Heather Ales Alba 3.38 634

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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Ratings	Average	Score	ABV	Style Pctl	Serve in
634	3.38/5.0	3.38/5.0	7.5%	75	Dimpled 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.

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SDalkoholic (1198), Chula Vista, California, USA

3.7	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.7	7/10	3/5	8/10	3/5	16/20

Feb 3, 2007

Aroma is a average olfaction of a typical beer with some light spice of gigner or perhaps or some other kind of freshly cut root. Cloudy and filled with sediment. Mahogany color and has small head that started on its own as soon as i pulled the cap off. The flavor is rich in spice and has a background of bread and fruit. Kind of like a fruitcake flavor going on here, but some nice spice of ginger and touch of pine to make this a truly unique ale.

TheGrandMaster (1882), Auckland, New Zealand

3.7	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.7	8/10	3/5	7/10	4/5	15/20

Aug 13, 2008

Bottle (in NZ), pours an orange amber with a filmy head. A light perfumed aroma, piney (not surprisingly), some bubblegum, and a good whiff of that alcohol. Malty, woody and slightly medicinal palate. Fruity and smooth, this drunk very easily, dangerously so at 7.5%

crizay (1050), Brook Park (was Tampa,FL), Ohio, USA

3.7	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.7	7/10	4/5	7/10	4/5	15/20

May 16, 2006

Pours a murky reddish brown, white head. This was good, not overpowering on anything. Nice brown sugar and caramel sweetness, along with dark fruits, roasted malt, no pine though? Everything blended great and very drinkable.

jmcguire1969 (149), Lafayette, Colorado, USA

3.7	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.7	6/10	4/5	7/10	4/5	16/20

Feb 5, 2005

This is the first taste of a beer that is made without hops. I expected much more from this. I was sure that the Pine and Spruce flavors would dominate...they did not. I’m not really sure I could taste any to be frank. There is an interesting floral after taste that lingers...not sure what it is but it’s pleasant. If your a home brewer that’s interested in brewing without hops, this is certainly a beer worth spending 30 minutes chewing on.

hezron (604), Viroqua, Wisconsin, USA

3.7	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.7	7/10	4/5	8/10	3/5	15/20

Jun 22, 2005

A sweet mixture of caramel, maple and pine, then dried figs as it warms. Interesting aroma. Copper-amber with an inch tall, off-white head that things a little. Tastes just like red licorice! It is the dried fig with a pine twist. Sweet. Makes mouthes happy. Soft carbination, medium body, watery texture. I really enjoyed this one.

goozen (1102), Leiden, Netherlands

3.7	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.7	5/10	4/5	7/10	4/5	17/20

Jan 17, 2009

Bottle 0,33ltr: Dark brown ale with an taste of an Nordic Pine forest, and hints of caramel.

Magjayran (1379), Durham, North Carolina, USA

3.7	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.7	6/10	3/5	8/10	4/5	16/20

Apr 13, 2005

Pours a medium orange color. Thin head with large bubbles. Very sweet aroma with hints of malts. Not really a very piney scent. Fantastic flavor. Hints of sweet berries with some pine. Low carbonation which I think is best for an ale like this. Surprisingly good beer. I wish I could get more.

WhiteAlePower (91), Long Island, New York, USA

3.7	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.7	6/10	3/5	7/10	4/5	17/20

Apr 19, 2006

Excellent brew. Bottle. Nice deep brown colour and spicy aroma. Excellent with a plate of fish n chips.

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