Tim: This beer pours dark and tastes of coffee, caramel, nuts, maybe some other stuff, and especially malt. Damn this stuff is good. It's very smooth so much so that it makes up for any shortcoming this beer may have. If anything those who like strong stouts and porters may find this beer not quite up to what they're hoping for. But if you like a smooth and malty ale you've got to look out for this one. (1/14/2007)


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Steve: The key word is "Scottish", not "Scotch". Nowhere near as thick as McEwan's. Dark amber colored, overly sweet I thought. Not as bad as the Welsh ale I tried, but bad enough. Even though it had a good strong flavor, I think the caramel or whatever they used made it too sweet for a beer. It was good for the first half of the pint, but it wore on me after a while.


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Sam: A beer to be savored. Wow. Amber-brown, nutty, malty, not much hops. Looks wonderful in the glass, and smells like the nectar of the gods. The first sip makes you smile. This is a winter beer, meant to be sipped when the winds howl and the rain patters at your door. When my wife and I are fortunate enough to come across this beer in the very few stores in Texas smart enough to stock it, we horde it and parcel it out over weeks. If you want a big beer that drinks like a meal, pick up a few bottles of this and wait for a chill night. (1/15/2005)


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Kris: I tried this beer while watching the Holiday Man Show on Comedy Central. That is one funny show. The wife hates it, but I guess that's why they call it the "Man" Show. Too bad it's just a half hour show. They could fill up another half hour with nothing but Juggies and not lose one rating point. Ahh, the Juggies! Jumping on trampolines! Ooo-la-la! Man, what I wouldn't give... Um, oh yeah, the beer. Great beer. No, excellent beer. Named after a powerful knight, blah blah blah, who I'm assuming is depicted on the label. Looks a little like Sir Sean Connery if you ask me. It came in a pint bottle (the beer, not Sir Sean), and considering how much I've been drinking lately (not much at all), pretty much did me in for the "knight". Get it, knight? Night? Ah, screw you. (1/4/2002)


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Steve: This is an interesting beer, brewed using heather flowers and Scottish malt. Fairly full-bodied, tasty, aromatic (almost flowery), and an extremely wine-like finish. This is far from a barley-wine, though, so don't misinterpret my description, it's merely a wine-like finish, that's all. All in all, a pretty good ale. According to the label, this style has been brewed in Scotland for about 3000 years. I guess practice makes perfect. (5/3/1999)


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Steve: Grozet is a Gaelic derivitive meaning "Gooseberry." That's right, there are gooseberries in here. Along with the typical malted barley bree, wheat, and hops, along with the not-so-typical bogmyrtle and meadowsweet. This was a rich, sweet beer, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Heather Ale Ltd seems to pride itself on using traditional Scottish ingredients for its beers, as proven by its flagship Heather Ale. In addition, they use the Glasgow School of Art for designing their labels. One has to appreciate a beer with pride in its origins (how often does Bud advertise the glories of St Louis?). Unfortunately, at $2.19 at the local market, this makes it a little pricey for a 12 ounce bottle, so I'm not sure if I will try this anymore. (8/30/1999)


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Tim: This beer was a great find. It tastes of a sweet ale. I can taste vanilla, toffee, and malt. It's not at all watery or week, yet it's very smooth and easy to drink. It's one of those rare beers where it's good and flavorful to enjoy drinking just one. But at the same time you could easily down these one after another. I highly recommend it. As for comparisons, those who like the "honey brown" type beers that are so popular in Canada would likely enjoy this. This is a beer worth looking for. (5/12/2007)


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Tim: Nice looking beer. It's got that nice golden colour that the great bitters have. The head cascades nicely, clinging to the sides of the glass all the way down. Just enough for me to get my hopes up. It was good. It goes down incredibly smooth. You could drink this fast and you could definitely drink plenty in one sitting. And you might as well drink it quickly because there isn't anything tastewise to keep it from being boring. Slightly bitter, not malty enough. It doesn't suck, but I expected more when I saw it in the glass. (4/17/2004)


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Kris: This beer is like a black hole. It is literally black. I held the glass up to the light, and none of it got through. At. All. I'm staring at this beer, and I can't get over it's blackness. Smells great, like dark chocolate. It has a funky aftertaste that I can't immediately place. I'm going to be really pissed off if I finish this before I figure out what it is. The label on the bottle isn't helping. Just some hub-bub about Neil Armstrong being a descendant of Kinmount Willie. BFD. Christ, I want to say it tastes vaguely like a slim jim, but that isn't quite right. Oh, screw it. I'm done now, and I didn't get it. So, it tastes like a slim jim. Stick with Guinness. (5/11/2002)


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Steve: There's nothing really special about this stout. It was kind of bland, really. Nothing that stood out. It certainly didn't have the powerful flavors that Sam Smith's had. Which brings me to this conclusion (and people of Scotland, please correct me): Since this is the 2nd Maclay beer I've had, and both were hardly standouts in their respective classes, that Maclay must be the Scottish Bud. No, bad comparison, because I would actually have a Maclay beer again (if it was cheaper). Maybe the Scottish Miller.....a beer made for the masses (and Americans who can pay $2.99 for a 1/2L of bottled beer). On the upside, I'm getting used to stouts. Whoopee. (8/1/1999)


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Steve: This is the perfect IPA. Refreshing, stout, with a well balanced sampling of hops, just the right touch so it's not too bitter, a mistake MANY brewers make. The alcohol content is great. It has a rugged flavor, not too refined, not too watery. This tastes just as good with a burger as it does with a steak.


