Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale - Moylan's Brewery

Nerudamann

Oregon

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

Poured from a bottle into a snifter glass.

Look - medium to dark brown, a little murky, with about half a finger's worth of light khaki-colored foam that dissipates somewhat quickly.

Smell - very malty, sweet, somewhat biscuity in aroma. Maybe a little bit of an herbalness to it.

Taste and Mouthfeel - very malty in taste too, maybe biscuity. There's a slight hinted of a roasted or burnt quality, but it's very subtle. Slight bitterness that actually tinges the upper back palate as opposed to the sides of the tongue. Texture is a little more toward the watery side.

Overall - pretty interesting brew in general, with a fairly unique tasting range.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2011 03:49:33 | More by Nerudamann

seand

California

3.6/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a deep reddish brown with a smal amount of off white head. Just a thing patchy layer retains on the surface, but a larger rim around the edge of the glass is enough to leave reasonable lacing.

S: There's a dairy note which was unexpected enough that it initially made me think of slightly turned milk. That was really just a snap reaction, as it's more like somewhere between chocolate milk and plain yogurt. A bit weird, for sure, but after the initial shock it's not unpleasant. There's also a slightly boozy bready malt note. The turned milk sensation comes back right at the start when I take a whiff occasionally, so I have to mark it down for that, but it's not so much below average as good, with an off-putting addition.

T: Sweet, with a touch of that dairy note coming through in the mid palate and mouthfeel. I'm not really getting much that resembles scotch.

M: Medium to full body, medium carbonation.

Not what I expected. It's strange, and not in a terrible way, so I'd recommend trying it just for that, but it's not something on the top of my list to have again and again.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2011 05:01:37 | More by seand

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at 21st Amendment, in San Francisco.

Although the beer is perfectly transparent, good luck seeing through to the other side; its clay-red body has a deep, ruddy complexion that curiously gives off very little highlighting except for a light amber kindling at its base. Its head is thin as moss on a rock and, although it does endure, it looks fine enough to be skimmed off the top simply by blowing at it.

It smells almost as if the malts retained some of the copper from the big kettle in which they were brewed; there are hints of butterscotch, but the beer's sweetness is better described, not quite as caramelization, but "kettle-lization" - the melding of toffee and copper. There's also a bit of campfire smoke remnant of (but clearly not) something Speyside.

Indeed, Kilt Lifter affords a taste, albeit a purely superficial one, of Scotland. Oat-y, almost granola-like, grainy malt have plenty of peat flavour to them as well as plenty of dark fruit (plum, raisin) esters that fit nicely into the backdrop. While it has scotch-like features, it also a Madeira-like sweetness. A bit of earthy hoppiness also perks up time to time. Nice.

It must be said, however, that there are much nicer scotch ales on the market. It's the mouthfeel that sparks me to say that; it's not rich and the alcohol grows to a point where the gratification gained no longer outweighs the warming that accompanies it. It doesn't balance sweetness rather conspires with it. Peat flavours dissipate quickly and there's no smoke.

Kilt Lifter is a perfectly serviceable scotch ale, but one that is more likely to impress those new to the style than more familiar palates. It was probably among the first wee heavy beers I tried, some five plus years ago, and comparing the scores, my impression of it then was certainly much higher than it is now. But, as then, I certainly did enjoy it.

Serving type: on-tap

07-09-2011 18:05:47 | More by biegaman

gfreed

Massachusetts

2.2/5  rDev -40.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Y-a-w-n... "thin" and "light" are the two adjectives that best describe this beer. In my book, a good scotch ale will waft forth with malt, teak, a little sting and, frankly, a nice fistful of peas. This has... nothing. Very little aroma beyond yeast; very little taste beyond more yeast. Gets slightly richer as it warms, but also gets w-a-a-a-y too boozy. Pass. For a good American scotch ale, visit Founders.

Serving type: on-tap

07-09-2011 02:09:27 | More by gfreed

theghost3

Louisiana

3.88/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a translucent dark brown with a slight beige head. I expected the head to be a little fuller, but the keg may have been kept at a temperature that was too low. Minimal lacing.

