Alba Scots Pine Ale - Williams Brothers Brewing Company

malthead

California

4.45/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I served this one slightly chilled in a Duvel tulip. Deep amber/brown color, with a nice off-white head, big at first but at least some of it lasted throughout. Has a spruce aroma, yes, but I'd say earthy, woody (malty) smells were more prominant - very nicely balanced, with other notes of almost a raspberry and milk chocolate nature, and maybe some toffee... Taste is correspondingly interesting, there's a rich oaky character, caramel and maybe some pine smoke? wood make sense, if you'll forgive the pun... really quite nice, with some good bitterness, a sweet caramel backbone, and an elderberry? aftertaste. I love the mouthfeel, low but acceptable carbonation and a nice, coating feeling without being too thick. Great drinkability, yes it's meant to be sipped slowly, but I had to force myself to prolong the tasting, I could go through quite a few of these. While certainly not overpowering in any way, the pine notes are more mellowed than most hops and provide more interesting flavors - I'm a huge fan.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2004 01:44:36 | More by malthead

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

lupercmda

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

02-19-2013 03:49:49 | More by lupercmda

DmanGTR

New York

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%

02-10-2013 16:16:06 | More by DmanGTR

JackRB

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%

02-06-2013 00:44:17 | More by JackRB

maclean25

British Columbia (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -7.4%

02-04-2013 02:46:54 | More by maclean25

jbenson8774

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +5.8%

02-04-2013 01:41:23 | More by jbenson8774