Skull Splitter

September 2, 2008

Now there is a beer that does not live up to its name. After all, my skull has not split. Perhaps it became politically correct by the time it reached the North American east coast. This beer is far away from its Scottish home. It was brewed by the Orkley Brewery. If you were like me and thought that Orkley is just a name of some brewery then you are wrong. Orkley is actually a set of islands off the coast of Scotland (Orkley Islands). Here’s what the bottle has to say about them:

A small group of Islands off the northern tip of Scotland, shrouded in magic and mystery, was the home of Thorfinn Hausakluif (Skullsplitter) 7th Viking Earl of Orkley around 1000AD.

I call it beer, but it actually is a very strong ale with 8.5% alcohol content. Thanks to Hollywood I picture Vikings as these crazed warriors on ships and land (although I’m sure they were normal people), so it came with no surprise to me when I discovered that the beer is slightly more bitter then Guiness and has red looks to it. As a side note, I think everyone should know that while Columbus opened Americas to Europe, the Vikings were the first Europeans to map the North American land (Wikipedia).

Skull Splitter must have beer produced before refrigeration was invented because it tastes great even warm. This is true for most beers coming from the United Kingdom, although chilling generally significantly improves the taste of those beers. This is not the kind of beer you’d want to drink at or bring to parties.  The alcohol content is pretty high, not good for light weights. When drinking it feels light and refreshing, but don’t be fooled it’s a dark and filling beer. The after taste will persist for sometime. From what I understand most people prefer water like qualities for parties. No, this one is not for some mindless party. This one is for settling in front of a TV after a long day and enjoying its very rich taste.

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