Heather Ales Grozet

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

so far out of the three forth gift pack this was the worst of the lot...still have the kelpie to try. strange bland nose of musty craigmill blend of malt and some texture of wheat. shoots out and down onto the palate and sticks with a film of absolute perfume flowery taste. not what i enjoy. quite bland and uniteresting besides the daisies pushing up in my mouth.

Bottle. Pretty pleasant i suppose. Light herbal spicyness, and i guess there are some subtle hits of gooseberry. Quite dry and subtle and easy to drink.

Hazy amber body with a small, white head that faded quickly to ring. Lightly floral with a "powdery" grape and cherry aroma... like when you open a box of Jell-o instant gelatin. Sour fruit flavor with average duration and a slight metallic finish. Not bad, but if I want a fruity beer I’ll opt for a lambic.

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Cask at Bristol Beer Festival. Slightly cloudy, smooth mouthfeel. Flavour is spiced apple and dirty socks. Finish - well it kinda doesn’t finish. It just disappears and leaves you wanting more.

(11.2 oz bottle: Obtained in trade with jasonp, thanks Jason!) While the "Historic Ales from Scotland" were unique and very enjoyable, the Grozet seems quite modern in flavor and is a bit disappointing. Of course, it wasn’t part of my giftpack, so maybe it’s not supposed to be historic. I’m not usually a fan of fruity wheat beers, so that may explain it, but maybe that’s the problem -- it tastes too much like the typical fruit wheat beer. The wheat base is pretty light, but certainly evident and the mild bitterness easily breaks through from start to finish. The fruit flavor is tart and somewhat berrylike, but only mildly sweet. I’m also getting a fair amount of spice/herb in the flavor. I think part of the problem with this beer is that I don’t like how the tart berry, the spice, and the moderate bitterness from the hops interact. Tart berry aroma dominates the nose. The bottle opened with hardly any carbonation pop, but the palate is sufficiently lively. Body is light to medium, and the mouthfeel is quite clean for a fruit beer. Bright golden in color, and fully cloudy in appearance. Almost no head on the pour, quickly fading to a very thin rim around the surface, and I can count the small dots of lace on one hand. Not my thing.

Smells fresh, little head, murky coloring. Light and sprighty. Don’t know what a gooseberry tastes like so can’t say whether it’s there. Absolutely no lingering flavor or aftertaste. Similar taste to a Casta but much lighter and more enjoyable.

The second of four from the "historic ales from Scotland" giftpack. White/orangy like a weizen, with only a shy ring of dishwater bubbles. Citrusy nose, with some coriander for sure. Malty, almost cookiedough sweet on the palate, wheaty with a slightly acidic fruity finish. Just about no carbonation. Not too shabby for a primitive Hefe, but I’ll stick with the mordern version.

Pours a cloudy yellow with a small head. Smells lemony and a bit on the skunky side. Tastes very fruity with citrus, coriander and cane sugar factoring in very prominently. Has kind of a flat mouthfeel that’s hard to place. very interesting overall and worth revisiting in the spring/summer.