Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Beer Review - Highway 78 Scotch Ale - MAX Update

This is an update to a previous beer review. I am adding a brief take on one of my favorite beers from Max, Official Beer Reviewer at Beers With Demo.
Oh, almost forgot...Last week Big Brother Brian asked my opinion of Stone’s collaboration with Green Flash and Pizza Port Carlsbad, Highway 78, a big boozy Scotch Ale. I think it’s one of the best collaborations that Stone has had in awhile. Big, boozy, sweet, but very well balanced and not too over the top… ok maybe a little over the top, but it is a Stone beer. Would you expect anything less?

B-Daddy here. I was at the High Dive today with Dean, letting San Diego State give me a heart attack by allowing a second overtime against Temple, in March Madness action. Looking for a second ale to fortify me, and help me resist the temptation to order more food, I noticed Highway 78 Scotch Ale on the board, indicating it was on tap. (We previously discussed why we always go for the beer on tap.) The wait staff helpfully explained that this beer was the result of collaboration between local brewers Green Flash, Pizza Port and Stone. I have always been a big fan of Belhaven Scottish Ale, so I was curious to see what our local award winners had cooked up.

They didn't disappoint. The beer had a nice dark amber pour, with an average amount of head. (I am not a big fan of a lot of head.) As one would expect for a scotch ale, it had plenty of malty sweetness and I had to struggle to slow down and enjoy it. As one would expect from our local brewers, it also had more hoppiness than a traditional scotch ale. However, the hops were balanced well with the malt, making for a very nice beer. I was a little surprised that they chose to pour the beer into a tulip glass, maybe Max can explain, as I normally would enjoy this ale in a standard pint glass. Maybe it was the alcohol content, which pushes 9%, and the tulip glass delivered less volume. Regardless, this was a highly enjoyable beer, a longtime import favorite improved by our local brewers. Overall grade: A-.

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