Heather Ales Fraoch (Bottle)

330ml Bottle shared with French Tickler. Clear golden apperance with a bubbely white head. Aroma: orange, chocolate and honey. Flavor: orange, watery and light pepper taste. Palate: light body and soft carbonation with an oily finish.

this is one of those beers that i’ve been looking for for ages, not even because i really thought i would like it, but because i wanted to have tasted it (in case someone brings it up in conversation and i don’t have an opinion prepared). and now i have. my opinion? hops in beer is an instance of progress being a good thing. honey, peppermint and pleasant maltiness, slight gingery or peppermint hotness, but empty in the finish where the hops should go.

A- Cloudy, dark orange/honey hue, head is small, off-white, and bubbly that is mostly sustained, very thin lacing S- Nose is dominated by floral tones (including heather of course), sweet spicecake, herbs, subtle malts, other slight fruits/berries, hints of peppermint/candy cane T- Initial taste is sweet herbs and flowers along with wheat and grain, opens up to allspice, earthy tones, and tea leaves, finishes sweet and dry M- Light/medium bodied, watery texture, tickly carbonation D- This is definitely a unique beer, I have never have a ’Scottish Gruit’ before (even though I was born in Scotland), it is almost like a cross between wheat wine/winter warmer/fruit beer, but the floral spices are overly potpourri-ish which is tough to handle in large amounts (one bottle was enough for me), very original and quite balanced, the taste is a little too out there for a repeat performance

Ambler look in color. OK head. Nice smell almost like an old ale slightly flowery but more heavily of scottish malt. Taste is lacking and seems watered down.

Pours dark golden, citrus, grainy, floral, malty, little honey, slight spice, dry finish.

Pours decent deep golden with an off white halo of a head. The nose is solid with some citrus, malt and corn like grain along with floral notes. The flavor is very much the same with less complexity, but an interesting honey influence there as well.

11.2 oz brown bottle with freshness date notched on label (Aug 09). Appearance: Clear, pale golden with hues leaning more amber. Slight carbonation, large bubbles, and almost no head. Just a slight white ring around the edge. Nose: Sweet maltiness, orchids or some large wet flowers, clover honey, sweet rolls. Palate: Very soft carbonation, and an initial tartness. Hot crossed buns come to mind, at a kitchen table set with a floral bouquet. I imagine this tastes like heather (never experienced heather on it’s own), and I get that clover honey note again. There is an odd maltiness, odd only because there’s not much heft to the body, but the malt shows through in a large flavor way. Notes: All in all, a very interesting and enjoyable beer. A warm Spring day in the sun having an outdoor lunch would be the ideal setting for this beer. In a dark dreary pub in the dead of winter, this beer would be out of place. A food beer, maybe with camembert or better yet, Shy Brothers Farm Hannahbells...!

it is earthy and has good flavors though the components of herbs and heather are light flavor, as i find it. herbal and spicy indeed and a hop character that is just about hidden as it would be. still quite pleasant with peat (more of a thought) than a strong flavor this is good refreshing beer and possibly the water gives it that memorable clean and sweet component.