Mountain Goat Hightail Ale - Mountain Goat Beer Pty Ltd

dgilks

Australia

4.35/5  rDev +24.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Copper colour with a small and short-lived off-white head. Clarity could be better. Visible effervescence. New packaging is quite attractive.

Nutty, toasty caramel aromas balanced out with floral hop aromas. Good balance and certainly not a malt bomb.

Biscuity malts, toffee, lots of fruity character. Good toast in the finish with a hint of mineral. Moderately strong bitterness balanced by good flavours as well as the malt. The key here is balance and that is done well. Moderately dry finish.

Medium body, maybe actually a bit high for style but still nice. Good carbonation but it is a little bit prickly.

A solid hoppy beer with balance being the key. The hop profile is refined and well matched by the malt. A beer that could be drunk all night long.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2009 12:44:41 | More by dgilks

adityashekhar

India

3.75/5  rDev +7.1%

06-16-2013 14:00:20 | More by adityashekhar

SmashPants

Australia

3.55/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: standard crown-top brown 330mL bottle, decent semi-macro label.

Appearance: pours a clear orange-copper colour with some limited fine carbonation steadily streaming. An off-white head pops up and drops to cling at the side of the glass, constantly reinforced by the steady carbonation. Looks decent.

Aroma: citric hops and sweet grains with some earth and nuts.

Taste: toffee and caramel with a bit of citric hops and those earthen characters. Nice, if a bit too sweet for me.

Aftertaste: the hop bitterness and malt linger through - still quite sessional.

Mouth feel: light in body and yet quite smooth - goes down quite easy. Moderate- to- high carbonation helps.

Overall: a good quality pale ale - I'm a fan. A good combination of malt, hop and earthen characters. Only problem is the AU$70+ a case price (2013). Found this one for 'bargain-of-the-month' style $10 a 6-pack - best value ever. Prob worth $55 - $60 a case, any more is a bit rich.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2013 12:15:26 | More by SmashPants

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

a deep amber/murky brownish pour with a finger of white head, nice head retention. smells of sweet caramel malt, honey.. almost like a barley wine in smell. the taste is slightly bitter up front, sweetness of all the malt overpowers this one.. slight citrus feel but mostly honey/caramel sweetness, a subtle nutty character as well. medium body, moderate carbonation.. creamy mouthfeel. a very nice unique tasting pale ale.mostly sweet but there is a hoppy bitterness that lingers in the aftertaste. wouldn't mind trying some of their other offerings.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2013 15:29:41 | More by facundoCNB

pin

Australia

3/5  rDev -14.3%

05-22-2013 03:58:18 | More by pin

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.75/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Seriously, how have I gone this long without reviewing this craft beer classic? 330ml amber bottle purchased from Dan Murphy's in Alexandria. But it could have been anywhere.

Pours a solid amber hue, probably at the lighter end of the spectrum, with a perfectly clear body, and a fizzling effervescent head which eventually slutters itself out, leaving just some fine foaming across part of the top of the glass. Lace forms in some patchy streaks and dots. Looks pretty decent.

Nose is mild but pleasant. Some faint toasty grain characters with an up-tilt of faint herbal hop notes. Some peppery tones, and a rounded sweetness: perhaps not quite the "toffee" they claim on the label, but there's a glassy smooth character to underline everything. Like I said, it's all pretty mild, but it's quite pleasant.

Taste is still clean and pleasant, with perhaps a little more direct flavour than the nose was giving off. Light roasted characters, and indeed perhaps a toffee-like sweetness, without the weight or cloying sugariness. Some cleansing herb-and-lemon bitterness provides a modicum of balance to the beer, leaving a pleasant crispness on the finish.

Feel is smooth but light, with structure enough to support the beer, but remaining rather refreshing.

It's a very drinkable beer, and at pretty sessionable strength too. It perhaps doesn't have the in-your-face belligerence of some other Aussie craft (even some of the other purported easy-drinking, sessionable-strength brews), but this is a stalwart example of brewing beer well. Very nice stuff.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 05:30:47 | More by lacqueredmouse

sneaks2210

New York

3.25/5  rDev -7.1%

11-17-2012 16:45:13 | More by sneaks2210

csmartin6

Illinois

2.75/5  rDev -21.4%

09-11-2012 19:53:21 | More by csmartin6

srandycarter

California

3.43/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Somewhat murky orange with good near white head, leaves fast, slick thin head remains and some sudsy cling.

