Dragonmead Under The Kilt Wee Heavy - Dragonmead Microbrewery

tectactoe

Michigan

3.98/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Had both in a bottle and on tap at the Town Pump in Detroit, as well as Dragonmead Brewery in Warren. Pours a muddy, trudgy, swampy brown color with some red hints and tinges - opaque with a khaki-brown head that recedes to a ring around the glass fairly quickly. Aroma contains a nice abundance of malt; burnt caramel, cocoa powder, and a light smokiness. Some fruits are detectable, although somewhat muted and kind of hard to single-out or distinguish from one another. Maybe some types of rum-raisins and plums. The nose is very sweet, but has a nice smokey and charred character that works well to off-set and balance.

Taste is lovely, even more of the same greatness from the aroma. Nice fruity sweetness up front; raisins, sweet apples, juicy plums, backed well by the alcohol profile - warming, but never intruding. The smoky flavor comes out halfway through on a platter made of rustic caramel malts and a mellow, charred woodiness. More fruits come out as this one goes on, currants, blackberries, dates. The times I've had this from the bottle, the brew seems to be much sweeter than on tap, almost to the point of being tart and causing a pucker. Still tasty, but strange how bottle/tap can lead to pretty different flavor profiles in that aspect. Medium-thick body, silky and syrupy without being sticky against the tongue or teeth. Leaves a nice sweet aftertaste with dried fruits and charred wood.

Definitely a favorite of mine from Dragonmead. Much better on tap than from the bottle - although the bottle is still tasty, it's got a tartness that may be a little distracting. I get this beer every time I go downtown, and it goes down easy.

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2012 02:51:32 | More by tectactoe

NJB145

Michigan

4/5  rDev +3.6%

05-19-2013 01:16:02 | More by NJB145

Michigan

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%

05-18-2013 04:10:24 | More by Michigan

abroke

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +10.1%

05-07-2013 18:35:57 | More by abroke

Giggy

Michigan

4/5  rDev +3.6%

03-15-2013 21:45:03 | More by Giggy

JohnnieNepal

Michigan

4/5  rDev +3.6%

02-22-2013 23:55:16 | More by JohnnieNepal

CHickman

New York

4/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Aged bottle from late 2011: pours very, very dark brown with chestnut showing where light hits it and a creamy 1 finger tan head that faded and left decent lacing.

Smells sweet and malty, like toffee, caramel, toasted grains, syrup, brown sugar, faint herbs and light alcohol like bourbon or whiskey; pretty sweet nose overall that shows the ABV but still has a lot of sweet components working well together.

Tastes of sweet malt, brown sugar, toffee, caramel, toasted grains, dark fruit, raisin, yeast, coriander, cinnamon, tea leaf and alcohol like bourbon or whiskey; it has some heat, but the malty sweetness covers it up well with a variety of flavors that combine for a sugary grainy brew that almost tastes like mead.

Mouthfeel is very smooth and almost slick, with a watery feel but weight at the same time, basically no carbonation and a medium to heavy thick chewy body. Goes down easy considering it drinks like a sweet soup, and on a brutally freezing night this was a real nice winter warmer.

Nice brew in a style that is very traditional, and when done right like this beer is, very tasty and enjoyable. Thanks to my man Rick for bringing this back from Michigan for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 03:59:56 | More by CHickman

Alextricity

Michigan

4.4/5  rDev +14%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Bottled 11-28-12.

Appearance: Extremely dark brown. Short lived, super "fine" tan head. Minimal patchy lacing... looks pretty nice overall.

Smell: Well, well, well... malt, scotch, and dark fruits. Maybe some traces of chocolate as well. Definitely pleasing. I'd enjoy it more if my glass didn't have a weird smell...

Taste/feel: I haven't had many, but I absolutely love scotch ales. Dark fruits are very prominent on the front, and then there's a lot of malts, scotch, and a bit of warmth on the finish. Honestly, PERFECTLY balanced, since the beer is never too sweet or too bitter ... it's just fantastic. On top of that, the mouth feel leaves a very pleasant coating in the mouth, but it's never too thick/sticky/cloying. My guess is that this is supposed to be a sipper, but it tastes too damn good.

