Heather Ales Ebulum

Heather Ale Ebulum Elderberry Black Ale 12 oz bottle Medium pour in an English Pint Best before 02/08, picked 12/06 Poured a dark mahogany with a small frothy somewhat lasting light brown and slightly pink head with a tiny ring of lacing. Smelt of moderate dark chocolate, dark berries, brown sugar, roasted burnt malt, vanilla. Taste was upfront moderate dark roasted malt and coffee bitterness, light dark chocolate, fruit and vanilla sweetness, and some tartness followed by a moderate to strong dark bread bitterness and dark chocolate sweetness and faint Elderberry essence on a long finish. Palate was medium bodied, slightly creamy, lively carbonated, with moderate astringency. Overall, the aromatics of the elderberries are there but subtle, overtaken by the rich nature of the darker malts. Satisfying.

330 ml bottle. Dark brown, almost black. Thick light brown coloured head that clings to the glass. Rich, slightly sharp, roasted aroma. Not your typical stout, but there is also a vegetable/fruity character. Roasted flavours at first, but mellows into something more soft and drying. Rich flavours with quite a bit of sweet malts. Quite bitter, particularly in the finish.

330ml bottle - pours an almost black, with minimal carbonation leaving a small, bubbly off-white head. Lightly tart aroma contains a scent not dissimilar to berry tea, along with some dark malt. More berries in the flavour, with the roasted malt more pronounced. There’s nothing intrusively sweet about it this, which is nice. There’s a bitter, sour character in the flavour actually, specifically towards the finish. This sourness (presumably from the tart quality of the elderberries) grows in intensity as the glass warms. An interesting and quite complex ale.

Bottle. Near black with a glimse of red shining through. Proper brownish head. Pleasant aromas of both fresh and acidic fruits and dark roasted malts. I could not actually recognize the elderberry-flavors, but taste is anyhow very pleasing; slight tart, roasted, with notes of caramel. Medium hopbitterness. Low on carbonation. Medium body. Slight dry and sour finish. A nice one.

Bottle 0,33l. Dark red/black coloured. A brownish head that settles in a couple of minutes. Inviting aroma of burned malt. A rich and soft flavour of coffee and roastedness. Lasting bitter and sourish aftertaste - leaving you with a dry bitterness after a while.

[Bottled] Dark brown colour, almost black with a hint of ruby. Off-white head. Soil and juniper in aroma - somewhat like what Gin might sell. Smooth mouthfeel. Deep flavour with hints of caramel, little chocolatey with notes of juniper. I don’t really sense the elderberries. Long flavour and a bit vineous. Might be a touch of raisins as well.

Pours the color and consistency of weakish, black coffee with some fairly large floaties and a wispy head & halo. Elderberry (which I’ve never experienced first-hand) comes off as a woodsy, pineish berry with hints of eucalyptus. Additional touches of cherry and green grapes with notes of coffee and alcohol. Flavor finds more of a piney, menthol flavor than any type of "berry", while the finish is weak, dirty bitterness.

<font size=-4>Single bottle from <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/illinois/palatine/dobby’s-worldwide-liquor/5496.htm>Dobby’s Worldwide Liquor, Palatine, IL 60067</font>

Poured a deep black with a whispy white head like a porter or stout. Aroma is a bit of a let down, malty and sweet and slightly fruity and floral but nothing strong. Flavor is very pleasing and refreshing. Initial sip provides malt, fruity, salty and nuts. Oily and full in the mouth.