Heather Ales Fraoch (Bottle)

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

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.

330ml bottle. Cloudy and thick light brown color. Full of sediment. Sweet with a mild herbal finish. Tastes mildly of honey. Very easy drinking. I had held this beer in higher regard in previous samplings, maybe this bottle is a little past it’s prime.

Very earthy aroma, some sweetness too it. Flavor was a mix of sweet caramel notes and some floral hop notes. light bodied and easy to drink yet it was kinda thick on the tongue. Really enjoyable.

Poured a dirty caramel color with the aroma and flavor of sweet mallts, flowers, yeast, caramel and wheat. Not bad.

I’ve tried to stomach this beer, but I can’t ever finish one. Tried twice. Pour looks light-medium golden and the aromas are promising: spice, grass, floral notes. I just don’t like the taste at all. My wife said "Asparagus... yech" after tasting. Dry finish. Maybe this style just doesn’t work for me. Because of the distinctive taste, it probably needs to be the first beer of the night rather than something tasted after hoppier stuff.

A hazy yellow/golden colored beer, with a nice white head. The aroma of flowers, some malts, hops, a little fruits and spices. The taste of spices like pepper and clove, fruits like orange and citrus. It’s bitter and warming. The aftertaste is also bitter and it stays warm/burning for awhile.

Beer looks like a medium-dark apple juice with a small, off-white, frothy, mostly and quickly diminishing head. The aroma is alluring—sweet, floral and fruity. It’s malty with moderate notes of sweet toasted grain and light caramel; yeasty with a trace note of sharp cheese; and full of moderately weighty miscellaneous notes of apple, lavendar, honey, white grape, and light notes of cinnamon, Vitamin B and straw. The flavor is moderately sweet, lightly bitter and moderately acidic with a moderately long, moderately acidic/tangy finish. The body is light, the texture is watery and the carbonation is lively.

Orange color with a medium sized white head. Floral, sweet malt aroma. Sweet malt taste with a touch of honey and spice. Can’t place the spice, I can only assume it’s the heather.