Spring Break
Brews Clues
This week's Ale: Skull Splitter
Dennis Mongello
Issue date: 1/18/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment
I recently realized that outside of a few standouts, all of the beers I have reviewed were brewed in North America. The reason for that is that generally, the imports I have access to are boring. By and large, they are the Budweisers of Europe and Coors of Asia. The fact is, either by law or by tradition, many of those beers follow a strict style. It is the American tradition to try new things and take these time tested styles and run with them. That's not to say those old school European beers aren't good; many of them are very tasty. It's just that, if you've had one, you've had them all. It was only recently that I realized I never had one Scotch Ale. I bought a Skull Splitter from Orkney Brewery in Scotland to fix that issue.
The beer starts with the bottle. Skull Splitter's label really got my attention. It features a Viking warrior on the front, adorned with a winged helmet, Viking armor and armed with a battle axe. There is also a nice little story telling a tale about Thorfinn Hausakluif. If the beer is half as bad-ass as Thorfinn looks on the label, then this is going to be one good beer (hint: it is).
It pours a rich translucent brown. There was a slight soapy foam head that was only a quarter inch thick and tan in color. It's just a little paler than any brown ale. It's a good looking beer, and you can tell that this is a malty brew from the color. The aroma features a mixture of vanilla and chocolate underneath a flowery bouquet. This is all underlined by a smoky scent that adds a lot of character. It is a faint smell that is very underwhelming compared to the rest of the beer, but it is pleasant. It smells a bit boozy, like an IPA, but that is only barely detectable.
The taste is complex and chocolaty. Initially, the chocolate taste is complemented by an interesting oakiness. These flavors come from the malts. However, this is backed up by a nice hop profile too. It gives the beer a crisp bitterness followed by a citrusy sweetness. All of these competing flavors blend together into a deep beer that gets better with each sip. This is surprising in a beer with 8.5 percent ABV. Usually beers with this much alcohol are dominated by alcohol, but Skull Splitter masks this taste well. The complex taste is achieved by a calculated blend of malts and hops. The malts are definitely more prominent, but they are still given structure by just the right amount of hops.
This is deceptively and dangerously easy to drink. Even though it is so high in alcohol, you can really chug this beer down, because of its great flavor and medium body. However, it should probably be sipped to enjoy its complex flavor. The texture of Skull Splitter is smooth like velvet. It is perfectly carbonated and the bubbles come alive as you drink it down.
The beer is pretty versatile and will match well with most white meat, especially something like a spicy chicken dish. It also goes with softer cheeses and fresh fish. It won't be able to stand up to something more full flavored like a thick steak though.
What can I say? Skull Splitter is a great beer and if this is how most Scotch Ales taste, then I will have to try some more down the line.
The beer starts with the bottle. Skull Splitter's label really got my attention. It features a Viking warrior on the front, adorned with a winged helmet, Viking armor and armed with a battle axe. There is also a nice little story telling a tale about Thorfinn Hausakluif. If the beer is half as bad-ass as Thorfinn looks on the label, then this is going to be one good beer (hint: it is).
It pours a rich translucent brown. There was a slight soapy foam head that was only a quarter inch thick and tan in color. It's just a little paler than any brown ale. It's a good looking beer, and you can tell that this is a malty brew from the color. The aroma features a mixture of vanilla and chocolate underneath a flowery bouquet. This is all underlined by a smoky scent that adds a lot of character. It is a faint smell that is very underwhelming compared to the rest of the beer, but it is pleasant. It smells a bit boozy, like an IPA, but that is only barely detectable.
The taste is complex and chocolaty. Initially, the chocolate taste is complemented by an interesting oakiness. These flavors come from the malts. However, this is backed up by a nice hop profile too. It gives the beer a crisp bitterness followed by a citrusy sweetness. All of these competing flavors blend together into a deep beer that gets better with each sip. This is surprising in a beer with 8.5 percent ABV. Usually beers with this much alcohol are dominated by alcohol, but Skull Splitter masks this taste well. The complex taste is achieved by a calculated blend of malts and hops. The malts are definitely more prominent, but they are still given structure by just the right amount of hops.
This is deceptively and dangerously easy to drink. Even though it is so high in alcohol, you can really chug this beer down, because of its great flavor and medium body. However, it should probably be sipped to enjoy its complex flavor. The texture of Skull Splitter is smooth like velvet. It is perfectly carbonated and the bubbles come alive as you drink it down.
The beer is pretty versatile and will match well with most white meat, especially something like a spicy chicken dish. It also goes with softer cheeses and fresh fish. It won't be able to stand up to something more full flavored like a thick steak though.
What can I say? Skull Splitter is a great beer and if this is how most Scotch Ales taste, then I will have to try some more down the line.
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