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Heather Ales Ebulum

Percentile
85
overall
Brewed by Williams Brothers (Heather Ales)
Style: Traditional Ale

Alloa, Central, Scotland

bottled
common

on tap
unknown

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreABVStyle PctlServe in
5953.45/5.03.45/5.06.5%85.7Dimpled mug, English pint, Stein, Yard
Commercial Description:
Bottled. A cask version at 5.8% is produced in October and November.
"Elderberry Black Ale"
Introduced to Scotland by Welsh druids in the 9th Century, elderberry black ale was part of the Celtic Autumn festivals when the "elders" would make this strong ale and pass the drink round the people of the village. The recipe was taken from a 16th Century record of domestic drinking in the Scottish Highlands. Elderberries were used for many natural remedies to cure sciatica, other forms of neuralgia, influenza and rhumatism as they contain tannins and fruit oils.
Ebulum is made from roasted oats, barley and wheat boiled with herbs then fermented with ripe elderberries.
A rich black ale with fruit aroma, silky soft texture,soft roasted flavour and gentle finish.
Recommended with stewed and baked foods.
Drink lightly chilled from a straight glass.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 Panzerfaust (401), Santiago, Chile
3.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/102/57/103/513/20
May 19, 2007  
Bottled at Rustico Pours a very dark brown/burgundy color. Very small bubbly off-white head that leaves no lacing. Maybe it was too cold. Aroma is nice, with loads of dark fruits. Plums, prunes, elderberry?, blueberries some Syrah wine and woody touches. Enticing. Flavor is sweet-ish with acidic notes from the fruity tastes. Notes of blueberries, blackberries, prunes, plums, licorice a woody hint and an interesting finish of turkish coffee. Different. Medium body, thin but fizzy carbonation. Some alcoholic presence. Finish is acidic, fruity. Mild aftertaste. Interesting.


 beerinmarch (2800), Washington, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/515/20
May 14, 2007  
Another excellent unique brew from this brewery. Nice smooth black ale with just a light berry taste, nothing overpowering about the berry flavor, not like drinking fruit juice, just accents it well. Mild and roasty, with a light burnt chocolate note and light smokiness.


 RichardGretton (3145), Leicestershire, England
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/58/103/515/20
May 7, 2007  
Bottle. Black beer with a brown tinge and a mild head. The aroma is vinous, smoked and roasted, and the flavour is vinous, roasted and quite tart. Overall a nice strong black beer.


 mabel (2612), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/58/103/513/20
Apr 20, 2007  
[250-20070402] 330mL (c/o tuqueboy). Overpowering tangy berry aroma teases with hints of chocolate malt. Dark black brown body with a disappearing dark brown red bubbly head. Heavy chocolate malt aroma gladly strips away berry notes. Medium body. Aroma is much too heavy for overall enjoyment.


 NJBeerman013 (778), Trenton, New Jersey, USA
2.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/103/55/103/510/20
Apr 8, 2007  
Bottle. I honestly have to say, my least favorite out of the Historic Ales of Scotland sampler. Pours a deep black with a touch of purple. There was no head whatsoever. The beer was also flat, not sure if this is normal. Flavor-wise, it is a mix of cereal and overly ripe fruit. The berries are almost nonexistant, just barely living in the background. The aroma basically followed closely to the flavor. Ehh.. worth the try, but not to be had again for me.


 troysworktable (109), Washington, USA
2.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/55/102/512/20
Apr 5, 2007  
12 ounce bottle. Pours black with a tan head that quickly dissipates. The aroma is of berries of some sort and a minor hint of chocolate. I find the palate weak and watery. The primary flavors are roasted malt and smokiness. It is similar to a porter, but what skews it may be the faintest hint of berries. That faint berry flavor has a mediciny edge to it, tending toward cough syrup. This traditional ale is okay but somewhat underwhelming.


 mgermani (865), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
2.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/102/56/102/512/20
Apr 5, 2007  
Pours a dark purple-black with a quickly gone off-white head. Ferric aroma - smells like spent pennies. Pleasant flavour, dark sweet malt with just a hint of roastiness and faint hopping. Almost undetectable berry note right at the back of my throat. Very low on carb, decent body. The balance is good on this beer, but I’m looking for more presence - hops, elderberry, whatever. It’s too shy.


 smhncabot (310), Cabot, Arkansas, USA
2.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/102/57/102/512/20
Apr 3, 2007  
pours black with almost no head. smells the dark berry coca cola. taste has some roast and raisins with definitely berry throughout. mouth and finish is thin and watery. i feel this could benefit from increased body and bittering other than this is an interesting attempt.



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