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Heather Ales Alba

Heather Ales Alba  - Traditional Ale

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 Percentile 
81
overall
Brewed by Williams Brothers (Heather Ales)
Style: Traditional Ale

Alloa, Central, Scotland

bottled
common

on tap
unknown

Broad Distribution
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 Ratings  Average  Score  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in 
6183.38/5.03.38/5.07.5%75.4Dimpled mug, English pint, Stein, Yard
View Statistics  P 

Commercial Description:
Bottled. A cask version at 6% is produced in March and April.
"Scots Pine Ale"
Introduced by the Vikings, spruce and pine ales were very popular in the Scottish Highlands until the end of the 19th century. Many early explorers, including Captain Cook, used spruce ale during long sea voyages since it prevented scurvy and ill health. Shetland spruce ale was said to "stimulate animal instincts" and give you twins. Alba is a triple style ale brewed to a traditional Highland recipe from Scots pine and spruce shoots pickled during early spring.Pure malted barley, is boiled with the young sprigs of pine for several hours then the fresh shoots of the spruce are added for a short infusion before fermentation.
A tawny brown strong ale with spruce aroma, rich malt texture, complex wood flavour and lingering finish.
Best drunk at room temperature from a wine goblet as an after dinner digestive.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 miketd (679), Cleveland, Ohio, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/103/515/20
Feb 6, 2008  
Bottle from trade with magic dave. Thanks Tom! Pour is a honey/amber with a tiny white head. crystal clear. Smells very sweet and bready. Maybe just a hint of pine. Flavor is slightly bitter with a hint of alcohol. Mild sweetness. Medium bodied and pretty smooth.


 dolemite77 (184), Maryville, Tennessee, USA
2.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/54/103/513/20
Feb 1, 2008  
Lower ranking than most of my beers... maybe because I’m a bit confused. Smells like blackberry or blueberry pie. Which is probably much better than my rating, but just not what I expect a beer to smell like. Don’t really taste the pine in in... which is probably good... a little too sweet for me. Worth a rate though... if you can find it.


 JohnnyOS (646), Golden, Wisconsin, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/515/20
Jan 25, 2008  
Pours dark amber with minimal head. Aroma of dark fruit, citrus and pine-sol. Flavor matches aroma nicely. Nicely done.


 Immy (1912), Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/57/103/515/20
Jan 23, 2008  
330ml bottle, best by April 09. Clear dark amber with no head. Nose is blackberry and raspberry over sweet malt with mild pine and a touch of citrus. Flavors are more berry, some herbal bitterness and a bit of pine. Rather dry finish, spicy and earthy. Damned interesting beer, and pretty drinkable.


 WeeHeavySD (2942), San Diego (Hillcrest), California, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/56/103/515/20
Jan 22, 2008  
12oz bottle from Cyn and shared with her as well. Pours orange with a tan ring. Hoppy citrus nose. Taste is strangely sweet and piney. Its hard to describe, its pleasent though and the abv is pretty nicely hidden. Nice brew.


 MrRain (416), O’Fallon, Illinois, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/104/515/20
Jan 21, 2008  
I haven’t really been too impressed with Heather Ale Ltd. beers but his is one of their better ones. It’s interesting and tasty.


 McGarnigle (303), Rochester, New York, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/513/20
Jan 19, 2008  
Bottle best before 2009; drank close to room temperature. Pours clear dark red/orange/brown. Fruity aroma. Full-ish body with low carbonation. Almost syrupy. No hops? It’s mostly malty anyway. Sweet, fruity and slightly spicy. I can’t really taste the twigs. Good beer.


Acarotibia (57), Santiago de Compostela, Spain
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/57/103/515/20
Jan 15, 2008  
Sweet pine aroma. Soft red/orange colour with soft foam. Original bitter flavor with sweet fruits in palate. Strong beer with a strong sweet palate. Take care if you drink with meal (you can kill food taste).



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