The smell is wood and grain with a hint of spice, rather subtle. Flavor is wood with toasted nuts and sweet caramel malt and a touch of tobacco. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, balanced with a dry finish.

This a pretty good brew. It's not as in-your-face as many in the Wee Heavy category. The wood and sweet caramel cover up a lot of the alcohol, so you've got to keep in mind the ABV. Goes well with grilled mushrooms or ham.

Serving type: on-tap

07-03-2011 19:26:26 | More by theghost3

MadeInOregon

California

3.88/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

THE APPEARANCE was above average but not by much. This one is a very light reddish-brown with a surprisingly small amount of khaki-colored malty head. Honestly, it looked a cold glass of iced tea...minus the ice. There was minimal lacing present.

THE SMELL is sure to turn many away. If it weren't for the fact that I'd never smelled a beer like this and found it interesting, I would say the aroma is not very appetizing. There are some faint hop and raisin smells but the strongest thing that comes through is tobacco followed by caramel and chocolate. It is very sweet and interesting, though if you have an aversion to tobacco you will find it repulsive.

THE TASTE is an odd tobacco & chocolate flavor. It is very nutty as well (think almonds). Really, this tastes like a dry stout + a brown ale. I really don't like the tobacco flavor--which is dominant--but it's unique. There is also a slight hoppyness to it plus an odd funkiness which tells me peat has been used, and reveals the fact that this is Scottish ale not a wee heavy (so I theorize, anyway).

THE FEEL is quite full for a beer with this unassuming of an appearance. It is creamy, yet dry too. The alcohol is felt, but not tasted.

MY CONCLUSION: I think this was only my second sampling from Moylan's. I'll need to try more before making any conclusions about them, but I will say that despite their Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale tasting more like a standard Scottish ale (which I'm not a fan of) that had been intensely amped up than a wee heavy, I still enjoyed it. The other criticism of this beer that I have is that it is MUCH better when warm than cold. The label recommends letting it warm before drinking, which can sound like beer snobbery to some, but in this case it should be taken as a warning that the beer won't taste very good otherwise. While I agree that most beer tastes better at around 50+ I consider it a major weakness if one tastes this bad when cold.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2011 03:12:48 | More by MadeInOregon

SHODriver

California

4.1/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: pours a deep amber red hue with a small off white head.
S: Very sweet with notes of caramel, toffee, and what seems like some wisps of vanilla.
T: sweet and smoky with some toasty malt flavor. a bit of caramel flavor. almost nonexistent aftertaste with a touch of smoke and caramel sweetness. Alcohol becomes noticeable as the beer warms
M: Smooth on the palate with adequate carbonation. Full bodied and leaning toward syrupy but never crossing the threshold
O: A well done scotch ale and it shouldn't be a problem to finish the bomber myself.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2011 02:35:30 | More by SHODriver

ArrogantDeadGuy

Virginia

3.98/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Deep orange, almost brown pour with a sturdy frothy head. Deep sweet aromas with slight hints of hop presence. The hint of hops on the nose rushes to the front of the flavor profile. A mouth watering first gulp that finished sweet with only a slight hop finish. THe hops really concentrate on the sides of the tongue and back of the pallet leaving a pretty clean finish. There is a noticable alcohol presence as the drinking conintues, with a warming of the throat and chest. The body of the brew is on the thin side, not leaving a lot of texture. Still cannot detect the actual hop presence in the flavor through the nose. The flavor does not really resonate with me and ends up being relatively bland once the initial hop bittnerness goes away. I am not a fan of the mouthfeel, a bit thinish.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 21:41:15 | More by ArrogantDeadGuy

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This brew poured out as a nice clear dark amber color. With a slight tan head on it that stuck around for a while. The smell was earthy, not a lot of hops in this brew or anything, not that there should be for this style. The taste was smooth and with some good malt in the body of the beer. The mouthfe was on the heavier side but not thick. Overall its pretty good and totally worth another round.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2011 02:00:34 | More by Knapp85

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A gorgeous looking tan head that reached a height of around three inches came across the top and cascaded throughout the glass. This settled after a couple minutes and left behind an very nice pillow of tan foam that lasted well into the night. Great side glass lace as well, really quite the thick looking liquid here for sure.