Under the Kilt isn't exactly cheap (I paid $3 for this bottle), but I can't say that it isn't worth that slight up-charge. A truly outstanding beer with an awesomely tasty blend of dark fruits, malts, hops, and scotch that keeps me coming for another sip. Now, one of my favorite beers.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 01:22:29 | More by Alextricity

andruke

Michigan

4/5  rDev +3.6%

01-19-2013 16:58:31 | More by andruke

BlissJunkie

Michigan

4/5  rDev +3.6%

01-14-2013 17:28:19 | More by BlissJunkie

Omensetter

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -9.3%

12-05-2012 05:00:16 | More by Omensetter

CGAR

Florida

5/5  rDev +29.5%

11-30-2012 00:48:12 | More by CGAR

KCM

3.25/5  rDev -15.8%

10-24-2012 02:37:57 | More by KCM

DMarlinJ

Michigan

4/5  rDev +3.6%

09-22-2012 21:44:45 | More by DMarlinJ

mzeld

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +16.6%

09-20-2012 03:43:40 | More by mzeld

Kerrie

Michigan

4.28/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tastes great; the problem is that the head is so overpowering (I've never seen anything like it) that it required 4-5 pours from the bottle into my normal-sized tulip glass because the head just overtook everything. Not good! I loved Final Absolution and was hoping this would be similar (and trust me, it certainly tastes good) but it just doesn't pour properly.

A: Great! I love dark beer and this certainly looks dark. However, if the head counts, this would probably get a negative rating. It's just too much and takes too long to settle.

S: Again, great. Nothing wrong there, even with the head.

T: Great, once the foamy head is down. It's very fruity, even though I wouldn't expect a dark beer to be fruity at all.

M: Not too thin, not too thick; great!

Overall, this just tastes good and fruity. If you're patient enough to wait for the head to go down, it's delicious. The problem is, when I want beer, I want it now! It just takes too long but it's good once you get it.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 03:21:11 | More by Kerrie

Christov

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -9.3%

08-28-2012 00:46:02 | More by Christov

Zaphog

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%

08-13-2012 01:11:48 | More by Zaphog

YCantWeNotBeSober

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -15.8%

08-03-2012 00:57:18 | More by YCantWeNotBeSober

GRE680

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%

07-21-2012 12:38:38 | More by GRE680

CuteZombieDoll

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- A very dark mahogany almost bordering on black, pours a nice head for being from a bottle, a little hazy and hard to see through, though I prefer my beer unfiltered personally.

S- Very sweet and molasses like, with a subtle fruitiness.

T- Molasses at first, then starts tasting like dates or dried figs. Very sweet with no hint of hops or bitterness. It hides it's alcohol content well, though the bottle lacks an ABV so maybe it's weaker than average.

M- Rich and full bodied.

O- Definitely true to it's style, it's very sweet and fruity. Though Skull Splitter is still my Wee Heavy of choice, this is still a solid beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 02:18:52 | More by CuteZombieDoll

amishbooze

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +16.6%

07-10-2012 23:35:37 | More by amishbooze

dmorgan310

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +16.6%

07-06-2012 18:39:29 | More by dmorgan310

akttr

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -9.3%

06-29-2012 04:02:29 | More by akttr

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a very dark brown color with a tan head, some lighter brown highlights. Some filmy pools on the top. Lots of junk in the bottom. Fairly mild nose is mainly chocolate with some light dried fruit. Taste is likewise. Strong, roasted malt, and chocolate. Breadiness and raisins. A touch of grain. Stronger, spicy caramel shows through in the after-taste. Feel is think and creamy, although the aftertaste is hort and doesn't really coat your mouth. This one's tasty, although not as good as some scotch ales I've head.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2012 02:26:30 | More by WoodBrew