Heather Ales Fraoch 20th Anniversary Ale

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

Bottle. Slightly hazy orange gold with a thin white head. Aromas are woody with dry white wine and yeast. Green apple with vanilla and cream. Flavours are dry and yeast with tart green apple and lemon. Some sweet grain and caramel malts. Yeasty and champagne spritz on the finish. Reminded me of Deus. Good.

750ml Bottle (#175 of 7500): Aroma of wine, oak, fruit, light heather, light crab-apple, and a hint of whiskey. Poured amber/gold in color with a tiny, off-white head that diminished but lasted around the edges. Cloudy. Lightly sparkling. Full of tiny and small particles throughout. Good lacing. Flavor is lightly sweet and lightly tart. Tastes of oak, fruit, lambic, barnyard, light heather, light crab-apple, slight sherry, slight funk, and a hint of whiskey. Medium body. Tingly, then dry texture. Average to lively carbonation. Oak, slight funk, barnyard, fruit, finish is lightly sweet and lightly tart as well as very dry. 11%ABV is very well hidden throughout.

Aroma has some oak, sour cherry, and is nice but not particularly strong. Appearance is a color a touch above pale lagerdom, but the extremely bubbly carbonation and nice white head make the beer look pretty appealing. The taste follows the nose but is much more potent; my bottle had some oak up front followed by a pretty darn intense and tasty sour apple flavor. Somewhat creamy up front with a solid amount of body and backbone. This is a very solid beer overall, with interesting character that I wouldn’t have expected from the bottle or the description. It’s hardly beer perfection, but I am satisfied and would consider buying again/cellaring to see the future complexity.

Bottle from De Bierkoning. Hazy amber with a fine head. Appetizing vinous vanilla aroma. Definite oaky flavours, some sour notes, good dry finish. Hints of orange. Noticeable alcohol. Worthy celebration ale.

A Mes rate. Bottle at Borefts 10am day after hotel tasting.
Was expecting this to be awful for some reason. Thankfully it was pretty much the opposite. Clean amber with a thin off white head. Full of sweet fruity notes, just the right amount of barrel and erm... where the hell is the booze? Drinks like it’s half the strength. Faint tarty notes in the finish with a lingering sweetness. Good stuff.

750ml bottle @Pauls Gathering Thanks rciesla-pours an off white ring for a head and gold color. Aroma is herbal, oak, grain. Taste is herbal, oak, grain, sweet light malt, light/medium fruit.

Bottle … Clear golden ale with a mid-sized, fizzy, white head. Terrific retention. The bouquet is fruity, acidic, lightly acetic and mildly woody. Finally, at room temperature, the aromatic heather really starts to shine. Full-bodied with a milky mouthfeel and tingly carbonation. The flavor is tart, earthy and a touch tannic. Crisp, buttery finish.

750 ml bottle sampled@RBNAG 2009, Cardinal. Clear golden with a fine, small off-white head. Aroma is spicy, heather, smooth whisky and Madeira alcoholic. Flavor is sweet and rich with some acid, spicy, bitter, malty and distinct whisky. Pretty complex, rather boozy and still surprisingly easy drinkable. The alcohol is clear present, but very smooth. Nice.