Family Pale Ale Style Scottish Ale
Country USA (WA) ABV 6.5%
Price $$ Packaging 12oz/355ml, 22oz/650ml bottle
Characteristics Malty, unusual

Overview In Scotland, beers are sometimes brewed with water that has been filtered through peat, giving it a hint of peat not unlike that found in some Scotch whisky. Other brewers sometimes simulate this with a small measure of barley kilned over a peat fire—like Seattle’s Pike Kilt Lifter.

Flavors and aromas Our first sample of Kilt Lifter was loaded with peaty phenolics, which one taster (not knowing that he was tasting a Scottish ale) took to be Brett spoilage. A second bottle was much tamer, and more to our liking—a little peat goes a long way. There’s rich caramel here, a little on the dark side, and more bitterness than is probably typical in Edinburgh, but not enough to upset the balance.