The aroma was very sweet, with a big malt nose. Lots of earthy smells, grain, some raisin maybe and a touch of spice. Nice bit of caramel as well, with a woody sort of alcohol mixed in. This all translated over to the flavor, which also was very full and really just a very nice example of the style. Loads of sweetness in it, with candied sugar and caramel laced earthy malts making the big splash here. Very big body on this one as well, with really a tremendously smooth feeling to it. Nice carbonation that never really quit, and a long lasting sweet finish that was not overly dry but really left you looking for another sip. The alcohol was up there but was very well hidden, making this very drinkable, considering how strong it was.

Overall, I thought this was really an excellent beer, and one of the better I have had in the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2011 02:53:42 | More by mikesgroove

raszputini

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From the bomber to the pint glass. Pours a cloudy dark copper with a creamish head. Smell is slight with toffee notes and malts. Taste is mild with malts (munich?) and toffee/caramel. Hops are understated and sweet. A nice solid Scottish Ale with the elevated ABV buried well.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2011 01:49:34 | More by raszputini

dalri

California

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

Smells super sweet like a burnt marshmallow, or sort of butterscotchy. I was expecting that kind of caramelized flavor, but it was overwhelmingly flavored with peaty malts - which I liked, but wasn't expecting to quite this extent. Very mineral, almost dirt flavor with the malts - couldn't really taste any hoppy flavors in it.

It felt maybe a little syrupy in my mouth as it got warmer, but that could have been just a salivary response to the harsh, almost astringent peat, I dunno.

Drink this expecting the aftertaste of a nice scotch, but I really couldn't imagine drinking more than a couple in a session as it gets to be a bit much over time. All the same, a very impressive beer if peat is what you want to taste.

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2011 05:02:00 | More by dalri

ChugginOil

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Kilt Lifter

This one pours murky brown and settles a hazy honey brown that is almost opaque. There's 2 fingers of cream colored head that dissipates rather quickly, leaving spotted lacing throughout.

The nose offers sweet bready malt with toffee. The sweet malt dominates here.

The taste is similar to toffee or caramel up front, surrounded by the biscuit/ bready sweetness offered by the malt overload. Barely any hop presence. Malt bomb status.

The mouthfeel is very smooth. A silky cream sits on my palate before engulfing the tasty liquid. A light amount of carbonation plays out well towards the back end of each sio. The 8% ABV is very well hidden underneath the sweetness.

Overall, pretty tasty scotch ale that sits right and is very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2011 23:49:55 | More by ChugginOil

theboozecruise

Louisiana

3.93/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served on tap at the Londoner in Baton Rouge.

The beer came out in a pint glass... not much head but that's to be expected from a bar pour. It's a reddish brown color, not bad.

The aroma is malty with hints of dark fruit and vanilla, very nice.

The taste is about as expected... very malty with caramel and coffee notes to it, not a lot of 'scotch' flavor but still a damn fine beer and one I'd order again.

Overall this is probably my favorite beer on tap at this bar, so I'd definitely have more of it... I'd like to try it again in the bottle as well.

Serving type: on-tap

04-08-2011 19:57:48 | More by theboozecruise

righthereisay

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Ordered on draft at Mad Mex in Pittsburgh.

Came in a nice glass, very nice looking. Nice and creamy head.

The smell was one of the best. I ranked it 5.0. For smell, this was great. Can't pinpoint the smell, but maybe fruit and pine. Nice and sharp.

I really couldn't recognize the high alcohol content. The first thing I thought was it was a cross between a cider and a beer. Nutty, fruity, toffee, nice body, not bitter. I was pleasantly surprised.

Drinkability...you could drink these all night. But since it is 8%, most would pass out about an hour into the night.

