tasting notes

last week at beernesday i began my night with a sampler
i went with darker beers, it being winter and all

rogue's hazelnut brown nectar:  5.6%  a nutty twist to a traditional european brown ale.  dark brown in color with a hazelnut aroma, a rich nutty flavor and a malty finish.
longwood's scottish ale:  6.5%  scottish ale, little brother to the "wee heavy", is a soft, full bodied, malty ale, nicely balanced by subtle hopping.
storm's scottish highland cream ale:  5%  this creamy, nutty, malty, dark ale is true to its scottish origins and is caramelized as the kettle is being filled.
central city's red racer oatmeal stout:  6.5%  this irish-style stout is deep, dark, smooth and creamy.  the use of oatmeal adds a silkiness to the texture and body of this ale.

the hazelnut was some nutty goodness
maybe a bit too malty on the finish for me, just a sampler did me fine

the longwood scottish ale was the big hit of the night
bridget loved it so much she convinced several other people to get pints of it
"i had to get a pint of it, its so good" said bridget, follwed by "i'm not a scottish ale fan, but i love this one!"
definitely a gooder.  i could have sessioned it for sure

storm's scottish ale was definitely creamy, nutty and malty
the carmelizing adds quite a distinct flavour
i preferred the longwood though

the oatmeal stout was so creamy
lovely cascading action on the pour
a fabulous beer for a winter's day

i followed my sampler with the red racer esb
"tempered with hops from the uk, this english bitter is very smooth"
yes it is
and hoptastically refreshing
makes me happy every time i have it!

then bridget talked me into the southern tier pale
"aggressively hopped with immense overtones of grapefruit and tangerine wrapped in a delicately refined body of pale barley and wheat"
bridget rates it "the ultimate pale"
but that's because she is an ipa fan
this is not a pale ale
its an ipa if ever i met one
very pale in colour
resinous goodness with an intensely hoppy citrus nose
bridget "can't believe they call it a pale ale"
me, i think its a thing of beauty and a joy to imbibe!
i'm not gonna lie to you, i like an aggressive hop!