Highland Brewing Company Cold Mountain Winter Ale

I picked up a bottle of Highland Brewing Company Cold Mountain Winter Ale while at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville for my bachelor party. The beer pours a brown color with a frothy cream colored head that leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of caramel, grassy hops, nutmeg, and cinnamon. The taste is dry with grassy hops up front all built upon a caramel base. Cinnamon, raspberry, hazelnut, vanilla, and cranberry all provide accenting flavors, and dry out again on the finish. The alcohol content is 5.8% ABV. This beer was a great winter warmer, especially as it warmed and released more of the complementing flavors like hazelnut and vanilla. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend trying it if you have the chance.

Highland Black Mocha Stout

Part of a beer trade with Lance Martin (Beers of the Night) and Alfred Hugh Leonard III, I received a bottle of Highland Black Mocha Stout. The beer pours a dark brown color with a frothy tan head and a nice lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of coffee, chocolate, toasted malts, vanilla, and caramel. The taste is smooth but dry with plenty of coffee flavor and roasted malts dominating the palate. The coffee comes back, in black form, to dry out the finish, and some vanilla and caramel sweeten up the after taste. The alcohol content is 5.6% ABV. The dryness of this stout from the coffee flavors was wonderful, and a nice sweetness balances out the bitter coffee on the finish and after taste.

Highland Brewing Company Black Mocha Stout

I picked up a bottle of Highland Brewing Company Black Mocha Stout when I was in South Carolina, as the beer is brewed in Asheville, SC. The beer pours a dark black color with a thin filmy tan head. The aroma is full of chocolate with bits of chocolate and cream in there, The taste is bitter chocolate at first with a hints of roasted malts. The beer then finishes with a dry coffee taste before leaving the mouth with a light cream finish.. The alcohol content is 5.6% ABV. This beer was my first from Highland Brewing Company, and I thought overall it was a solid coffee stout. There was a great balance of coffee and chocolate, without either overpowering each other. If I get another chance, I will try some other beers from Highland.