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Steve: VERY alcoholic. The first one took me five minutes to finish, cause I didn't know any better. The second one took a couple of hours, cause I was afraid to take the next sip, and in my family it's a sin to waste beer. On the upside, it's so strong you don't notice the difference whether it's cold or not. I'm sure there is actually scotch in here.


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Kris: After injuring my back falling into the shower this morning (no wise cracks, please) and then spending four hours at the scene of an accident where a rather large dump truck plowed into a rather defenseless tree, I felt I could use a beer. Grabbing at random in the fridge, I came up with this. Not too bad, actually. It only has 4.2% alcohol, so it won't knock your typical bud drinker on his ass (if said drinker is smart enough to find it). That's about it, actually. Good beer. (2/16/2002)


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Steve: Come on, the name alone is going to hook you in. This looked like a stout, but it tasted like no other stout that I've ever had. It could best be described as tasting like a rich chocolate cake, but with semi-sweet chocolate chips in it. It had this rich, sweet flavor that I would love to try with a dessert sometime, maybe a Mississippi Mud Pie or a Bennigan's Death By Chocolate. It sure as hell was good, and I'm sure as hell going to try this again. Isn't that what we all want out of our beer? (8/7/2004)


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Steve: 5 years ago, I probably would have vomited at the prospect of drinking this beer. Had you told me 24 hours ago that this would have a flavor of scotch whiskey, I might have been very apprehensive about sampling this (because, to be frank, I absolutely hate hard liquor). However, I loved the regular Old Engine Oil so much that I was looking forward to it, and I wasn't disappointed. This makes a great after-dinner beer, because of that scotch flavor. They age Special Reserve in single malt whiskey casks for 6 months. You can really feel both the scotch AND the chocolate flavors, which makes this a good beer to relax to. I might have to get a few bottles of this next winter. (10/23/2004)


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Kris: The label says this should be drunk at cellar temperature and savored like a fine wine. Well, my cellar is freezing and I don't drink wine, so I'm sure I drank it too cold and too fast. But regardless of that, it turned out to be a pretty good beer. I enjoyed this while listening to the only two songs Billy and the Boingers ever "recorded". Of course, if you were born after 1980, you probably don't know what I'm talking about. Then again, if you were born after 1980, you're probably a bud/coors light/crap beer drinker, and wouldn't drink Old Jock if someone paid you. (5/4/2002)


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Steve: This Scottish pale ale was rated "Gold Medal Champion Beer of Scotland" by the UK Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), which is a pretty prestigious honor. It's named after Ossian, the 3rd century bard/warrior (picture Bruce Springsteen being an honored soldier...not bloody likely; our modern bards tend to be not too tough, even the ones who destroy hotel rooms). Pretty good, it had a dry taste, but fairly bold. Hard to put into words (picture a dry wine, this ale had a similar characteristic). Overall, I highly recommend. I'll have to look for a six pack of this. (6/19/2004)


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Steve: Skullsplitter was the nickname of Thorfinn Hausakluif (obviously an accountant), the 7th Viking Earl of Orkney. Y'all should know that I bought this about 5 or 6 years ago in New Jersey. Since then, I've moved twice, for some inexplicable reason moving this beer with me. It was fairly strong in alcohol (8.5%), leaving that almost burning alcohol flavor in the back of my throat (the kind you get after drinking Scotch or whiskey). There was also a distinct sweet taste and smell to it, kind of like whiskey. I think this would appeal to hard-liquor drinkers and barley-wine fans.....not for alcohol level but for taste. Overall, not bad. Even after 6 years. (5/1/2004)


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Sam: Maltier and not as sweet as their Scottish Ale. This is a delicious beer named to honor (what else?) the fine tradition of golfing at St. Andrews. Me, I couldn't care less about golf, but if you lure me out there with a few of these beers, well, maybe I could be talked into it. (1/15/2005)


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Steve: The label proclaims this as being the most consumed beer in Scotland. This is a basic Euro-lager, meaning mass-brewed, with a skunky flavor and finish to it, proof of the ravages of crossing the pond. This is what Bud in Europe must taste like. Except not as good, cause it is Bud after all. Anyway, this might lend credence to the green bottle theories. This is less skunky-bitter than Moosehead, but more expensive, so that's a bad thing. All in all, stick with the ales of Scotland.


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Sam: This beer has so much going for it. Brewed in a lovely building on the grounds of Traquair House (ye Jacobites by name), based on hundreds of years of Scottish tradition. And such a handsome color it is in the glass; an enticing burnished walnut. It has a malty, fruity aroma. Before I tucked into it, I was anticipating a malty, hoppy, Scottish delight. But the flavors are a confusing mish-mash of plums, biscuits, currants, figs, you name it, they all seem to be in there. I was pretty put off. Maybe I should've let this age some before tackling it, but go ahead and pencil me in as not a fan. (2/17/2007)


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Steve: This is an IPA named after Scotland's greatest hero, William Wallace (Braveheart). Label claims to have a rich, hoppy finish. I beg to differ. This was a good beer, but yet another tool of mis- information those foreigners are trying to pass onto us unsuspecting Americans. It was a little hoppy, not enough to be an IPA. They need to use Wallace's name to sell this, because I don't see Real Ale lovers chasing after this....definitely a novelty beer, and novelty beers, for the most part, are hardly novel. Drink it, but disregard the style the label claims to fit into. (8/1/1999)


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Steve: This was a pretty sweet, copper colored ale. As it is in the same corporate family as McEwans, I'd say this is the next step down on the stoutness scale from the others. Odd as it sounds, it also had a bitter taste to it...started sweet, finished bitter. Bitter sweet, I guess. Anyway, this was an above average beer, so if you want something different, try this. But not with Italian food.


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