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Cambridge Heather Ale


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RATINGS: 6   MEAN: 3.58/5.0   WEIGHTED AVG: 3.16   SEASONAL: Summer   EST. CALORIES: 150   ABV: 5%
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COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
Herbal beer with handpicked heather flowers From out of the darkness of pre-recorded history, Heather Ale is an altogether unique brew. Originally crafted by the inhabitants of coastal Northern Europe, Scandinavia, and the Northern British Isles, fresh heather flowers and other herbs were used to balance and flavor the rustic yet sweet toasted character of the malted barley. Its brewing tradition existed long before the advent of hopped beers, and has continued, sporadically, in small rural communities for millennia. Brewed with imported Scottish floor-malted barley, fresh hand-harvested heather flowers were added to the kettle during the boil along with sweet gale and lavender, with a further addition of fresh heather and yarrow to the conditioning tanks. Each year the CBC brewstaff handpicks the fresh herbs for this beer from a field along the Atlantic Coast, and adds them into the brewkettle the very next day. The aroma and flavor are a surprising jog of ancient memory, with commingling subtle notes of heather and honey and an obscure wildflower spiciness complemented by the interplay of mild but assertive, toasty-sweet malt. Medium bodied, light amber-gold in color, with a dry finish that hints at tartness. Special thanks to our friends for their support with this year’s harvest, and to everyone at Sylvan Nurseries in beautiful Westport, MA for allowing us to harvest from their blossoming heather fields. Slainte! ~Will Meyers, Brewmaster Note: Pregnant or breastfeeding women may wish to avoid consuming this beer due to the mild medicinal nature of the herbs used in crafting this beer.


3.8
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
NobleSquirrel (2671) - Chicago, Illinois, USA - OCT 25, 2011
Draft at GABF. Pours a hazy orange-gold with a nice enough head. Nose is really herbal and nice. Great honey notes, lavender and then roasemary pine notes. Some wet bread as well. On taste, nice and mellow bitterness. Aggressive florals that are quite nice. More honey and herbal tea as well. Really great beer.

3
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 12/20
Lubiere (6988) - Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA - SEP 21, 2011
A lightly hazed orange amber ale with a very thin white head. In aroma, a nice herbaceous malt with flowery notes, a bit of caramel, and wild grass. In mouth, a smooth sweetush malt, lightly oily, with light nutty notes, herbal, not bad. On tap at brewpub, Sept. 11 2011.

3.7
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
Ernesto987 (1500) - Connecticut, USA - SEP 19, 2011
Tons of herbs and flowers on the nose. Sweet flavors, tons of herbs, flavored like a stillwater saison but with a ale style.

3.7
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
j12601 (4415) - Poughkeepsie, New York, USA - SEP 12, 2011
On tap at CBC the Saturday night after Belgian Beer Fest up in Boston. Pours a hazy amber brown with a thin white head. Floral and sweet. Nice and flowery, soft musk. A touch sweet, light funk. Soft bitterness and toast, lingering sweet floral notes with nice heather tones. Liked this a good bit.

3.6
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
bu11zeye (10165) - Frisco (Dallas), Texas, USA - DEC 3, 2010
(Draught) Pours a cloudy amber body with moderate off-white head. Aroma of heather, herbs, and rosehips. Flavor of florals, herbs, citrus, rosehips, and toasted grain with a somewhat dry finish.

3.7
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 14/20
MaBeer1972 (971) - Taunton, Massachusetts, USA - AUG 14, 2010
On tap at CBC 8/2010. This beer is a deep golden amber color with a nice floral aroma. Flavor is well balanced slightly sweet and slightly floral, but not too much so. Clean finish.


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