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Heather Ales Ebulum

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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RatingsAverageScoreABVStyle PctlServe in
5893.45/5.03.45/5.06.5%85.3Dimpled mug, English pint, Stein, Yard
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?  
 mgermani (864), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
2.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/102/56/102/512/20
Apr 5, 2007  
Pours a dark purple-black with a quickly gone off-white head. Ferric aroma - smells like spent pennies. Pleasant flavour, dark sweet malt with just a hint of roastiness and faint hopping. Almost undetectable berry note right at the back of my throat. Very low on carb, decent body. The balance is good on this beer, but I’m looking for more presence - hops, elderberry, whatever. It’s too shy.


 smhncabot (310), Cabot, Arkansas, USA
2.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/102/57/102/512/20
Apr 3, 2007  
pours black with almost no head. smells the dark berry coca cola. taste has some roast and raisins with definitely berry throughout. mouth and finish is thin and watery. i feel this could benefit from increased body and bittering other than this is an interesting attempt.


 doublebock (196), USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/58/104/518/20
Apr 1, 2007  
Hybrid black/auburn appearance, slightly frothy head, Not much of an aroma. Palate is slick and multitude of flavors. Raisan and upon second swallow a sweet fruit flavor with a unique floral finish that is not as bitter as a hops


 Maria (6167), Thisted, Denmark
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/58/103/515/20
Apr 1, 2007  
Black/brown with a moderate, vanishing head. The aroma has notes of licorice and some fruits. The flavour has a lot of licorice, but I find it difficult to find the elder berries. Anyhow, it’s a very nice beer. The bitterness is low, if there at all.


 lumberjack (178), Michigan, USA
3.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/58/102/512/20
Mar 30, 2007  
Part of a 4-pack of "Historic Ales from Scotland." Bottle poured dark with lots of head. The berries are overwhelming on the nose, and they also dominate the taste up front. Towards the finish is a slight roasted taste. Almost like a weak stout. Palate is too watery. Fairly enjoyable overall.


 kramer (2448), Sunbury, Pennsylvania, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/103/515/20
Mar 28, 2007  
12 oz bottle, D’s 6-pack Pittsburgh. Pours a flat black colored body with some chestnut on the edges under a foamy one finger beige head. Nice retention and lots of lacing. The aroma is just delicious. Roast, coffee, and lots of elderberries, which pretty much smell like blueberries to me. Light chalkiness, dark chocolate, and light alcohol notes. The flavor is quite fruity with a juicy elderberry presence. There’s a roasty, almost stout-like base, but this is really a fruit beer at heart. Mouthfeel is slick and silky with moderate fine fizzy carbonation. Nice medium body. A very interesting beer. Actually my second elderberry beer this week, and I must say this one had a much more aggressive fruitiness. Nice stuff.


 Cletus (5051), Connecticut, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/104/516/20
Mar 26, 2007  
Pours brown with a light brown head that dissipates to a thin ring of bubbles pretty quickly. Amells of elderberries, chocolate, peppery and nuts. Tastes of elderberries, sweet malt, some spice and a peppery lasting finish. Mouthfeel is velvety on this one. This brewer really does a good job with their offbeat brews.


 mephisto (1144), Taiwan
3.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/56/104/512/20
Mar 22, 2007  
my favorite heather ale, it is pitch black with brown head. caramel aroma, it has nutty flavor and is well balanced.



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