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Heather Ales Alba

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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RatingsAverageScoreABVStyle PctlServe in
6223.39/5.03.38/5.07.5%75.1Dimpled mug, English pint, Stein, Yard
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?  
 KAggie97 (2420), 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 (1411), 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 (1568), 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.


 DragonStout (1380), Pataskala, Ohio, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/55/104/514/20
Jun 28, 2005  
Pop the cap and it smells like a pine forest.Poured brown with a small head.Flavors of nuts and pine.It was like i was licking the floor of the forest.It was average.The finish was piney.


 MilkmanDan (1940), Eagan, Minnesota, USA
3.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/56/103/513/20
Jun 25, 2005  
Hazy ruby-mahogany, thin off-white head. Nose pine, toffee, butterscotch, some yeast and spice. Not the flavor I was expecting, sort of a fig/berry thing going on, kind of sweet, some yeast, bit of woodiness, then a bit of pine. Odd stuff.


 brentfeesh (1036), Gadsden, Alabama, USA
1.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
4/102/54/102/57/20
Jun 23, 2005  
Best before 4/2005. Pours a murky brown-amber color, with some chunks. A strong sweetness greats your nose (and not is the best of ways). Fruit, cotton candy, and caramel mostly (all crammed together). I suppose you could say spruce but that’s only an afterthought. Alcohol also. Very odd. The flavor is syrupy caramel and flat cola flavors. Pine is an afterthought/taste. No hop presence. Negligible carbonation and a thinner body than I expected (I thought it would be chewy-not watery). All and all this was not a pleasant brew. I felt cheated by the concept of the pine (which was not present) and the execution of the overall beer was poor. A conglomeration of nastiness.


 jasonp (1509), Sterling/Dulles, Virginia, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/58/103/514/20
Jun 22, 2005  
Pours a slightly cloudy amber red with a thick off-white head. Aroma of berries and a hint of pine. Flavor has notes of tropical fruits, strawberries, cherry, apple, berries, cinnamon and a tiny bit of pine. Pleasantly sweet, not really any bitterness. Alcohol content very well-hidden. Pretty complex. Medium body, very smooth texture with very subtle carbonation. Good head retention. Neat stuff.



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