful after dinner drink, and would work well with a number of sweet and rich deserts.

22oz Bomber. This is an awesome big beer. Full roasted flavor with a smooth creamy finish. Thick and black in color. Quite mellow for a beer of 9%. Very recommended.

Perfect dark colour. Weak head. Vanilla woody malt flavourfollowed by a moment of slight bitterness. Then a sweet adtertaste.

growler...Deep garnet pour with a medium creamy off white head. Nice lacing. Aroma of malt and chocolate. Roasted malt to start, some dark chocolate too. Very rich and yummy. End is nicely bitter, this is the type of ale that I really enjoy. Thanks to my Bro (DYC) for hooking me up with this growler.

Cask at Mahar’s. Malty sweet aroma + alcohol cordial kiss. Nice full brown with perfect beige head. Vanilla oak bean over malt super smoothness perfection. Sweet, slightly bitter, this is what I imagine to be the prototype of what other scotches are trying to achieve. The cask may have helped a lot but there’s nothing wrong with that, that’s how it ought to be done, as much as possible. One of the first beers I had that night, so yeah, I was in my right mind, enjoyed it quite thoroughly, and the place was making me feel good too, but I’ve had a number of good beers from these folks. Suspect the bottle would perhaps only near a 4 for me, but that remains to be seen, certainly the or a favorite scotch ale for me right now, regardless of bottle or cask, it’s certainl in a high league of beer and deserves its current top 10 percentile ranking in my opinion.

TAP NY sample. Big caramel nose, sweet and a bit smoky. Strong body, with lots of cinnamon, roastiness, smoke, and a light pleasant touch of finishing alcohol. Just a fine little touch of whiskey and vanilla as well, superb Scottish Ale and best-of-show for me.

Bottle from Dan (jah noth), now labeled simply "Kilt Tilter" and arriving in at 9.0% ABV! Deep red body, medium light tan head. A liquid garnet. Caramely aroma with berries and hints of cola, with notes of cherry and yeasty earthiness as well. Hits with bitter, dense toasty notes, opening up into caramels and sweet, candied berries and cherries. The alcohol kicks in and enhances delicate balance between bitter and sweet. Complex yet subtle; this beer isn’t about slamming one’s palate with ridiculous overhopping or sickly sweet, unfermented malts. If this was a blind tasting, I’d be just as likely to peg this as a Belgian Strong Ale than as a Scotch Ale. This is the perfect Christmas beer, and the perfect beer for winter in general, if you live in a place where snow drapes itself across the landscape and chestnuts were once roasted over the open fire, before the blight hit. But, wait, those are English chestnuts...nevermind. In any event, do yourself a favor and find this beer. Many thanks to Dan for this most surprising treat!

22 oz bottle - Deep burgundy and brown, lightly tanned creamy head. Complex nose of plum, caramel, smoke, and cinnamon toast, with lighter shots of chocolate coming through upon warming. I wish the aroma had a bit more oomph, but the flavor is where this beer shines. Lots of rich and malty qualities that included smoked caramel, chocolate, and cherry notes throughout. Light booze tones and a hint of bittering hops come in late to round this brew out very nicely. Medium to full bodied, moderate carbonation, malty, bittersweet finish. Great stuff and bit underrated in my opinion...