Last week we went across the Atlantic to that cold and lonely country of Germany and had one of their imports. Well, screw Europe. I mean, honestly. Nobody cares about that smelly old continent anyway.

Let’s stay local. Just up I-81 there’s a small, little known hamlet called Syracuse. They might have a college up there or something, but there isn’t much. What they do have, though, is a pretty kick-ass brewery that goes by the name of Middle Ages Brewing. If you’re interested in sampling their wares, you can drive up and chill at the brewery, or you can run on over to Sam the Beer Man, where they stock cases, six-packs, and 22 ounce bottles (referred to by us nerds as “bombers”). Right now let’s focus on one of these bombers.

Like a good butch, I’m a sucker for flannel. That’s why this bottle of Kilt Tilter Scotch Style Ale caught my eye. Decorated with green flannel and bearing the silhouette of a Scotsman playing the bagpipes, I couldn’t pass this up. Not only that, but my favorite style of beer is the Scottish Wee Heavy, to which Kilt Tilter belongs to. Something about drinking this shit and watching Highlander just gives me a raging hard-on.

On to the brew! It pours an almost purple velvet-like color. Very dark, and strikingly handsome with it’s creamy off-white head. I swirl my pint glass a little and take a big old whiff, and am met with a mixture of oak-aged whiskey, caramel, mild alcohol vapors and a toasty, slightly burnt bread aroma. Upon my first sip I notice a lot of the same sweet caramel flavors I found in the smell. Truly this is a malt lover’s dream. Like the traditional Scottish Wee Heavy, there aren’t many hops to be found. Lingering in the back of the tongue is the alcohol I already mentioned. This is a potent potable, much like the Jeopardy category. It boasts a 9 percent alcohol content, and boy, this will really hit you if you don’t eat something beforehand.

At $4.49 for a bomber, it may be considered pricey. Remember, that’s 22 ounces you’re getting. To those who won’t shell out the cash, I say this: beer like Kilt Tilter is not made for guzzling. This is a sipping beer, and is perfect for the bleak weather Binghamton seems to have every August through June. Pick it up, pour it out, drink it and let both sets of cheeks get warmed up by this awesome brew.