Heather Ales Fraoch (Bottle)

Pours an apple juice color with hardly any head. Aroma is mainly flowery maltyness. Fairly thin and light. Seems watered down almost. Earthy malt touch, slight herbal aspect. Bit appley, with a later nutty toffee-like sweet hint. Has a light finish. Too thin, not impressive. If the flavors were fuller and the finish was more apparent it would be much better.

12 oz bottle

I picked this up on clearance at Woodman’s for $1.49. That is about what I feel it is worth - it was pretty good for a traditional ale but there is a reason that I do not actively seek out more of this style. It’s not bad but at the same time it does not have anything exciting going for it. If you find it on sale give it a try but don’t pay much more than $2 for it.

Aroma / Appearance - The pour resulted in a copper colored body that let much of the light trickle through it. It was extremely flat with no carbonation or head. Hints of sherry, white wine, vanilla and almonds compose a sweet nose which is not very strong at all.

Flavor / Palate - The first sip was a very weak combination of cherries and honeydew melon. Faint floral notes highlight a semisweet mouthfeel that tastes more like a white wine than a beer to me. Another possible similarity is to unsweetened iced tea. There might be a hint of spiciness but on the whole this was very bland. I am glad to have tried it but so far I have yet to find a traditional ale that makes me want to come back for more other than Hair of the Dog Adam. That one is hard to come by in Wisconsin though.

Pous a sparkling orangey-golden with clarity and a small, fizzy, white head which does not stick around. Nose is definately floral in charcter with a toasty, bready, yeasty note, maybe even a litlle minty. Flavor is similar, minty, toasty, bready, spicy, with still the floral herbal charcter found throughout. Bitterness is moderately low and balanes well; finish is dry with the flavors just falling ghostly out of the picture. Palate is fitting, soft, medium to low, and dry. For what the beer is, it does very well. But, I don’t find it to my tastes and would not buy again.

Usually don’t comment on this, but it’s a pretty neat looking label and the beer pours beautifully. Not much on the nose, and the mouth feel is a little thin for my liking, otherwise a much higher rating would be in order.

The aroma has a distinctive floral character and the color is a golden with a white head. The flavor is much like that of a flower petal, somewhat characteristic of edible orchids. This is balanced with some maltiness and a bit of hoppish spiciness. The finish is smooth.

I really liked this beer, and it could be a great everyday beer. In fact, I think that I could drink it all day long, like iced tea. Aroma of honey, wildflowers, spice and a hint of licorice. Tasted a bit like iced tea beer. You notice that it has no hops. Special thanks to my wife, Peggy, aka Quillaraymi, for bringing this beer down from Atlanta.

Bottle:Cloudy gold with a small white head. Sweet and fruity herbal tea aromas abound in this "traditional" brew. The taste is equally sweet with a herbal malty finish. I also notice some peppermint, peat moss and ginger. It’s a nice idea to get back to the ancient brewing practices, but let me just say that I am glad to be alive in 2006 in the Northwest where hoppy IPA’s abound. I don’t know how someone could drink stuff like this on a regular basis.

This beer has a kind of ice tea, hoey flowery spice favor. Very nice beer that could be drink anytime with anything.