Heather Ales Alba

	Percentile
	81
	overall

Brewed by Williams Brothers (Heather Ales)
Style: Traditional Ale
Alloa, Central, Scotland

bottled
common

on tap
unknown

Broad Distribution
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Ratings	Average	Score	ABV	Style Pctl	Serve in
627	3.38/5.0	3.38/5.0	7.5%	75.2	Dimpled mug, English pint, Stein, Yard

Commercial Description:
Bottled. A cask version at 6% is produced in March and April.
"Scots Pine Ale"
Introduced by the Vikings, spruce and pine ales were very popular in the Scottish Highlands until the end of the 19th century. Many early explorers, including Captain Cook, used spruce ale during long sea voyages since it prevented scurvy and ill health. Shetland spruce ale was said to "stimulate animal instincts" and give you twins. Alba is a triple style ale brewed to a traditional Highland recipe from Scots pine and spruce shoots pickled during early spring.Pure malted barley, is boiled with the young sprigs of pine for several hours then the fresh shoots of the spruce are added for a short infusion before fermentation.
A tawny brown strong ale with spruce aroma, rich malt texture, complex wood flavour and lingering finish.
Best drunk at room temperature from a wine goblet as an after dinner digestive.

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tomthompson89 (1488), Toronto, Ontario, Canada

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	7/10	3/5	7/10	3/5	16/20

Nov 2, 2006

sugary, caremel, fruity some berries, good one when its warm out, herbal intresting brew

skortila (2905), Bunnik, Netherlands

3.5	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.5	7/10	3/5	7/10	4/5	14/20

Oct 27, 2006

Aroma is fruity and caramel malty. Perhaps some ginger in it. Clear, brown coloured with a lasting, medium brown head. taste is sweet, fruity and caramel malty. Slightly sticfky finish. Quite a nice brew.

thomat (666), Göteborg, Sweden

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	7/10	4/5	7/10	4/5	14/20

Oct 23, 2006

Clear redish brown color with a small tan head. Very complex fruit, berry and herbal notes. Like walking trough a pine forest on a hot summer´s day ! Medium body wit a nice bitter-sweet finish.

Rune (2818), Tromsø, Norway

3.2	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.2	7/10	4/5	6/10	3/5	12/20

Oct 12, 2006

330ml bottle bought at Utobeer in London. Ruby red or tawny with a solid off-white head. Very nice clarity. Inviting fruity aroma. Taste of berries (strawberry), flowers and fruit (pineapple). Unusual, but quite appealing (16.09.2006).

pinkzambia (989), Boise, Idaho, USA

3.3	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.3	6/10	4/5	5/10	4/5	14/20

Oct 8, 2006

Bottle:Cloudy reddish apple cider color with no head. Aromas of spicy bananas, spruce and sweet figs. The taste is initially off-putting, something resembling furniture polish and musty rubbing alcohol. But as you get used to it it grows on you and you don’t really notice much of spruce or pine, except maybe the sap from the enhds of the spruce needles. I also noticed hints of cola and peaty scotch. The body is full and creamy. Out of these traditional ales made by Williams Brothers, this one is definitely the best.

SSSteve (2071), Atlanta, Georgia, USA

2.4	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
2.4	5/10	3/5	5/10	2/5	9/20

Oct 8, 2006

may 98 sprigs. syrupy, caramel colored pour. no head. sugary sweet tart candy flavor. nutra-sweet, medicinal. malty strawberry aroma. not sure what to think about this. very odd stuff. it became very cloying by the end of the beer. very artificial and sugary. interesting, but i don’t like it.

gnoff (3570), Göteborg, Sweden

3.4	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.4	7/10	4/5	7/10	3/5	13/20

Oct 8, 2006

(33 cl bottle at Haket, Göteborg) Clear red brown color, creamy tan head. Sweet fruity and berry-like scent. Sweet taste, chocolate wild strawberry, nice as a dessert. Raises my interest to use pine and spruce in my own ales. MEdium bitterness. Sweet aftertaste.

00cobraR (1098), Greensboro, North Carolina, USA

3.1	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.1	6/10	3/5	6/10	3/5	13/20

Oct 1, 2006

Pours a coppery color with a biege head. Aroma is very malty and kind of sweet. Flavor was a little to sweet for my liking. not to bad but something i wont drink again

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