Heather is a low growing shrub common in the peat hills of Scotland. It has been used in place of hops to balance malt sweetness in beer since the beginning of written record. One archeological dig found traces of a fermented beverage that contained heather that dates to 2000 BC. Our heather ale was made with the finest Scottish grown malted barley and four generous additions of heather tips (generally only the top 5 centimeters of the plant is used in brewing). Heather honey was also a common ingredient for heather beer. Our beer was brewed using basswood honey produced in Northern Minnesota. This is a mildly sweet copper-colored ale with a distinct flower/herbal flavor and aroma from the traditional Scottish heather.