Heather Ales Fraoch (Bottle)

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

Bottled. I’ve got a chance here to rate an unaged bottle. A little less sugary and thick than noted below, which is to be expected. Malts are lighter, like a Vienna. Heather character doesn’t quite assert itself, but then do I even know what heather should taste like, aside from as a bittering agent?<hr> Bottle, with "Best by 2/01" date notch. Tasted 12/31/2003. Ah, a traditional Scots drink for the only holiday in the US with a Scots aspect. And an interesting brew it is. Mossy odor when I crack the bottle. Pours a hazy brown, about pale ale color, with a thin head. Taste has some sweetness without being cloying. They don’t mention if there are hops at all (don’t they need some to be allowed to call it "beer," so sweetness seems balanced by heather, giving it grassy notes and the dry finish, as advertised, plus a very faint citrusy aspect. Well-made relic of those days of auld lang syne.

Odd....Pours a dirty peach skin with a thin white head that dies quickly and leaves some lacing. Smells interesting...almost like a california common beer. Nose is earthy and uninviting with some smoked notes and sweet hops. No lack of scent here it just doesn’t smell good. Nicely carbonated. I like the initial flavor of the heather flower but something about the mid-palate I just didn’t like. Finish was lousy. Seeking more flavor on this one. Very thin mouthfeel, similar to the water I just had.

I enjoyed this beer greatly, but how much was it pure enjoyment, and how much intense curiosity of what the hell am I tasting here? Weird strong floral aroma (could be off-putting to the newcomer) followed by a strangely difficult to describe flavor followed by a slightly bitter(?) finish. I need some time with this one to figure it out.

This was a great suprise! I admit I bought this beer for the label and nothing else. The pour was a dark amber with a thin white head. The aroma was roasted malt and spicy. At first sip, the malts took over but as I finished, there was a certain spiciness to the finish.

500 ml. Hazy, beautiful burnt orange with a two-finger cap that lasts well. Slight aroma of grassy honey and caramel, then later some peat. Flavor is oddly back and forth from earthy-spicy caramel apple to dryish floral herbs. The floral component shows up more in the aftertaste. Near-medium body is smooth, dryish, and a bit tingly. This unique brew is well-crafted.

Pours gold with little head, disspating quickly. Sweet, floral spicy aroma. Malt and nut flavors with some bitterness. Fairly dry finish. Pretty good ale.

Pours golden with a nice white head. Aroma is very herbal. Flavor is fruity and earthy. Just a little thick in the swallow. Its something different but nothing to go out of your way to find.

500ml bottle from Waitrose, Twyford. Gold with a white head; fragrant floral aroma; light, sweet and malty flavour with a definite floral edge; dry finish.