Serving type: on-tap

04-01-2011 23:03:10 | More by righthereisay

climax

Missouri

3.55/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This one pours a glowing mahogany brown with a modest head. Retention was dismal, except for a ring and some bubbly patches.

The aroma was rather mild for a scotch, yet very smooth. Toasty caramel, brown sugar, some pear, and overripe banana come to mind right away.

The flavor boasts the same smoothness. It is somewhat tame when it comes to the style, but all of the flavors work together well. Some black cherry flavors, a bit like cough medicine, emerge through a mostly malt army. The finish has a slight earthy grassy twang before ending up pretty clean.

The body is around medium with good crisp carbonation. The feel almost has a gritty quality to it before seemingly becoming chewy.

I expected more spunk from this brew. Everything about it was good but not memorable. Makes for a good drinker though. The ABV is hidden quite well for such modest flavor. There's no bagpipe serenade as kilts go a'flyin, but I'm fairly content.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2011 00:42:17 | More by climax

haddon

Kentucky

2.95/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a nonic glass and released lots of effervescent bubbles. Fizz all over the place. Translucent copper color with
little to no head even with hard pour.

Sweet smells that remind me of sticking my nose in the middle of a butterscotch sundae. All sweet malts on this one. Pretty one dimentional. Hope I am wrong but so far thinking this may be a little light and watery.

Tastes like it smells... Very sweet that dominates with butterscotch. Sherry wine, sour with a bit of hops on the back end. Flat and watery aftertaste.

Light body with not much carbonation. Too flat and lacks body.

For a scotch ale coming in at 8% abv, this beer tastes a bit light. Nothing about it would ever make me come back for more.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2011 02:30:37 | More by haddon

BretSikkink

Mexico

3.58/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Lighter orange 'round the edges with a darker brown color in the body. Head is tanned and fairly thick; great lacing. Nose is a bit of a shock: vinous and grapelike, with notes of earthiness, vanillin, peat, and brown sugar.

Toffee up front, with caramel and brown sugar notes on the malt end. Finishes with dark fruit and white grapes. Odd notes of grape are prevalent throughout; oxidization? This beer could lift the kilt of a Scottish Ale drinker, but it lacks the smoke and overall potency of the true Scotch ale.

Not a bad beer, just a little surprisingly given the style guidelines. If you like the style, check this one out. Not as bold as the label would have you believe.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2011 04:15:36 | More by BretSikkink

gnemesis

Michigan

3.93/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bottle into snifter on 11/23/2010.
Pours dark brown with small, creamy, off-white head. Smells of honey, roasted malts, toasty, dark fruit (fig), slight earthy hops. Perhaps a bit of smoked malt as well. I get the same from the taste in addition to some bread character and some caramel. Definitely malt forward but I can detect a small amount of hoppiness. Medium body, medium carbonation, and a slightly dry finish. This was a tasty scotch ale. Winter is about to set in here in Michigan and this warms the soul at 8%.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2011 01:37:25 | More by gnemesis

StarshipPoopers

Ontario (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Very transparent amber with a nice and frothy head. The retention on the head is quite good, takes several minutes for it to die down and it leaves a generous ring around the edge. After pouring the remainder of the bottle into my glass it went opaque, interesting. Must have a lot of sediment at the bottom.

S - Sweet and bready smelling malts, with floral hops contrasting it nicely.

T - Simple but solid. Definite hops as one would expect from Moylans. I've been holding onto this bottle for a while, I imagine the hops would be much more pronounced had this been a few months fresher. Definitely leans toward the malt but the hops balance it nicely.

M/D - Very smooth and creamy mouthfeel, medium body. Very drinkable as well.

Would love to pick a newer bottle of this up and see the difference.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2011 03:39:03 | More by StarshipPoopers

renolayton

California

4.3/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I don't drink a whole lot of Scotch Ales, but I was pleased with this guy.

Simple, but good taste and smell. Great appearance and mouthfeel.

It was an incredibly smooth brew, which made it exceptionally drinkable.

