Alba Scots Pine Ale - Williams Brothers Brewing Company

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BA SCORE
85
very good
-
533 Ratings

THE BROS
92
outstanding
-
read more »

rAvg: 3.78
pDev: 14.29%
Reviews: 449
Hads: 84

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Brewed by:
Williams Brothers Brewing Company

United Kingdom (Scotland)

Style | ABV
Scottish Gruit / Ancient Herbed Ale | 7.50% ABV

Availability: Year-round. bottle (444), cask (5).

Notes:
Introduced by the Vikings, spruce and pine ales were very popular in the Scottish Highlands until the end of the 19th century. Many early explorers, including Captain Cook, used spruce ale during long sea voyages since it prevented scurvy and ill health. Shetland spruce ale was said to "stimulate animal instincts" and give you twins. Alba is a triple style ale brewed to a traditional Highland recipe from Scots pine and spruce shoots pickled during early spring. Pure malted barley, is boiled with the young sprigs of pine for several hours then the fresh shoots of the spruce are added for a short infusion before fermentation.

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Reviews

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Reviews by Murph:

Murph

Arizona

4.05/5 rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a murky darker orange/peach color with a nice fluffy head on top that sinks down to a nice lasting film on top. Big fruity smells with some apricots, oranges, slight grape and others in there as well. Big sweet maltiness is very nicely accentuated by the fruity qualities of the brew. Big peaches, apricots, oranges, and many more that I cannot even pick out. Some nice surprising light spiciness towards the end of the brew before it finishes slightly sweeter than would be desired. The extra sweet finish makes this otherwise pleasant to drink brew a bit cloying. Overall a very nice brew that I wouldn't mind drinking again.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2002 18:09:34 | More by Murph

More User Reviews:

TheBeeraholic

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5 rDev -7.4%

06-16-2013 14:11:19 | More by TheBeeraholic

Sunnanek

Sweden

4.5/5 rDev +19%

06-15-2013 18:19:04 | More by Sunnanek

Knuckles_Nuclear

Missouri

3.66/5 rDev -3.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12oz bottle poured into a nonic. Low, loose head that dissipated, leaving minimal lacing. Color is a clear, deep auburn/brown...very pretty. The nose carried notes of earthy malt.

Very interesting...an initial malty pine flavor gave way to a somewhat bitter and boozy bite at the end. Not unpleasant, just different. The label states that this should be consumed at room temperature, and like a fool I didn't read it and I put it in the icebox. I suspect the flavor would be much more complex at room temp. Not an easy drinker, but a good one.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2013 21:01:39 | More by Knuckles_Nuclear

yancot

Ontario (Canada)

4/5 rDev +5.8%

06-11-2013 03:26:56 | More by yancot

deniserat

California

4.5/5 rDev +19%

06-07-2013 20:52:29 | More by deniserat

bluelynbrewing

Florida

4.75/5 rDev +25.7%

06-02-2013 14:17:10 | More by bluelynbrewing

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.5/5 rDev +19%

05-25-2013 14:51:21 | More by Slatetank

kvnstfrd

Missouri

4/5 rDev +5.8%

05-23-2013 14:13:20 | More by kvnstfrd

Photekut

Azerbaijan

2.75/5 rDev -27.2%

05-18-2013 22:32:20 | More by Photekut

His_Royal_Hoppiness

United Kingdom (England)

3.5/5 rDev -7.4%

05-08-2013 20:09:28 | More by His_Royal_Hoppiness

juicebox

Massachusetts

3.5/5 rDev -7.4%

05-07-2013 01:08:23 | More by juicebox

wonothesane42

New Jersey

4.25/5 rDev +12.4%

04-17-2013 22:14:10 | More by wonothesane42

secondtooth

Indiana

4.03/5 rDev +6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours a ruddy amber, with a limited head and no lace.

Nose is nicely woodsy, with definite spruce and pine needles and oils coming through prominently. Quite unique and appealing!

Tastes delicious -- very malty sweet, but the woody pine/spruce infusion adds an entirely different profile to this brew. I would gladly buy more of these if they were more widely available!

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 14:10:24 | More by secondtooth

Whiskeydeez

Kansas

3.5/5 rDev -7.4%

03-18-2013 16:56:39 | More by Whiskeydeez

akttr

Michigan

3/5 rDev -20.6%

03-10-2013 07:50:52 | More by akttr

t0rin0

California

4/5 rDev +5.8%

03-07-2013 12:43:30 | More by t0rin0

gopens44

Virginia

3.99/5 rDev +5.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Probably the most striking attribute of this beer would be the appearance. Hazy copper with a nearly perfect foamy creme colored head. Oddly, virtually no lacing. The aroma immediately took me to a direction I wasn't expecting from something called pine - this thing smells balls on like a barleywine. No difference at all. Taste immediately goes the barleywine route (sweet malty goodness) until from out of nowhere, a pungent tartness pops up. The finish is just a touch tinny with a slight bitterness lingering. Body overall goes from creamy to thin by the finish. Overall, its quite different and a good departure from pretty much anything else but not something you can really throw down in any quantity.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 21:55:49 | More by gopens44

heygeebee

Australia

2.75/5 rDev -27.2%

02-21-2013 09:51:12 | More by heygeebee

Braz

Washington

3.73/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Aroma: Floral and woody. Good amount of malt. Has a very sweet smell.

Appearance: Very dark but clear ruby amber color. Moderate white has leaves nice amount of lace.

Taste: Very different. Starts with malt sweetness, is then followed by a woodsy punch of pine. I picked up more pine than spruce. No bitterness.

Mouthfeel. A little sweet but nicely carbonated. Has a balanced feel but the aftertaste lingers quite a bit.

Overall: Glad I finally tried this. Interesting for sure. Probably not something I'd go to great lengths to try again. Mainly due to the aftertaste, it just kicks around too long.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 03:15:09 | More by Braz