Fraoch Heather Ale - Williams Brothers Brewing Company

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BA SCORE
85
very good
-
832 Ratings

THE BROS
91
outstanding
-
read more »

rAvg: 3.77
pDev: 13%
Reviews: 667
Hads: 165

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Brewed by:
Williams Brothers Brewing Company

United Kingdom (Scotland)

Style | ABV
Scottish Gruit / Ancient Herbed Ale | 5.00% ABV

Availability: Year-round. bottle (661), cask (3), on-tap (3).

Notes:
Brewed in Scotland since 2000 B.C. heather ale is probably the oldest style of ale still produced in the world. From an ancient Gaelic recipe for "leann fraoich" (heather ale) it has been revived and reintroduced to the Scottish culture. Into the boiling bree of malted barley, sweet gale and flowering heather are added, then after cooling slightly the hot ale is poured into a vat of fresh heather flowers where it infuses for an hour before being fermented.

View: Beers (33) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by thehyperduck:

thehyperduck

Ontario (Canada)

4.13/5 rDev +9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

330 mL bottle from the LCBO; best before February 2014. This is the fourth bottle to be reviewed in the 4-pack sampler I picked up last week, and if the other 3 bottles were any indication, I'm in for a treat (or at least, failing that, a decent glass).

Pours a foggy golden colour with a twinge of orange under the light, and topped with just over a finger of frothy, soapy white head. Retention is mediocre - it's mostly gone once a minute or two has passed, and only a thin film on the surface and narrow ring of foam around the edge remain. The aroma is herbal, zesty and flowery; the heather is the most dominant facet, with notes of pepper, pine needles and pale malt sweetness. The aroma has certainly done its job, because I'm feeling pretty enticed.

Elegant flavour; not one-dimensional, but pretty straightforward for a spiced brew. Lightly toasted, bready malts and honey lead into the herbal heather notes; quite floral, a little spicy, maybe even a little minty. The finish is herbal and grassy, with just the right amount of bitterness. Slightly heathery in the aftertaste, but it doesn't really linger long. On the light side of medium-bodied, with gentle carbonation - which works perfectly in this instance, allowing the mild spiciness and simple, tasty malt profile to remain prominent. Very quaffable, and unlike most spiced beers, not the sort of thing that I would necessarily tire of quickly.

Final Grade: 4.13, an A-. Fraoch Heather Ale might just be the first spiced beer I've ever had that I would consider truly sessionable. The unique flavour offers up enough spicy, herbal notes to keep things interesting, but never comes close to overwhelming or exhausting the palate, even (I suspect) after more than one bottle. Of the four ales in this brewery's sampler, this is easily the most drinkable, potentially the most well-integrated, and probably my favourite. Well worth a try, and I'd definitely recommend the sampler ("Historic Ales from Scotland") to any newbie who wishes to find out what this relatively obscure style is all about.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 01:41:04 | More by thehyperduck

More User Reviews:

Kmat10

Alberta (Canada)

3.75/5 rDev -0.5%

06-17-2013 00:48:15 | More by Kmat10

TheBeeraholic

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5 rDev -7.2%

06-16-2013 14:07:19 | More by TheBeeraholic

IchLiebeBier

Virginia

3.25/5 rDev -13.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Appearance: orangish gold; slightly cloudy; small head, dissipates quickly

Aroma: delicate fruit and flower with something different (I assume heather)

Taste: Juicy malt with an interesting flavor; low (or no) hops and flowery notes

Remarks: I can't place the flavor, but it reminds me of one of the spices in spaghetti sauce, I think; this makes it less desirable as a beer; otherwise, it would be tasty

I didn't score A, S, T, M at that time, so please disregard those scores

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 13:18:59 | More by IchLiebeBier

Boone757

Maryland

3.75/5 rDev -0.5%

06-14-2013 22:54:53 | More by Boone757

Luweezy

Pennsylvania

3.5/5 rDev -7.2%

06-11-2013 01:52:23 | More by Luweezy

arkanu

Romania

4.25/5 rDev +12.7%

06-07-2013 19:22:59 | More by arkanu

BWED

Pennsylvania

3.63/5 rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured into a tumbler from a 330 ml bottle

A- Golden in color with a light, just off white head. Thin but producing a minute amount of lacing.

S- Earthy and floral notes arise, sitting on a light malt backbone.

T- Very light malt flavor, with a little herbal/grassy balance. Very mild and light.

M- Very light body, and pretty light carbonation. The finish is smooth, with an earthy sweetness.

O- This is the first gruit I have had, and the first unhopped beer I have had, as far as I know. It is a pleasant experience to taste something like this, in regard to the location and time period these kinds of beer were made, but on the other hand, it's rather plain, and couldn't find myself drinking many of these in a sitting.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2013 14:55:59 | More by BWED

whatname

Pennsylvania

3.75/5 rDev -0.5%

06-02-2013 03:45:51 | More by whatname

speedvagen

Ohio

3.75/5 rDev -0.5%

06-01-2013 15:22:13 | More by speedvagen

paulys55

Pennsylvania

4.25/5 rDev +12.7%

05-31-2013 13:58:43 | More by paulys55

Ciocanelu

Romania

4/5 rDev +6.1%

05-27-2013 11:28:41 | More by Ciocanelu

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4/5 rDev +6.1%

05-25-2013 14:17:57 | More by Slatetank

kvnstfrd

Missouri

2.5/5 rDev -33.7%

05-23-2013 14:17:04 | More by kvnstfrd

PumaSaysRawrr

Pennsylvania

3.19/5 rDev -15.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I received this bottle of 'Maple Syrup" from a good non beer drinking friend in the UK for Christmas. I sort of got sick of shoving it around every morning in my search for the Shiriachi so I decided to drink it. I poured about 6 oz in to a Sam Smith pint glass to start. Beautiful pale amber with a nice white head. I was a little surprised to see how hazy it was to the point I just assumed my glass was dirty. So after finishing the first bit I gave the glass a proper scrubbing and to my surprise it was the beer that was hazy. If you give it a good squint there are little bits of sea monkey bobbing around. Not full on kingdom sea monkeys more like sea monkeys that had a wood chipper accident.
Very mild flavor a perfect drinking and matching socks all day kind of beer. Lightly carbonated which is good cause I don't know how well those sea monkeys will burp up! No smell at all which also makes it good for drinking and matching socks all day cause nothing is worse than socks that smell like spilt beer!

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 03:53:35 | More by PumaSaysRawrr

kyle86

Michigan

4/5 rDev +6.1%

05-20-2013 21:50:03 | More by kyle86

Jamison85

Indiana

4.25/5 rDev +12.7%

05-20-2013 11:52:10 | More by Jamison85

SpAiReArGsEonNE

New Jersey

1.75/5 rDev -53.6%

05-20-2013 02:09:40 | More by SpAiReArGsEonNE

HarmonMW

Michigan

3.75/5 rDev -0.5%

05-18-2013 01:52:32 | More by HarmonMW

BeerRefugee

Oklahoma

3.43/5 rDev -9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 3.25

Bottle. Pours a dark yellow-gold color. Thin off-white head that dissipates quickly but leaves some residual lacing. Aroma is floral, grassy with hints of grain. Flavor is a mix of floral with sweet malt and clover honey. Light bodied and very dry finish that borders on astringent. Light, easy-drinking and sessionable, but not something I would probably seek out.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 20:01:51 | More by BeerRefugee