Drafty Kilt Scotch Ale - Monday Night Brewing

tomgeorgia

Georgia

4.4/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap in Blue Ridge. Really an excellent choice from these guys, the new facility is turning out better beer than when they were contracting. Great balance, excellent smell. The best I have tried from them. Reminds me a bit of Gaelic Ale from Highland Brewing Company.

Serving type: on-tap

03-15-2013 22:37:03 | More by tomgeorgia

BeerDocT

Georgia

3.56/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance 3.5: Lovely, deep, dark brown color. Reminds me of burnt caramel. Smallish head, but that's to be expected in a beer from a growler. Very clear and translucent beer, no particulate matter at all.

Smell 3.75: Very nice bouquet of toasted grains and wood rosins. There is also a deep maltiness to this bouquet; however, there is little to no hint of any sugary scents. Very clean and inviting.

-Taste 3.75: Front is flat with little to no flavor. Middle is also a low-level taste; nothing jumps out. However there are some very nice notes of smoky grains and toasted malt. Finishes up with a big smoky malt punch, right in the center of the palate. This time the maltiness is almost brown sugar in taste. Finish is very clean and refreshing. Aftertaste is somewhat smoky but quickly dissipates.

-Mouthfeel 2.5: Carbonation/conditioning was way too low for this beer, IMHO. It was flat and could have used at least a British Bitter or Irish Stout level of CO2.

-Overall 3.5: A very good Scottish Ale. The smokiness and malt flavors and bouquets are well-balanced and make for a refreshing and satisfying session beer. However, the low CO2 detracted from the overall experience. I would like to try this one again, but maybe after it sat in the kegger for a few extra days.

Serving type: growler

03-03-2013 04:41:34 | More by BeerDocT

TastyMcBeerson

Georgia

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Johnnie McCracken's, Marietta, GA
A - Reddish brown with a ~1 finger head
S - I didn't really get a good smell of this; will need to do a follow-up.
T - Very drinkable in that this beer is not overpowering in either the hop or malt category, but well balanced; though it is more malty than hoppy (I think that's the characteristic of this style)
M - Slightly thinner mouthfeel than I expected, no unpleasant aftertaste, alchohol burn not perceivable. Brews on the maltier side tend to be slightly syrupy; that is not the case IMO.
O - Great brew I will order wherever it's available. The only negative thing I might add is that this brew doesn't seem aggressive in any sense. Not sure what it's trying to be.
I will have to try it again! Probably at a warmer temp., to bring out more complexity.

Serving type: on-tap

01-28-2013 04:49:13 | More by TastyMcBeerson

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this one during my buddy’s bachelor party! Tick all day, every day! Served from tap into a Samuel Adams sampler shaker. Poured a deep red brown with a one finger off-white head that subsided to a minimal amount slowly. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, dark chocolate, caramel, caramel hop, and bread. The flavor was of sweet malt, milk chocolate, wood, subtle smoke, nutty, and fruit. It had a light feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. If I am honest, everything for this brew’s style was pretty close to being spot on. It could have done quite nicely with a bit more complexity to carry it into a new realm, but it was fairly enjoyable for the most part with what it had going on. Not the best thing I had on the day of ticking, but definitely not the worst. I would try it again in the future.

Serving type: on-tap

09-13-2012 10:46:06 | More by thagr81us

firkinhophead

Georgia

4.1/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours chestnut brown with a reddish tint. Not much head.
Aroma of caramel, cold coffee, nuts.
Taste is full of nutty, roasty malts, toffee, smoke, earthy and herbal hops.
Medium bodied, somewhat under carbonated, nice full finish.
Terrific beer. Better than most from Scotland. Recommended.

Serving type: growler

05-24-2012 03:36:18 | More by firkinhophead

chinchill

South Carolina

3.84/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Growler fill from Moondog Growlers located in GA near the brewery. {lightly revised based on April 2013 trip to the brewery.}

Served in a snifter, this beer is a lovely ruby-brown color; crystal clear with fine highlights. Ample and durable tan hand (on tap).

The aroma is rather light and fruity compared to the full flavor. The latter features dark roasted malts and more spicy hops than I expected. The higher ABV is well-hidden; drinks like a 5.5% although the alcohol comes through in the nose after warming. Hints of smoke and roasted nuts. Brewery says the grain bill includes "cherrywood-smoked malt, chocolate malt, and roasted barley". Roasted grain, coffee, toffee and a trace of smoke in the aftertaste. No burnt flavors and almost no peat.