S - Malt base, hops apparent. Some light fruitiness.

T - Big malt center, somewhat held balanced by hops.

M - Light to medium. Lots of stuff here, just not a lot of each and not enough balance for me. Middle palate not there. Malt there, but thins towards end and hops aren't aggressive.

D - Nice beer. Easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 02:33:39 | More by srandycarter

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

330ml bottle poured into pint glass 13/8/12

A clear reddish copper with a few bubbles feeding a thin film of beige head that's gone in a flash and leaves no lace

S herbal hops with some caramel, a little citrus and a slight nutty aspect. smells quite good, some iced tea as it warms

T some leafy hops I didn't smell with some rye bread and purple candy, well balanced and nice flavors for a 4.5%er, a slight metallic note harms nothing

M light bodied and well carbonated almost too the point of foam, strong aftertaste for a "light" beer

O this one was gone before I made it this far in the review so that says something. a nice pale with balanced flavors

Would work well for a Summer session as it has flavor, very easy too drink and wont leave you walking sideways. Cheers Mikey for dragging this one around the Earth for me.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2012 02:39:38 | More by wordemupg

metter98

New York

3.85/5  rDev +10%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is relatively clear dark amber in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a thin off white head that died down but consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface.
S: There are moderately strong aromas of citrusy hops in the nose (grapefruit seems to stand out in particular) along with some hints of wild grapes.
T: The taste has flavors of caramel malts and citrusy hops, the latter of which also contributes a very slight amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The taste of this beer is very well balanced between the malt and hops. It is also a lot more flavorful compared to other beers in the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2012 01:55:38 | More by metter98

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev +10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a clear dark amber in color with moderate to heavy amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a half finger tall light tan head that reduces to a thick film covering the entire surface of the beer with a thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Light to moderate aromas of citrus hops with some lighter notes of pine hops.

T: Moderate flavors of darker malts with some light caramel malt sweetness. There are strong flavors of citrus hops along with some lighter amounts of pine hops. Light amounts of lingering bitterness.

M: On the lighter side of medium bodied with moderate to heavy amounts of carbonation. Slightly thin.

O: Very enjoyable with the strong hop aromas and flavors but lighter bitterness. Pretty big for the style but the alcohol is well hidden. Not the easiest to drink because of the intensity of flavor but a very nice sipping beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 23:59:53 | More by dbrauneis

bluckbeyes

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev 0%

07-25-2012 00:25:32 | More by bluckbeyes

mungus

Australia

3.75/5  rDev +7.1%

07-18-2012 12:18:07 | More by mungus

mulder1010

Australia

1.95/5  rDev -44.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

330 ML bottle poured into a tulip
Note: This is the regular 4.5% version, not the export version to the US. Australian version.

A-- Pours a dark orange brown color. Good amount of orange hues to the beer. Nearly clear. Half finger of light brown head. Pretty much stuck around the film area once it settled down. Some mixed lacing with this. Couple of streaks and some spotty lacing. Nothing too fancy.

S-- Big toffee nose followed by some orange, grapefruit and some odd metallic smell. As warms up the metallic smell gets larger in the nose profile. Not real pleasing a smell really. Like the toffee nose though.
big improv
T-- Watery, burnt toffee with some orange and pine notes. Hop qualities are nice but not the wateriness of it.

M-- Thinness of this really hampers the nice toffee feel to this. Really thin and quite watery. Little bit of an orange/pine/ grapefruit finish that does linger but the front and mid of this just literally wrecks this. Have to suspect the Double Hightail version is more rounded in the body. Some nice notes but just too thin.

O-- Have found with Mountain Goat that their larger format bottles and "rare breed" are a big improvement over the base range. This has some nice notes to it but overall just dull and unremarkable.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2012 09:28:44 | More by mulder1010

Offa

California

2.88/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Deep red, small tan head steadily shrinks to thin ring & wisps.

Aroma is slightly dusty pine sap, burnt orange, hint of syrupy caramelized grapefruit, pine bark. For comparison, it’s a bit like the Napa Smith Amber ale but more pleasant.

