Heather Ales Ebulum

Brewed by Williams Brothers (Heather Ales)
Style: Traditional Ale
Alloa, Central, Scotland

330ml bottle, now to be found at Vinmonopolet in Norway. Roasted malt is the central hallmark of this ale. Pitch black in colour. Small, brownish foam. Burnt grainy aroma. Roasted flavour of dark malts with blend of chocolate and coffee. I’m not familiar with the taste of elderberry, but it might well be the dark berries that appears discreet in the background. Yeasty and bittersweet end. Smooth and rather crispated (04.11.2006).

Bottle. Black colour with a light brown head. Aroma is alcohol, elderberry, fruit, spices. flavour is elderberry,fruit, spices,alcohol,roasted.

almost black colour some beige head, carbonated nice malts on the nose, chocolate biscuit and raisiny fruits

Bottled. Dark brown with a reddish hue and a tan head. Fruity and roasted aroma with raisin and berries. The flavor has roasted malt, berries, prunes, coffee-notes and spices. Medium body and a sweetish finish. Interesting beer. Rating: 6-4-7-3-14-3.4. (061013)

Bottle. It pours a small, beige head over a really dark brown body. There’s licorice, caramel, heavily roasted malts, some oxidation-like notes and a berryish, fruity touch I guess comes from the elderberries. Slight sourness too. It’s full-bodied and nicely carbonated, but there’s a watery feeling when swallowing. Some warmth from the alcohol as well. Roasted, caramel-sweet, slightly sourish (in a pleasant way) flavor with dried fruits, licorice, berries, alcohol and a hint of oxidation. Lasting, warming finish with roasted malts, licorice, dried fruits and a pleasant bitterness. A nice one, not a sipper, not a quaffer, and quite tasteful. Maybe a bit warm though. (090616)

Pours muddy dark yellow. Elderberry aroma. The taste is equally berry-like with light bitterness. Quite full bodied.

From a 12oz Bottle. Dark black, opaque colored pour with a thin layer of creamy beige froth resting on top. Aromas of creamy chocolate, anise, black currants, and dried prunes create a malty bouquet with a dash of fruitiness. Thin, light bodied, crisply carbonated mouthfeel. Pleasant flavors of toasted malts reveal hints of chocolate, crispy toast, biscuit, and some more prune. Some black licorice lingers on in the final smack. The amount of flavor depth seems to be a bit rich for the light body, but at the same time, fails to be overly complex. Tasty and well balanced overall, but nothing mind blowing here.

Bottle from Holiday Wine Cellar: Black with burgandy highlights held up to a flash light. Aroma is dark chocolate with berries and black cherry. Flavor starts light coffee and cocoa with a hint of berries and a lighty acidic finish. Medium bodied and watery with moderate to lively carbonation.

This is quite reminiscent of a merlot. A liver cleanser, for sure.... (got that from the distributor....hehehehe... take it for what it’s worth). Pours black mocha into the glass, with a thinly suds head and lacing. The nose is of semi-sweet dark choco malts, alongside cherry fruit. The flavors are of mixed chocolates, dark fruity citrus, and vinous notes (in the form of tannins). The merlot (vinous) mouthfeel really kicks in on the finish, as the tannins show forth big time. Nicely dry back-palate, really accenting the entire brew. Good offering here. Not my session pick, but definitely a unique choice on occasion. (Probably would be better suited as a different classification... something other than "Traditional Ale".... not entirely a proper classification). Anyhoo, Kudos!