Highland 15th Anniversary Auld Asheville Vintage Ale

Formerly brewed at Highland Brewing Company
Style: Old Ale
Asheville, North Carolina USA

Serve in English pint, Snifter

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Thanks to bmanning for opening up this bottle. Served in a Cantillon tulip. Pours crimson with a nice light tan head and good lacing. Good retention as well. The nose is really nice with of touch of sherry-like oxidation. Dark fruits and a nice sweetness there as well. Caramel and cherry notes in there, too. The taste is not quite as complex and there is a good amount of bitterness. Medium body and a touch of booze. Slightly creamy. Really nice overall with an incredible nose. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 01-25-2011

15th Anniversary ale. It pours a deep rubyish brown with a foamy tan head. The smell is rich and malty. Mostly caramel with a hint of cocoa. There is some notes of port and dark fruitiness. The flavor isn’t bad. It is smooth and malty. There is a bit of off-flavor at first but it mellows out. There are notes of pine and chocolate along with caramel and dark fruits. This is a surprisingly good brew. It isn’t too alcoholic like I was fearing, I aged it for awhile and it was a one-off so if you are still holding on to it you are holding on to something that will probably get better with more age.

22 ounce bottle. Pours a clear mahogany color with a large beige head. A sweet nutty and fruity nose. A nice flavor; initially quite hot, warmth, rich malty fruit, berries, caramel, sweet hops, lots to like. A bit young and hot, in a year it might be really amazing. Still, a nice brew.

Bottle from Brusin’ Ales, via NachlamSie (Thanks!). Brownish red, decent sized head. Aroma is gingerbread, a hint of cherry, and a woody, oaky note. Flavor is a mix of delicious with a touch of awesome. Specifically, there is a rich bready, malty base that supports notes of oak, cherry, some caramel, some nice mellow hop flavors. Very tasty stuff!

Tap. Clear amber pour, small white head. Aroma of earth, malt, and biscuits. Tqste is similar, with medium mouthfeel.

bottle thanks to travita. deep amber pour with a cream head. nose is thick caramel with some light hops. nice on the palate, smooth caramel flavor with a sweet malty finish.

Deep copper pour with light tan head and lace. Caramel and bread on the nose. Chicory, sweet malt, caramel and an almost EKG hop flavor. Medium bodied with good carbonation.

The aroma is meaty with a very rich toffee like malt. The appearance is dark amber with a small head. The taste is like the aroma but not meaty its very caramel and toffee like. The palate is thick. Overall this is a good beer I just don’t like the aroma.

Bomber from Tyler’s Bottle Shop, Carrboro. Another tasty seasonal from Highland. Very bright mahogany pour, almost lively and youthful looking for an old ale. Moderate carbonation, smallish head. The nose is similarly fresh, an interesting fruity bouquet given what I expect from the style. Medium mouthfeel, a hint of slickness towards the finish. Some depth of character emerges while sipping, with toffee, mild smoke, and some spice coming through, but there’s this fruity overtone throughout, with just a hint of cola. Wish I’d gotten another to age, as it’ll be interesting to see how this changes.

In the bottle from Leuken’s. Pours a cloudy ice tea color with a thin, almost non-existent off white head. Outstanding dark fruit flavors. A touch of woodruff perhaps? Quite sweet, thick and malty. Chocolate and good hop balance provide a crisp roasty conclusion. This is a man’s beer. Seems like there is lots of finishing oak to this.