M: medium-full body; good carbonation; dry finish.

O: a very drinkable and rather dry Scotch Ale, "Americanized" with a healthy but well-proportioned dose of hops. Unique, perhaps due to the cherrywood-smoked malt.

Serving type: growler

05-21-2012 23:34:19 | More by chinchill

mscudder

Georgia

3.79/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Fresh growler from HopCity. Poured into a pint glass.

A - Roughly a finger of light tan head. Ruby brown hue that leaves some lacing.

S - A few subtle dark fruits but nothing prominent.

T - A malt dominated beer for sure. There are some notes of dark fruits and a bit of sweet caramel and barley. A good set of tastes that while underwhelming, puts together a nice experience.

M - Smooth, thin feel. The malts carry this one with little carbonation. Finishes with a pleasant bite.

O - Not a bad showing but nothing to getting overly excited about.

Serving type: growler

04-15-2012 02:21:18 | More by mscudder

GPHarris

Alabama

4.05/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

a - poured a one finger light tan head into a snifter that left a creamy, billowy head throughout. the body was a dark brown (bordering on black) with a red tint.
s - plums and other dark fruits with a hint of roast and smoke.
t - very malty with chocolate and dark fruit flavors.
m - very creamy and coating on the tongue.
o - really nice beer and a great sipper.

Serving type: growler

03-05-2012 17:10:25 | More by GPHarris

doopydoogle

Tennessee

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - black/brown witha good tan head that leaves some lacing.

S - fruity, malty, with a pleasant berry tone. yeast, bread, and caramel also come through

T - Malt forward with biscuity, bready tones. There's some fruitiness too with a bubblegum-like character that gives the brew a nice character. Toasted/roasted malts dominate the palate and provide a mellow flavor.

M - solid, with good carbonation and a decent coating

O - a quality brew. the profile is pleasant and highly sessionable

Serving type: growler

11-18-2011 22:37:15 | More by doopydoogle

dogchasecats

Georgia

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

What a great thing to do before the Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashanah. I stopped at the new beer store in Duluth, GA, The Best of Brews, and bought a growler to go of some Drafty Kilt Scotch Ale. So I will be slicing brisket for dinner for my wife, and enjoying a few hours of PTO.

This beer is very nice. I'm drinking it from a standard beer tumbler. I poured it down the middle to get a good head on the beer and it did pretty well. There is still a nice amount of carbonation left in the beer after the pour. Not too much lacing down the sides. The color is a very dark 'cola' shade. The taste has a strong malt taste that I like very much.

Sometimes I like a beer with a bite, like a good IPA. Today, I was more in the mood for a sweeter yeastier beer. This beer is very satisfying for that. This beer is very easy to like.

It's a shame that so many people start their beer drinking lives with the cheapest of the cheap beers like Keystone or PBR (which is having an odd renaissance with people whose taste buds have long since died along with their hearing.) They could have had a great beer like this one.

Serving type: growler

09-28-2011 18:51:19 | More by dogchasecats

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.05/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Slips from the growler a very dark ruby-hued body with a smallish, faintly beige-tinged head.

Smell: Sweetish aroma of dark brown sugar, caramel, toasty malts, and ripe plums, with a teensy sniff of well-applied smoke and an appeased roasty accent.

Taste: A deep, welcoming maltiness, from brown sugar to toasted malt to caramel, with a hint of darkened barley. Touch of dark fruitiness akin to a bit of fresh plum. Thin sliver of clean smokiness. Low earthiness and a subtle herbal hint to the hops, with a subdued bitterness, leaving it fairly sweet throughout, though not cloying. A further hint of fruit, some very faint alcoholic heat, and still a deep sweetness on the smooth finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium-light carbonation.

Overall: A quality scotch ale. It's got an inviting richness to it without being bloated and enough soothing alcohol without being boozy or putting me in a coma for the evening. Yes, it's fair to say I enjoyed it.

Serving type: growler

09-08-2011 16:09:08 | More by ChainGangGuy

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.08/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Comes out of the tap a barely transparent chocolate brown with a fine-bubbled light tan head. Rich, malty, chocolaty and spicy aroma invites a taste. Mouth-filling malty flavor has a spicy undertone and hints of chocolate and toffee. Strongly tingly texture leaves a persistent fizz behind.

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2011 02:49:41 | More by Cyberkedi