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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Gusler (2655), Tucson, Arizona, USA

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	7/10	3/5	7/10	4/5	15/20

Sep 8, 2002

Pours a cloudy rusty red, the minimal head is light beige, the lace is light. Nose, yes a hint of spruce/pine, malt, fruity sweet. Front is malt, lightly sweet, the top thin, the finish is very dry, lightly carbonated, and mildly hopped, yet a hint of alcohol bitterness lingers in the aftertaste. Everything tells me I should not like this beer? I do like it?, different and well worth the hunt. Ranks #579 on my current 1000 beer master list.

Ida7999 (105), Milford, Massachusetts, USA

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	8/10	3/5	7/10	3/5	15/20

Feb 22, 2003

- slightly cloudy light brown color, no head, aroma is very sweet and fruity, but has some hints of earthy/woody character, piney; flavor is very different and must be attributed to the pine and spruce, also slightly sweet, earthy and woody, initially sweet on the tongue but becomes more woody especially in the aftertaste, very light hoppy-bitterness, smooth palate

Slick (1962), Thief River Falls, Minnesota, USA

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	7/10	3/5	8/10	3/5	15/20

Jul 5, 2004

Dark amber/brown color,small head that faded quickly and left nothing behind.The aroma was malty and piney with the flavor being much the same with a decent pine flavor coming through,with that flavor kind of hanging on the pallate for a short while.The hops are hard to detect through the spruce,but over all i’d have to say this is what i was going for when i did my spruce homebrew,although my brew didn’t come out as well as this one.Very nicely done brew that is well worth trying again.

motelpogo (4399), Plzen, Czech Republic

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	7/10	4/5	7/10	4/5	14/20

Feb 3, 2007

on cask at berlinerbierfest06. reddish brown, spicy, gooseberry aroma. alcohol shows but is quite warming, lightly prickly and some pleasant lacic sourness.

elnadeau (786), Laguna Niguel, California, USA

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	7/10	3/5	7/10	3/5	16/20

Nov 7, 2005

Hazy amber with medium off-white head, aroma is somewhat sweet earthy malt. Taste is complex, with fruit, caramel, peat, nut and wood overtones. A distinctive and interesting creation.

Ringo (959), Loveland, Colorado, USA

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	7/10	3/5	8/10	3/5	15/20

Feb 27, 2002

I thought this was the best of the heather ales offerings until I had the Elderberry Ale. This is pretty good, it stands on its own as a decent ale. The pine is the most noticable additive of all of the heather ales series.

ToadMan (554), Washington, Washington DC, USA

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	7/10	4/5	7/10	4/5	14/20

May 8, 2004

Medium amber color with a small head. Unusual aroma that is malty, sweet and spruce. Sweet woody flavor with tones of an unsusual pineyness. Deffinatly an unusual beer, good but not great, deffinatly a different experience.

Odin (123), Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	6/10	4/5	7/10	5/5	14/20

Jun 14, 2002

Wasn’t expecting much from this and was pleasantly surprised with the sprucey taste. The aftertaste reminded me of Tootsie Rolls. Not an every day ale, but very good for a change.

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