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Score
8784
OVERALLStyle
Brewed by Williams Brothers (Heather Ales)
Style: Traditional Ale
Alloa, Scotland

bottled
common

on tap
available

Broad Distribution

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RATINGS: 760   WEIGHTED AVG: 3.37   EST. CALORIES: 225   ABV: 7.5%
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.

3.1
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 13/20
michael-pollack (4538) - King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, USA - JAN 16, 2009
330ml Bottle: Aroma of yeast, honey, slight chocolate, light caramel, and NO spruce. Poured orange/amber with a hint of brown in color and a tiny off-white head that disappeared immediately. Hazy. Not sparkling. Flavor is lightly sweet and lightly bitter. Tastes of caramel, malts, slight chocolate, slight wood, spruce, yeast, and caramel. Medium body. Syrupy, then dry texture. Soft to average carbonation. Sweet, caramel, light yeast finish is dry.

3.3
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 12/20
PaulHegedus (505) - Ontario, CANADA - JAN 15, 2009
Bottle. This is amber red with little in the way of a head, poured in a snifter. It really smells wonderful, dominated by candy cane sugar, taffy, pine, watermelon candy, some faint hints of honey; the pine is not dominant in the least. It has a very sweet flavour, less interesting than the aromas. I taste something like caramel apple and then some very herbal elements, pine leading to light raisin and nut.

3.2
   AROMA 5/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 14/20
stevebail (17) - Guelph, Ontario, CANADA - JAN 12, 2009
330ml bottle from Scottish Traditional Ales gift pack. Sweeter aroma than I generally like, but I was pleasantly surprised by the flavour

3.7
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 15/20
marctacoma (35) - Fircrest, Washington, USA - JAN 11, 2009
330ml bottle. Strong, delicious pine/spruce nose. Small head, pours deep brown. Sweet pine at first, and then a wonderful, subtle roasted malt flavor. Delicious.

3
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 12/20
HonkeyBra (2217) - Lemont, Illinois, USA - JAN 3, 2009
From the "Ales of Scotland" set. Light amber pour, piney aroma. It really tastes like pines and not piney hops but actually pine tree. It’s interesting but nothing I’d drink regularly. Very much like gin.

3
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 11/20
Ron (1574) - Rochester, New York, USA - DEC 27, 2008
Pours cloudy orange with a lacing and a off-white head. Aroma has roasted malt, light and fruity. Spiced flavor,possibly from a pine tree. Ends with a caramel flavor and a smooth chocolate note. One of my Christmas presents from my wife.

3.1
   AROMA 4/10   APPEARANCE 2/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 14/20
cyrenaica (745) - Milton, Ontario, CANADA - DEC 24, 2008
330ml bottle
6.5% ABV
I tried this beer on December 14, 2008 after purchasing a 4 pack of "Historic Scottish Ales" from one of my local LCBO outets. The beer poured an transparent muddy brown colour with a short-lived thin head. The aroma was very weak, but there were hints of sweet malt. The mouthfeel was medium bodied, and midly carbonated. The flavour was bitter, and sweet. Hints of both spruce and pine come through with the malt. The ingredients do not list hops on the bottle - interesting.

2.9
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 5/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 11/20
ghawener (1220) - San Salvador, EL SALVADOR - DEC 22, 2008
Bottle: Part of the Heather Ales sample pack, interesting all the different flavours theses beers have, the Alba is truly piney, with a sweet pine needle taste.


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Rating Notecard:
Beer: Heather Ales Alba Rating Avg: 3.37 No. of Ratings: 760
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