Malt is to beer like grapes are to wine, and the Scots know how to emphasize malt character in their beer.
Now I know there are a few Scots here (flashleg?), I'd really love to hear from them as I am a real Scottish Beer geek.
So here we go....
Orkney Skullsplitter
Origin: Orkney Islands, Scotland
Style: Strong Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
Alcohol: 8.5% ABV
This ale goes into my top 5 worldwide easily. I just can't get enough of it.
Many skulls were said to have been split by a Viking ruler of Orkney in the 9th century. During renovations of the island's cathedral in 1919, a split skull was found sealed into a pillar. This beer, if taken in excess, seems to promise eternal sleep. The Orkney Brewery's Skullsplitter is a Wee Heavy. It has a raisiny, sweet aroma, a very creamy taste, developing flavors like a fruitcake dunked in port; and a toasty finish. The brewery is in a former schoolhouse, in the wind swept hamlet of Quoyloo, on the largest of the Orkney Islands.
Alba Scots Pine Ale
Origin: Central Scotland
Style: Pine/Spruce Beer
Alcohol: 7.5% ABV
Bruce Williams used to run a homebrew supply business but then turned to commercial brewing. His first beer was Fraoch Heather Ale, and with his brother Scott, has gone on to produce other styles. Like their Heather Ale, the Alba uses flavoring that was employed before hops. This beer uses no hops at all, just pine sprigs & spruce shoots. The explorer Captain Cook made this type of beer when he landed in what is now New Zealand. Alba Scots Pine Ale is aromatic, oily, and peppery.
Gordon Highland Scotch Ale
Origin: Southern Scotland
Style: Strong Scotch Ale
Alcohol: 8.6% ABV
The Christmas beer under the Gordon name has this year-round counterpart with a marginally less hefty alcohol content but a big, fresh, rich maltiness and toasty balance. A similar beer, slightly less strong (7.3% ABV) but with all the richness of a fruit-filled chocolate praline, was launched in the British market in 1998 under the name McEwan's No. 1 Champion Ale.
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