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Heather Ales Ebulum

Heather Ales Ebulum  - Traditional Ale

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 Percentile 
85
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 
5843.46/5.03.45/5.06.5%85.1Dimpled mug, English pint, Stein, Yard
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Commercial Description:
Bottled. A cask version at 5.8% is produced in October and November.
"Elderberry Black Ale"
Introduced to Scotland by Welsh druids in the 9th Century, elderberry black ale was part of the Celtic Autumn festivals when the "elders" would make this strong ale and pass the drink round the people of the village. The recipe was taken from a 16th Century record of domestic drinking in the Scottish Highlands. Elderberries were used for many natural remedies to cure sciatica, other forms of neuralgia, influenza and rhumatism as they contain tannins and fruit oils.
Ebulum is made from roasted oats, barley and wheat boiled with herbs then fermented with ripe elderberries.
A rich black ale with fruit aroma, silky soft texture,soft roasted flavour and gentle finish.
Recommended with stewed and baked foods.
Drink lightly chilled from a straight glass.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 yarry (370), Waterdown, Ontario, Canada
3.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/103/57/103/513/20
Nov 17, 2007  
330ml bottle, 6.5% a/v Pours as black, if not blacker, then Guinness with a quickly dissapating brown head. The nose is very fruity, seemingly raspberry and red wine. The flavour is red wine, oak, and roasted malt with an aftertaste of tannin rich red wine and dark chocolate.


 JesseM (661), Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/58/103/515/20
Nov 15, 2007  
Pours an almost pitch black with a tiny brown head. The aroma is of dark roasted malts, molasses, somewhat fruity, but not really. It smells exactly like a porter to be honest, which isn’t really a bad thing necessarily. The taste is pretty much the exact same as a plain porter, roasted oats/barley, very tasty, but nothing all that unique except for a touch of something fruity in the after taste, which I guess could be the "elderberries", which in general add a slightly sweet edge to the aroma and flavour. No serious traces of the wheat or the herbs that are supposedly used to brew this. the mouth-feel is slick and oily. It’s a pretty good beer, actually I’ll go out on a limb here and call this an enjoyable "porter" of sorts. It’s just nothing all that unique.


 Gpnterojd (162), Orangeville, Ontario, Canada
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/104/513/20
Nov 11, 2007  
Pours black with rich brown head. Aroma is quite sweet. Possibly some mint / menthol. Lightly toasted malts in the aroma as well. Taste is much different from what I expected. It is almost a stout. The sweetness in the aroma is absent, replaced by soft, toasted (and sour) malts. The hops provide a nice balance. Slight fruitiness is provided by elderberries. Beer is very creamy and smooth -- decent mouthfeel. Solid beer.


 TheJester (694), Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
3.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/57/103/513/20
Nov 4, 2007  
330 mL bottle. Opaque coffee-black with a thin, rapidly diminishing brown head. The mild aroma contains roast oats and something fruity which I must assume is elderberries. The flavour and body are stout-like; creamy, roast, some chocolate, and a little astringency. There is also a sweet, dark fruitiness that you don’t often taste in a stout. There is also some graininess in the mouthfeel. With a little more body, this would be really good.


JaPe (69), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/57/103/517/20
Nov 3, 2007  
The color is amazing dark dark but hold it to the light and a bright red shines through.Yummy .dark beer flavor. Very little sweet flavor to it. I taste coffee and malt not so much Elderberries . Good stuff.


 Lowe1983 (1029), Fairborn, Ohio, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/56/103/516/20
Oct 27, 2007  
Pours a darker brown color with a pinkish-tan head. Aroma is of fruit, molasses, chocolate, roasted malts, and caramel malts. Flavor starts off with just a hint of the elderberry that gives way to the roasted malts, molasses, slight coffee, chocolate, and caramel malts. Seems a little watery but not too much. Finishes dry.


 porterhouse (1148), Alna, Maine, USA
3.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/56/103/513/20
Oct 23, 2007  
(330 ml bottle (best before end 6/08) from <A HREF=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/maine/belfast/the-belfast-co-op-store/6524.htm target=blank>Belfast Co-op) Looked good on paper...Poured very dark brown with a slightly dark purplish hue. Small tannish head, also lightly-purplish tinted. Aroma is rather reserved but has quite a few elements - brown sugar, plum, raisin, grape, red wine, dark chocolate. Mouthfeel a little light, kind of fizzy, smooth. Nice light weepy rings of lace. Flavor is light semi-sweet chocolate mixed with grape and wine. A little ashy. At times tasted a bit like kids’ grape-flavored cold medicine. Fair bit of alcohol presence. Interesting but not really that good. Perhaps a little too medicinal.


 Beerdedone (1873), Croydon, Pennsylvania, USA
3.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/56/103/514/20
Oct 20, 2007  
Bottle sampled. Pours black with a small tan head. Aroma of toasted malts, raisins, elderberries, and some light hops. Flavor is medium bodied with roasted malts, dark fruit, coffee, and a hint of chocolate.



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