Pike Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale

12-oz. Pours a deep, dirty-penny coppery amber. Not much head, just a touch of lace at the collar. Big sweet and sour malty nose--not Flemish sour, just a nicely nuanced malt mix. Big sugary malt buckwheat flavor on the attack and through the mid-palate; lots of sweet simple pleasures to be had there. Medium body, light carb. A bit of hop for balance toward the end; what’s there is herbal. Light finish, some very faint hop held to the wall of your throat by sticky sugar. Good stuff, if not quite enough to make me stand up and play Amazing Grace on the pipes right this minute.
The Lagavulin-aged version is scarcely worth adding as a separate entity. Had it on draft today, 7-22-07, at Brouwer’s. Kill all the malt and hop flavors and aromas, soften the carb by half, and replace all the other flavors with a non-descript note of vanilla at the end. Meh.

Bottle. Pours clear dark reddish-brown with a minimal head. Aroma is caramel malts, with a bit of smokiness. Flavor is similar, with some light hoppiness. Medium bodied, and with medium carbonation. A respectable middle-of-the-road scotch ale.

Bottle: Special Thanks to skoisirius for the trade. Pours a clear maroon with minimal head that fades rather fast. Aroma is of malts, caramel, maple syrup and a bit of liquid smoke. Taste consists of nice maltiness with a nice caramel backing. Including a rather light carbonation with a light fruitiness. Palate is slightly bitter and quite carbonated. Overall, Decent scotch ale, nice rounded flavors and enjoyable palate.

(12oz bottle) Hazy chestnut body topped by a medium beige head that dissipates fairly quickly. Aroma is moderately sweet, caramel, some peat, molasses. Taste is moderately sweet, caramel, smokey peat, earthy, light peach. Medium body with light stickiness.

Bottled. Pours a coppery amber with a dimishing lacy head. Aroma is malt, fruit and sort of ’earthy’ hops. Smooth and creamy medium/full body with light carbonation. Taste starts smokey-sweet, nutty malt with a dry, piney hop finish that lingers a bit. Well rounded.

Pours a nice color of amber with a few hints of darker brown, average sized head disapears quickly. Taste is malty, also with some fruit, roastiness, and light hops balance things out. Has a thicker feel than I expected. Quite good overall.

Draught Hazy orange-brown, some lace coming from no visible head. Diacetyl nose, butterscotch, sweet. Ugh. Diacetyl to the point of undrinkable, butyric acid and acidity, the promised smokiness is available, but drowns in the (rancid) butterscotch. Lots of malt in the background. Slightly burning MF, acidity. Not acceptable.

Hazy golden amber body with a frothy white head. Lots of malt in the aroma and flavor. Some peat and caramel. Lively carbonation and medium bodied. Just average.