This evening’s brew was the Gaelic Ale by Highland Brewing Companyin Asheville, North Carolina. The Gaelic Ale is Highland’s flagship beer, dating back to 1994. Fun Fact: Highland Brewing was Asheville’s first legal brewery post prohibition. Cheers to those guys for setting the tone for the amazing craft beer scene that exists in Asheville today!
The beer poured a beautiful pale to medium amber color with an creamy off-white head. When held up to the light, this brew took on a crazy, deep red color which I thought was pretty cool.
On the nose, I detected a malty sweetness which smelled like caramel. I also detected faint notes of raisin.
As I took a sip, I immediately noticed the strong malt presence in this beer. Flavors of toasted bread or unsalted pretzel surfaced while being followed by more sweeter notes of caramel. As the taste finished out, I detected a pleasant hoppy flavor. This flavor was not overbearing, but it added a pleasant bitterness to a malt-forward beer. The beer was just bitter enough on the palate as the taste finished.
All in all, this was a tasty and well-balanced beer; I can see why it has been Highland’s flagship beer for over twenty years. The beer was very smooth and easy to drink—perfect for any occasion. Cheers!
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