Taste is caramelized orange and pine sap and bark up front with caramelized grapefruit, toasted barley in the finish. It has a good bitter-sweet balance up front then a stronger light spicy-burnt orange-woody bitterness in the finish. It’s pretty good, but all the elements are a bit thin and subdued, making it somewhat bland, while at the same time it is fairly heavy. It has a thick, full, heavy feel, not quite oily but almost, which is not good for a relatively bland beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 05:14:00 | More by Offa

Toffman

3.5/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a slightly cloudy (from poor pour no doubt!) dark amber. Fluffy head quick to dissipate into a light dusting on top.

Aroma has sweet malt notes with a touch of hop presence noted. A small amount of grassiness detected.

Taste is a nice balance of toffee and bitterness. Hits of a citrus fruit make up the majority of the hop presence. Bitterness is not hiding, and lasts past aftertaste. What I get as english yeast esters mix in with the taste of toffee/brown sugar from specialty malts.

Overall a decent beer with no spectacular defining qualities. The kind of beer that one could enjoy in quantity without feeling the need to be intellectual about it.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 08:07:47 | More by Toffman

bostonryan

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -14.3%

03-21-2012 05:20:08 | More by bostonryan

Murrhey

Montana

2.13/5  rDev -39.1%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Poured from a 750ml bottle into a pint glass. Reviewed live. Bought from BevMo because I've never reviewed an Aussie beer before. Reviews have me unexcited. Regardless I will review without purposely clouding my judgment.

A- Very thin khaki head. Vanishes nearly instantly. Caramel-ruby color with heavy carbonation. Some spotty lacing. Shame there isn't a bigger head.

S- Fruity and hoppy. Some citrus notes to go with what are floral hops. Some toffee and nutty smells as well. Not bad.

T- Metallic bitter flavor overwhelms everything. The malts taste overcooked and none of the love toffee smells comes out in the taste. Ick.

M- Thin, but very very smooth.

O- This beer has nice things about it. What they are I can't remember because the flavor is terrible.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 07:41:47 | More by Murrhey

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

On tap at a pub in Melbourne. From notes.

A - Poured dark ruby with one finger of white head. Opaque aside from the edges. Spotty lace and no retention.

S - Light caramel, nuts, some fruitiness.

T - Nuts, caramel, bread, lot's of malty notes and some subtle hops.

M - Good carbonation, medium to full body, sweet/nutty finish.

O/D - Not too bad. Lot's of malt complexity but nothing else really going on. Lacked the hop profile that the bottle provided.

Serving type: on-tap

02-26-2012 21:26:47 | More by tbeckett

dansmcd

Australia

3.83/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Hazy dark ruby amber, thin film of head with some brief lace rings.

S - Sweet malt mainly, red fruits (apple, grape), golden syrup, low hop profile.

T - Malt forward, cooked sweet apples, slightly yeasty, some light hop bitterness.

M - Moderate to high carbonation, thinnish body.

O - Good example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 14:12:28 | More by dansmcd

foles

Australia

4/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Very solid english style ale to be had here. Nice noble classy, elegant, fruity hop presence on the nose. Nice mild malt backbone with solid bitterness. juicy english hop presence on the palate. This is how I like my english beers - with some carbonation and spritey hops. Only criticism would be a slight metallic edge to the beer.

Very good session beer!

Serving type: on-tap

01-06-2012 12:17:05 | More by foles

EinWeizenbitte

California

3.5/5  rDev 0%

12-30-2011 03:35:43 | More by EinWeizenbitte

vandemonian

Maryland

3.28/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Mountain Goat Hightail Ale is a boring beer. The malt profile is bland and I didn't notice hops at all. Disappointing.

A: Amber brown colour with significant sediment. There was a head of large bubbles that faded to nothing pretty quickly. 3

S: Malty without strong hops. 3

T: Acidic malty flavour with some subtle notes of chocolate. There is also a dusty, almost muddy flavour there too in the aftertaste. I don't taste hops at all. Isn't this meant to be a pale ale or amber ale? 3.5.

M: Fizzy with small bubbles that really cling to the tongue. 3.5

O: 3

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2011 10:47:36 | More by vandemonian

DocDownUnder

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This may have been from the bottom of the keg, but it was a little metallic--more than the other times I've had it, but these are the only notes I took.

Deep honey body with a low head. The taste is very rich bread and sweet. The finishing bitterness has the lingering metallic taste previously mentioned.

Overall a good amber, but I will look forward to having it without the metallic taste.

Serving type: on-tap

12-04-2011 23:56:13 | More by DocDownUnder