Far be it for me to suggest that Sean Connery doesn’t wear anything under his kilt, but given the evidence on the internet it seems that most guys that are daring enough to actually don the tartan plaid do so commando style. To quote Kramer from Seinfeld…”I’m out there Jerry!” So when I had the Pikes Kilt Lifter I was expecting something, well…kinda in my face, but not in a gay way…not that there is anything wrong with that!
OK so this is uncomfortable; back to the beer. As some of you know I’ve fallen in love with Scotch Ales over this summer. Their malty goodness with hop bite and lighter mouthfeel is just what the doctor ordered for these hot summer days. Not too heavy but still full of flavor. So when I lifted up the kilt what did I get? Well it sure wasn’t what I expected…
So first you can see that this particular scotch ale is quite a few shades lighter than the others I’ve had. This almost looked ambery instead of having that nice dark brown, blackish look with a white head. No this was a light brown with a thin and wispy head. Not the look I was hoping for.
The nose was small too, and had just a touch of maltiness to it, and almost no hop presence at all. I was beginning to have my doubts and began to wish I had chosen the Black IPA on tap. I soon found out that it would have been a wiser choice.
See Pike’e Kilt Lifter is a 6.5% ABV brew and I was on my lunch hour, so having a second wasn’t really in the cards, and I had already gotten half way through when I had the idea to switch. If I was drinking this at home I would have poured it out, because life is too short to drink shitty beer, but I had paid for it, and frankly, the pizza I ordered was spicy and I needed a cool drink.
So it was thin and lacked body and flavor, and had a strange stale taste to it. I’ll never buy this again, and from what I’ve heard about Pike’s other products, I think I probably will pass them over for the foreseeable future.
So what was under the kilt?…Well in this case absolutely nothing. Kinda like peeking under the skirt of a Raggedy Ann doll. You always hope for something but what you get leaves you wanting a lot more. What, you never did that as a kid?…Well that is just how I roll.
-Don
Beer & Whiskey Brothers 
Raggedy Ann? I always remember you as more of a Barbie molester, Don.
I was an equal opportunity doll molester Jim.
I’ve been wanting to get a kilt in my family tartan for some time now for commando reasons alone.
Why does that not surprise me Daniel? Might not want to play ultimate frizbee with it on though…no one needs to see that!
When you’re a ginger with long hair and a huge beard, people look at you funny if you’re NOT wearing a kilt. They’re just so expensive.
Strange thing is, my Clan logo kind of looks like me. So I pretty much have to fork over the cash one of these days.
Maybe once you get those medical bills paid off! 😉
I would hope you’ll refrain from twirling motions in general. No one wants to play sausage spin!
Stale isn’t what I would have described this beer as. I personally enjoy it and also know its not pushed as well in this area. Sounds to me like you got an old keg. It also depends on where you got it from as some places in town dont take care if their taps as well as they should.
You also need to keep in mind that just cause it says it’s Scottish doesn’t mean that they are all the same. There are (if I remember correctly) 3 recognized Scottish Ales outside of Wee Heavys. And, all of them are varying degrees of color and gravity.
Personally I like this beer. I am not saying your wrong for not liking it, as it all comes down to personal taste. But, I am saying give it another chance. It IS lighter than what most consider Scottish, but I don’t think it’s out of style for the lighter versions.
Well Marvin, I had it from a bottle out of the cooler at Brewforia. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t tainted, just not to my liking. Towards the end it tasted like water, and I was just using it to cool my palate from the spicy pizza I had. If it wasn’t 6.5% ABV I would have had something else to put some beer flavor in my mouth.
Well I know Rick takes care of his stuff, and as for the bottle, I have had to send stuff back to unnamed distributor because it was old. So I am sure it’s nothing to do with Brewforia. But, in drinking this beer for years and having it fresh at the pub in Seattle, stale is not a flavor they are going for, nor is watery IMO. It could have been the pairing too. A lighter Scottish Ale isn’t something I’d have with spicy. You could lose a lot of the nuances.
I think I just didn’t care for this particular beer. Perhaps if I had it on tap that would be better, but I would think Rick is pretty diligent about making sure his product is fresh from the distributor.
I would hold out again on that kilt lifter, it is on tap at my favorite bar and I usually find it enjoyable. Stale is never how I would describe it so I wonder the age of that bottle you got. I will admit it is not my favorite beer, but Scottish ales are not exactly my cup of tea.
It tasted stale, but I think that is the flavor they were going for. That is the crazy thing about this beer. It didn’t taste like anything had turned, just had a bland and a little stale type flavor. I thought it was very bland and really tasted less like beer and more like water that had been in a glass for a day or two.
I almost got this beer because I often wear a kilt. Many people think its a tutu because its pink and frilly and has little bells on it, but that’s just the pattern my ancestors used.
Being a fan of the stouts, I picked up a bottle of Pike’s XXXXX Stout recently. Word on the street is that it’s good stuff. We shall see.
(That Raggedy Ann stuff was just weird)
Good luck with the Pike’s stout. I haven’t heard much good about this brewery. I’d be interested to see what you thought because I know it will be an informed and unbiased opinion…Oh wait its Scott, well I know it will be an opinion. I think I know that pattern, you are from the Fagmora clan of celts from the bacdora region… 😉
Don, yes! Do you also hail from that area? I’ve heard you wear the tutu as well, but I wasn’t sure if it was a heritage thing or just a weirdness thing.
Not from Bacdora, I’m from the neighboring village of Galliganna It is an island off the coast. Legend has it, it was first inhabited by seven strangers that had set sail for a 3 hour cruise.
Cart | Horse
Holy Crap! Just looked Kilts up on the Internet! Maybe your mom can make you one?
I NEVER look up kilts, Don!
Word games…they’re fun!
She ain’t much of a seamstress. The material is pretty expensive, but I could probably find someone to make it if I got over that hump. Got a few exes good with sharp objects…
Again Daniel, that doesn’t surprise me, and I don’t know why.
Well, Scottish ales aren’t the forte of Seattle brewers. 😛 By the way you describe it, it must not be Scottish… maybe it’s CRAP!
Awesome!
Black Raven makes an AWESOME Scotch ale. Pike…. Well, I haven’t had a single thing from them yet that I thought was even half way decent. Unfortunately, they’re one of the only breweries that people know this area by.
I’ve had two brews from Pikes now and I must say I agree. What a crappy brewery. At least what I’ve had, and what I’ve heard would lead me to that conclusion.
Best thing I had there… Lindeman’s Framboise. 😉
I suppose I have another reason to get back down to Redmond. Black Raven how do I love thee… let me count the ways.
An 80 year old in a kilt has me worried about rusty nails and things like that.
All I know is that picture is the best thing ever. I laughed for like 30 seconds when it popped up on my Google reader.
Glad you liked it Dom. Sean in a Kilt always kills!