Monday Night "Drafty Kilt" Scotch Ale

I used to start every review of a scotch ale complaining about the difference between a scotch ale and a Scottish ale and the fact that the two tend to get conflated. That's still somewhat bothersome, but it's no longer a sure sign of a bad review to see that this one is a scotch ale. I've grown to really like the beers that have been imbued with the dark liquors, and maybe Monday Night will know how to do it right.

The mahogany tones to this very dark beer put me more in mind of a porter, and it is not murky at all in the middle. It didn't produce a whole bunch of head, but there is a respectable amount that leaves a modicum of lacing on the sides of the glass as it boils down to a thin pillow across the top of the beer with the requisite strong ring around the edges. The aroma is, indeed, a bit smoky like a brown liquor might be - so that would indicate the scotch. I wonder how well it's going to mix with the beer.

First sip is a very good. It is sweet in the right spots, smoky in the right spots, rich, vibrant, and the 7.2% ABV actually seems pretty tame, so it does not intrude on the flavor. I expected there to be more wood in the flavor, but this isn't a barrel aged beer, so I don't know what I was thinking. Instead, it is very smooth and silky. I have to say I like the sip quite a bit.

Tip-in is seared brown sugar, smoke, and molasses. The middle is rich and thick, but it goes down smoothly with the smoke seeming like it's creating a vortex allowing the molasses and sweetness to go through the mouth unmolested. The finish is a flash of bitterness before the telltale taste of brown liquor seeps into the gums while the sweetness tries to hold it back.

Bottom Line: This was very good.

4.5/5