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Score
9193
OVERALLStyle
Brewed by Williams Brothers (Heather Ales)
Style: Traditional Ale
Alloa, Scotland

bottled
common

on tap
available

Broad Distribution

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RATINGS: 717   WEIGHTED AVG: 3.44   EST. CALORIES: 195   ABV: 6.5%
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.

4.8
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 20/20
Macbeerboy (2) - Whitby, Ontario, CANADA - DEC 23, 2004 does not count
St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout was my favourite beer until I tired this one. Oh God this is good stuff. It is surprisingly light and the flavour is rich. It’s too bad it is only around for the Christmas season at the LCBO. It’s also too bad that it is so expensive. It comes with 3 other traditional ales at a little over $13.00. Still it is worth it.

4.7
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 19/20
davidm (1247) - Melbourne, AUSTRALIA - JAN 3, 2011
Bottle 330ml. Exceptional. Aromas of plum, chocolate, and a hint of pine. Taste is sweet, with bitter bites, and very long length. Palate is almost creamy, with a medium-to-full body. Dark brown, with a head that doesn’t last.

4.5
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
SanfordBrewer (1206) - Sanford, Florida, USA - DEC 11, 2009
UPDATED: DEC 12, 2009 (br-btl bk-lbl, mix pack)
opq-bk, chunky-tan-head,

aroma: sweet dark(chclt/bk/scottish)-malt yeasty §fruity,

taste:
T1 sour-elderberry §chrd-malt
T2 chclt-malt earthy
T3 roasted leafy-hop
Tf §chrcl-bitter,
^drinkable, session, ^balanced, ^smooth

4.5
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 18/20
mikeben (355) - Naperville, Illinois, USA - APR 9, 2004
UPDATED: JUN 12, 2004 Good stuff. It tasted like what I imagine a smoked beer would taste like. It tastes roasted with a fruit undertone. I don't know if it tastes like elderberrys as I never had one. I will say it is something very different and worthy.

4.5
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 19/20
khayman70 (154) - Indianapolis, Indiana, USA - DEC 18, 2002
I loved the flavor of this strange dark brew. It almsot has a burnt flavor.

4.5
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 18/20
KAggie97 (3170) - Ugly, Hot, and Humid Spring, Texas, USA - JAN 15, 2005
Pours like a thick root beer. The smell is of thistle in a quaint Scottish garden, and the taste is of the rugged Highland earth. Smoky with a slight hint of peat moss initially, followed by the subdued sweetness of elderberry. Awesome. (Whenever I hear ’elderberry,’ I always think of Monty Python for some strange reason... Hmmm. Wonder why.)

4.4
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 18/20
MrRain (472) - St. Louis, Missouri, USA - NOV 9, 2003
Wow! Great suprise. I don't really like traditional ales but this was good. I don't know how to drink an elderberry beer so I used a tulip glass. It has a nice refreshing palate with just a hint of what I presume are elderberries. I didn't know elderberries existed other than for Monty Python to use as parental insults. It has a hint of smoke or malty flavor, it's a bit subtle. It still has the traditional beer rawness to it though. The taste may be a bit tainted by a raisin beer I drank earlier but all in all it is the best fruit-related beer I've had.

4.4
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 18/20
Furseth (1612) - Kungälv, SWEDEN - JUN 21, 2007
Bottle at Haket Göteborg: Black nice colour,thin head. Aroma of lots of malt, raisins,dark Chocolate and a nice alc bitter nose.(remind me of a imp Stout) Flavor is almost the same, medium body,coffee,dry hops. Nice long finish. This must bee a Stout, more than a Traditional Ale or what?


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Rating Notecard:
Beer: Heather Ales Ebulum Rating Avg: 3.44 No. of Ratings: 717
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