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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
8363.21/5.03.2/5.05%51.7Dimpled 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?  
 abemorsten (119), Norway
2.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
3/103/54/103/511/20

Oct 26, 2009  
Clear and light golden with a small fizzy white head. Honey, bubble gum, herbs, heather, broth and sweat on the nose. Honestly not very inviting. Sweet in the mouth with light acidity and bitterness. Floral and hoppy hints. Light to medium bodied, dry texture and soft carbonation. Tastes better than it smells, but no masterpiece.

 Allen (1373), Switzerland
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/57/104/514/20
Dec 1, 2009  
Bottled 50cl. Fruity spicy aroma with gooseberry, hops, butter, caramel, honey and heather showing up. Very smooth palate. Good hop profile in the tatse. Peanuts and honey sneaking in. Hints of gooseberry. Complex. Decent bitterness. Subtle reminiscence of heather in the finish. Good. I like the taste better than the nose.


 wheresthepath (547), Buckinghamshire, England
3.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/102/512/20
Nov 29, 2009  
[500ml bottle, gift from Maureen & Dave - cheers!] Poured a hazy amber-orange, with a moderate off-white head. Smells of lemon and metal. Taste initially floral; honey comes through with orange, followed by a dry, peppery finish. Pleasant enough, but there was something here that made my stomach uneasy. Preferred it on cask.


 OleR (2068), Oslo, Norway
2.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/56/102/512/20
Nov 24, 2009  
Bottle@Cardinal, Stavanger. A fingerthick layer of offwhite bubbles, resting on a pilsner golden body. Aroma is grainy, lightly toasted, minty and herbal. Dryish, grainy flavor, with some peaty sourness Notes of spices and herbs. Feels rather diluted in the mouth. Dry, herbal, light acidic finish. A quite interesting beer, a bit thin though.


 fredthecat (192), Canada
3.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/102/56/104/513/20
Nov 23, 2009  
malty, cocoa like smell, light marmelade, cooked sugar. its slightly hazy, golden with a small, loose head. harsh taste, very flavourful, hard to pin down, maybe like green tea, general fruity, grapes or watermelon. juicy feel, light. very interesting and cant wait to try the dark, presumably heavier ones from this brewery.


 sound67 (203), Offenbach, Germany
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/104/514/20
Nov 23, 2009  
33cl bottle, part of a gift set of 4 "Historic Ales", all from Scottish Williams Bros. brewery. Pours a wee-hazy yellow golden with a medium white head that collapses mighty quickly but leaves generous lacing. Aroma of herbal spices (not sure about "heather"), raspberry and yeast. Definitely different from a regular lager. Medium-bodied pale blonde with active carbonation and good, earthy mouth feel. Herbal and flowery notes feature strongly in the taste, evidence that the pre-fermenting mixing with heather flowers works. There’s a refreshing hoppy dryness about this beer that nicely balances the wee-sweetish flowery taste. Bitterness increases towards the middle, the finish is dry. After taste, again, offers lingering herbal and flowery notes. Thank God the whole thing doesn’t taste like perfume or soap! An intriguing, very different (in a good way) lager-ish beer that’s both characterful and refreshing. Well-balanced, sessionable. Good work!


 machfive55 (231), Columbia, Pennsylvania, USA
3.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/56/102/512/20
Nov 22, 2009  
Poured hazy light amber with one finger head that dissipates quickly. The aroma was orange with sweet syrupy notes and a hint of raisin. Flavor was light and fruity with raspberry and orange notes and honey. The palate was light with little body. Overall a decent session beer with high sweetness, not bad but nothing strange or crazy.


 tnkw01 (197), Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/56/103/514/20
Nov 20, 2009  
Bottle. Beer smell not as floral as one would think. Taste is pleasant but has a somewhat soapy after taste. Rather refreshing. Good beer.


rakkasan (80), Bresso, Italy
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/57/103/514/20
Nov 15, 2009  
bottle - pours light amber with small white head. Very flowery aroma with a hint of cranberry juice and malt. I seemed to detect a very faint minty herbal essence in the taste followed by floral tones and more malt, lightly bitter finish. Interesting brew.



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