Highland Gaelic Ale - Highland Brewing

aaronh

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer pours a hazy, orange copper color topped by a generous tan head. The head fades to a layer of film interspersed with pillows of foam. A sheeting lace is left on the glass. The aroma is strong roasted malt, with caramel and a touch of peat. A bit of fruit and fresh bread smells are also mixed in. Hops are not discernable. The taste is very appealing, with the strong raosted malt dominating, but with a decent smoked peat component. A hint of sweetness and carmelized sugar chimes in as well. A bit of bitterness lingers on the finish, but it is faint enough to make one wonder if it is hops or just bitterness from roasted malts. The aftertatse reveals a bit more of a pine note, verifying that there really is a low level hopping in this brew. The mouthfeel is rich and creamy, with mild carbonation accentuating the buttery feeling on the tongue. The drinkability is very good, and I wish I had more than one of these beers. It is an excellent brew that I will purchase again.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2003 16:13:15 | More by aaronh

johnrobe

Tennessee

3.83/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

This brew looks stunning in the glass...a clear deep reddish amber with a cream colored head that reduces to a cap. The smell is of caramel malt and a combination of fruity esters and citrusy hops....I can pick out some grapefruit, pineapple, maybe grapes. There's a nice hops bite to this one and it continues to be quite fruity in taste. Some candy-nougat sweet malt comes up for support but lacks some oomph, IMO, which contributes to a slightly thin mouthfeel. Still the taste is pretty good and this would make an excellent session pale/amber ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2003 22:14:23 | More by johnrobe

lewwjr

Virginia

4.8/5  rDev +25.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From my perspective, this is a nice combination of malt sweetness and hop balance that makes for a very refreshing brew. It pours a nice amber color with malt and hop overtones dominating the nose. My first thought was Pale Ale but after further review, it was definately an amber ale at heart. I like it. The nice smooth hop finish and sweet malts give you something to come back to.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2003 15:20:34 | More by lewwjr

oberon

North Carolina

3.73/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Nice mahogany color,decent,had a musty somewhat fruity smell.A well-crafted brew like better on tap,its a little more fruity.Has a light touch of hops to finish it out,with no real lingering aftertaste.Highland is a nice brewing company have been to Barleys taproom to try many of theres on tap.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2003 14:03:16 | More by oberon

JISurfer

South Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Another great beer form the South! These guys know thier stuff about brewing. It's ashame though, that I can hardly find it here in Va. It is abundant down in my home state of SC. It's golden and has a little head to it, but that goes away after a few minutes. But the head doesn't necessarily make the beer and this prooves it. They have a good line of quality beers, so give 'em a chance if you can.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2002 02:15:31 | More by JISurfer

inebrius

Michigan

4.05/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Slightly mired amber nether a thin grasping head. Nose is alternately big toasty malt and floral hop. Nicely balanced mild roast malt back to citric hop front. A mite fizzy, but good.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2002 08:17:16 | More by inebrius

Jon

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Highland's Gaelic Ale pours a deep amber color with a short-lived white head. Smell is of citric Cascade hops at first, accompanied by a lingering malt aroma. Taste is more on the malty side, but the balance the hops provide is appealing. Pretty smooth mouthfeel with a medium body. Easy drinking, it's not hard to quaff more than a few of these. A pretty solid amber ale all the way through.

Serving type: on-tap

11-02-2002 10:42:26 | More by Jon

aracauna

Georgia

3.48/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Beautiful, clear body somewhere in between deep amber and ruby. Off-white head is ok, but doesn't last long. Big malt in aroma backed up by citric hops. Flavor is nice toasty malt with the support of moderate hopping. Not a bad beer at all.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2002 00:38:19 | More by aracauna

tigerpaws

South Carolina

3.35/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A very average amber ale, not the best but worth drinking again. Nice malty taste, not much aroma and very good appearance. Its a good beer for the novice who drinks mass produced crap...............CHEERS

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2002 11:57:42 | More by tigerpaws

John

New York

4.45/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Don't let the amber ale style throw you off. This is quite a unique offering indeed. Malts impart the perfect level of sweetness and deep amber color. Full bodied and balanced exceptionally with Cascade and Willamette hops.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2002 10:08:11 | More by John