Overall, a very tasty Scotch Ale worthy of the 50,000 award seals they splattered all over their label.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2011 06:20:21 | More by renolayton

cdizinno

South Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: Poured into a pint glass from a 22oz. bomber.

A: Brownish amber, slight red tint. Mildly hazy with a decent light tan head and moderate lacing.

S: Bready, malty sweetness with an undertone of floral hops.

T&M: Nice mouthfeel. Almost full-bodied. Nice mix of flavors, caramel, floral and piney hops with a smooth malty texture. Well-balanced with a great flavor.

Excellent for a scotch ale. I'm not a big fan of the style, but would definitely have another one of these in the future.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2011 00:38:00 | More by cdizinno

JMad

Texas

4.15/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I poured a 22 oz bomber into my tall beer glass...

The beer was a murky, brownish, red copper color with a thin filmy off white head.

I could smell sweet caramel malt, dates and chocolate, it was almost like candy.

Tastes like toasted, buttery biscuits, fig, and a very slight smokey bitterness.

It's so smooth, it's a little warming and has low carbonation.

This is a good brew, it hides the alcohol extremely well.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2011 20:10:20 | More by JMad

Metalmonk

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

That's a damn fine lookin' beer. The head is stunning -- dirtied white and creamy, with a pockmarked surface that sort of looks like clustered puffed rice. Color is a fiery, burnt reddish color. As the head slowly sinks, it's replaced by big wide sheets of lace.

Smell-wise, most of what I get is alcohol-draped malts, and those malts are musty-smelling, peat-like, very English in character. Smell of Boston baked beans (the candies) is here too, which is a combination of nut husk, hop greenness and lightly burnt malt. Quite nice, with some subtleties that are appreciated. Good depth here.

A pretty wild taste as this crosses over the tongue. Not a terribly traditional take on the style, but that would be expected from a brewery known for a heavy hop bias. Indeed, green hop goodness provides a sharp bitterness to the proceedings. Malts are musty, nutty and toasty and, as with the aroma, quite English in character. Toffee just barely ekes its way through. Alcohol makes its presence known, but doesn't stomp all over everything else. Light citrus sweetness adds depth, as does a pretty big herbal tea essence, and there's a dark fruit sort of thing happening, somewhere between fig and raisin. Interesting. Kilt Lifter finishes with a serious bit of citrus rind tartness.

Lots of spritz to the feel, a bright and tickling texture, yet having a slick, round, almost syrupy side, which keeps it from feeling abrasive.

The label calls this "robust and strapping," and I would totally agree. While it didn't totally blow me away, it's enjoyable enough and well-balanced enough that I can't award it anything less than a "4" for drinkability. A unique take on the Scotch Ale, one that will have style-fascists running for the hills...and I like that.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2011 23:33:39 | More by Metalmonk

Phelps

Arizona

2.35/5  rDev -36.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

Enjoyed during a tasting of Scotch Ales. This beer's called Kilt Lifter everywhere except Arizona, where it's labeled Scotch Ale due to copyright contentions with a certain local brewery.

When I was little, I had a hamster named Roxy. She was a great little hamster, playful and gentle, and the two of us used to hang out for hours, she running around in her little wheel while I told her about my day. But one day, Roxy began to get fat. I wasn't worried at first, thinking she had just gone a little overboard with last night's meal. But she got bigger each day, ballooning to the point at which she could walk on her little hamster legs anymore. They dangled there uselessly like T-rex arms, and she died stuck on her big butt. Poor Roxy.

Anyway, I couldn't stop thinking about Roxy while drinking Moylan's Scotch Ale, mainly because the aroma and flavor had the overriding and undeniable funk of a hamster cage. Sure, it has a nice caramel color and a light khaki head that leaves spotted lace. Sure, there were some enjoyable flavors of caramel, peanuts and raisins. But it was all buried under mounds of smelly hamster wood shavings.

Thank you, Moylan's. Your beer reminded me of my dear departed friend Roxy, but it sure as hell didn't remind me of a drinkable Wee Heavy.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2011 19:02:18 | More by Phelps