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Heather Ales Fraoch (Bottle)

Percentile
66
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
8303.21/5.03.2/5.05%51.5Dimpled mug, English pint, Stein, Yard
Commercial Description:
Bottle: Filtered
Brewed in Scotland since 2000 B.C. heather ale is probably the oldest style of ale still produced in the world. From an ancient Gaelic recipe for "leann fraoich" (heather ale) it has been revived and reintroduced to the Scottish culture.
Into the boiling bree of malted barley, sweet gale and flowering heather are added, then after cooling slightly the hot ale is poured into a vat of fresh heather flowers where it infuses for an hour before being fermented.
A light amber ale with floral peaty aroma, full malt charachter, a spicy herbal flavour and dry wine like finish.
Recommended with rich and Spicy foods.
Drink slightly chilled from a fluted glass.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 vyvvy (2023), Hazelwood, Missouri, USA
3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/55/104/512/20
Aug 19, 2006  
Shared with Beerdrenched. Pours orange with a white head. Aroma has nutmeg, butterscotch and a honey-like sweetness. Starts off sour with nutmeg - slightly medicinal with the honey sweetness. This is a medium bodied beer that is very smooth with gentle carbonation (best thing about the beer). The finish has much of the same that was in the taste with more medicinal aspects. It gets more tolerable further down the glass, but still not something I’ll buy again.


 ALLOVATE (1126), Perth, Australia
2.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
4/102/56/102/512/20
Aug 17, 2006  
Couldn’t find any attraction to this one. Actually expected a lot more than what was delivered. From the bottle. Pours a clear, golden bronze with no head and alarmingly big bubbles that clung firmly to the side giving it the appearance of lucozade. Very distant aroma of wild heather, rusted car bodies and wood. In the mouth it’s quite thin and seemingly watery with a heady fizz to it. Flavour has again distant heather notes with some light chamomile, dull malts, oak, stale hops and dried flower petals. Quite dull, nothing exciting yet it seems quite soothing. Finish has a tinge of salt and honey with more dried herbs set to linger just long enough to dry it out. Overall it wasn’t bad, but it just doesn’t sit right on the palate and lacks the feel of a good traditional Ale. (33cL, Morrison’s, Bayswater, London)


 AlKHall (161), West Hartford, Connecticut, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/56/103/515/20
Aug 11, 2006  
Very Interesting beer. Stong Floral - Herbal aroma and flavor. Pours hazy orange - copper from the bottle with a minimal head. some unique flavors in this one I cant identify. that must be the heather without the hops. some swallows were a little acidic, but most were malty, floral and dry.


 Terminus (1955), Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA
3.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/56/104/513/20
Aug 11, 2006  
bottle-thanks to vyvvy for sharing. clear orange with a soapy white head. nose is funky, moldy grapes, cardboard and musty earthyness. peat moss? honeydew, mellons and vegetal notes on the flavors. the veg here is over-the top and really becomes detracting. palate is soft with nice carbonation. not my thing


 Sigmund (2273), Hafrsfjord, Norway
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/104/514/20
Jul 22, 2006  
330 ml bottle, bought at Mahlers Vinhandel, Frederikshavn, Denmark. My first heather ale. Cloudy honey coloured, moderate head. Nice aroma of heather flowers and heather honey, notes of earth, peat and fresh sea air too. Flavour is earthy and moderately herbal, but not quite as exciting as I hoped - still good, though. Mouthfeel is maybe a bit thin, the beer is fairly dry but some heather honey notes shine through. A moderate herbal bitterness in the aftertaste.


 dwedin (238), Portland, Oregon, USA
2.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/102/56/103/511/20
Jul 17, 2006  
Pours orange with small disapearing head. Not much aroma but a little honey, woody earthy smell. Stale orange citrus flavors with a smooth palate. Very herbal dry flavors. Very different any other beer I’ve had.


 Miksu (2215), Jyväskylä, Finland
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/56/103/513/20
Jul 15, 2006  
Bottle. Copper-amber color with medium head. Extraordinary flowery aroma with sweet honey, herbs, light acidity and strawberry. Dryer, flowery and woody flavor. A bit flat flavor after such an intriguing aroma.


 lethe (168), Stony Brook by way of Cincinnati, New York, USA
3.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/55/104/513/20
Jul 5, 2006  
Transparent orange pour with medium white head offers a floral nose of some spice and pepper that is mostly dry. Palate is rather nice actually, with a silken touch to it. Flavor is, alas, a bit bland with the flower/heather quality distinct throughout. It just comes off a bit thin and unremarkable. Enjoyable as homage, but less than captivating as brew.



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