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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
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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?  
ales4ever (24), gilbertsville, Pennsylvania, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/104/518/20
Aug 13, 2005  
Smokey winey and piney, this ale is a wonderful look at what beer was like back in the day (Okay, at least at a nostaglic sense). This beer pours like wine is oily and complexed. The strong malt sweetness makes perfect love to the pine and spruce flavoring. Hopheads be warned this is not your thing! But if you enjoy original, and unique beers try this one out! I also recommand all the beers from Heather Ales.


 HogTownHarry (3922), Toronto (Harbourfront), Ontario, Canada
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/103/514/20
Aug 11, 2005    Updated: Sep 7, 2005
Bottle (330ml). Poured a very murky, lively amber-brown with an average very light tan tightly bubbled head. Quite a few medium and large light-coloured floaties. Aroma of sour wine, cider, yeasty moderately roasted malt, some evergreen mulch & resiny pine cones - overall quite tart. Taste is a tangy battle between fairly thick sweet roasted malts and slightly sour pine and spruce resins, with a little bit of hop tossed in to even out the finish, although that might be the pine outlasting the malt. Mouthfeel is quite thick and astringent from the "tree" components. This bottle may be a bit past its prime, but it held up well, despite the yeasties.


 JoshuaB (422), Detroit, Michigan, USA
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/57/103/513/20
Jul 28, 2005  
Dark maroon with some smallish creamy head. Lots of honey sweetness in the aroma, combined with some plantiness? Some spruce combined with some nice honey sweetness that finishes rather dry. Pretty woody aftertaste. Medium bodied. A solid and interesting brew.


 DavidP (1743), Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/58/103/514/20
Jul 26, 2005  
Hazy rust-amber body. Piney aroma with grape juice and hints of orange peel. Strong flavor of woody malt, soft spine, and spearmint gum. Miney, grapey finish with a woody dryness. An interesting fruity, dry beer. Try it!


 KAggie97 (2406), Ugly, Hot, and Humid Spring, Texas, USA
3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/56/103/511/20
Jul 18, 2005    Updated: Jul 19, 2005
Pours a thin amber with a nice head. Aroma is sweet malt and sugar. Palate is surprisingly coating for such a thin-appearance. Flavor is a weird sour cotton-candy and pine/spruce sap blend. Interesting, but one will suffice.


 awaller05 (300), Sharon, Wisconsin, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/56/103/514/20
Jul 17, 2005  
Decent beer, but not what I expected, I don’t think I would want more that a sixer of this one. A very much fruity butterscotch taste, I think. I can’t begin to explain the taste.


 SoLan (1369), Orlando, Florida, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/516/20
Jul 5, 2005  
Brown. Disappearing, creamy, off-white head. Love those chunks. Malt, pine, alcohol, and yeast aroma. Same taste with less alcohol and a touch of wood. Full body, smooth texture, lingering finish. Easy to drink yet complex. Unique brew, very good.


 TheBeerOrg (1563), Kentucky, USA
3.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/104/56/103/513/20
Jul 3, 2005  
Dark amber bordering on brown. Fully receding off-white head. Sweet aroma of blackberry, spruce, and butterscotch. Low carbonation, subdued maltiness, but lots of esters. Really fruity, not as much pine/spruce as expected. Aroma just seemed strange. Complex and interesting, but not great.



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