Williams Bros. Fraoch Heather Ale

Williams Bros. Fraoch Heather Ale:

This unique gem of an ale is light-bodied but big on flavor. This can sometimes lead to an unbalanced brew that yields unsatisfying results. Fraoch Heather Ale, however, is quite well-balanced and equally impressive in style and accessibility. Fraoch pours neatly into a glass and looks lively as bubbles rise from the bottom. The color remindes me of applie juice and the light, refreshinig flavor and aroma of heather put a really friendly, harmless face on the true purpose of this floral beverage: DRINKING. This could be a serious session ale.

In traditions dating to 2000 B.C. Heather ales have been brewed in Scotland time and again throughout history. Infused with fresh heather flowers just after boiling, Fraoch claims to have a dry, wine-like finish. And it does. Not overly dry and quite a bit lighter than wine in the alcohol department (a comforting 5% abv), Fraoch is mild enough to complement a rich and hearty meal of wild game or seasoned meats. I picture Fraoch as a long-table banquet session beer. After a long day of defending against marauders (or perhaps engaging in a little marauding yourself -- wink, wink, nudge, nudge), nothing says "Freshen Up" like a plate full of haggis and a half gallon of HeatherAle. Actually, maybe a rich shepherd's pie or a pungent lamb stew could benefit from Fraoch's floral touch to lighten the fare and cleanse the palate.

An ale from another era, Fraoch doesn't appear to contain hops. I looooooove hops but I don't feel like this brew is lacking anything at all. Very easy to drink (and a nice alternative to a weakly-hopped ale or a heavily malted bock) when you're not in a particularly hoppy mood. Could be dangerous on tap.

Fraoch Heather Ale:

Representation: .95
Accessibility: .95
Style: .95
Personal Preference: .95

Total Score: 3.8 Flags

Williams Bros. Alba Scots Pine Ale

Williams Bros. Alba Scots Pine Ale:

The brewers of this delightful ale suggest that the Alba Scots Pine Ale be served in a wine goblet...check... at room temperature. Crap. Alright, so it's been refrigerated but it's not ice cold, so I'll enjoy some sips ASAP and take my time to let it warm up a bit.

One word that leaps to my lips in discussing this ale is "mellow". A beautiful light malty aroma greets the senses and evergreen essence is floating on the breeze, but does not dominate the bouquet. Am I imagining the flavors of holey and toasted marshmallows? Probably. But I notice one glaring absence: hops.

In the times before standardization of the brewing process, hops were not necessarily used in every ale, especially if the brew did not have to be transported to faraway lands but was rather consumed by the local community instead. To be honest, I'd have thought that a Viking-born Northern Scotland Triple Ale would carry a bit more rugged heartiness than Alba provides in a flavor profile (like the rugged Skullsplitter Orkney Ale). Instead, the spruce and pine sprigs add a type of floral freshness to the malted barley bree base. This mellow ale has taken me by surprise. And now that my particular glass of Alba has warmed up a notch, the evergreen tastes seem to linger a bit more in the aftertaste.

The flavor of Alba Scots Pine Ale is unique (good style points), but not so bold as to be inaccessible. This is a very intriguing Historic Ale of Scotland. Enjoy one after dinner with friends as ye're aboot to venture outta doors for the journey home. Or perhaps as a breakfast ale as the mist rolls across ye're campsite on a wilderness adventure.

The Williams Bros. philosophy to "utilise indigenous ingredients to produce authentic ales" has set a breeze flowing up under my kilt and stirred up some of my Scottish heritage. Alba Scots Pine Ale is a pleasant choice to raise up a toast in honor of Robert Burns, the eternal poet laureate of Scotland. Fitting that the Ferment Nation should kick off the New Year with these Scottish ales as strains of the slightly modernized version of Burns's "Auld Lang Syne" can still be heard floating through taverns across the world. Slainte.

Williams Bros. Alba Scots Pine Ale:

Representation: .95
Accessibility: .90
Style: .975
Personal Preference: .90

Total Score: 3.75 Flags

Williams Brothers Brewing Co. "Ebulum" Elderberry Black Ale

Williams Brothers Brewing Company Elderberry Black Ale:

This is the second of the Scottish Williams Brothers Brewing Company historic beers I have had, and I have to say, they may have found a convert in me. Not that I have to be converted to drinking good beer. They are preaching to the choir if you catch my meaning. I start the tasting with my normal sensory exploration of opening, smelling, and pouring of the beer. You can smell the berry smell by sticking your nose into to the bottle top like i did, and it could have been a trick of the light, but mixed in with the dark brown coloring I swear I could see some purplish colors as well as I poured it into a glass. As opposed to the larger, polygonal effervescing bubbles of the Williams Bros'Gooseberry & Wheat Ale , this beer, like other dark ales, has finer, smaller, rounder bubbles, that are perfectly content to lazily drift on the top of the beer, waiting to either cling to the side of the glass or to plunge down my throat. Yum.

I love the fact that if you stick your nose up into the beer in a glass, you really can't smell anything. This makes me think of Guinness. You might recall El Presidente's St. Patrick's Day Irish Stout Round-Up from way-back-when, and I remember that Beamish and Murphy's had a distinctive smell, almost a funk. Not good.

<-- This is interesting. I typed this description faithfully to my experience, and yet, about a quarter of the way into the beer, perhaps due to the introduction of my taste buds and maybe warming up a degree or two, the toasty, roasted scents of the beer are really opening up.

I had a similar effect with the Gooseberry Ale in that the berry flavor was more discernable as I progressed through the beer tasting. This beer definitely has a toastiness to it, which goes with the bottle's description citing the "fruit aroma, soft texture, roasted grain and red wine flavour, with a gentle finish." Very nice.



This black ale really reminds me of a porter or stout, because it has a roasted/toasted flavor to it as well as its overly-dark coloring. At 6.5% abv, it has a little more kick to it, and that works nicely, too. On a cold winter night (like tonight), the fact that the beer holds up after warming up a bit and has a nice roasted feeling and flavor makes it ideal to sitting down in front of fire or cuddling up with a nice Scottish lassie.

I don't have too many other "black ales" to compare it to in order to place it in context with similar beers. Maybe I will have to look for similar beers to compare it to in the future. Accessibility may suffer a bit, because it has a toasted flavor and is dark (it's not chugging beer). Overall, very nice, recommendable for anyone who likes roasted toasted flavor beers.

Williams Brothers Brewing Company Elderberry Black Ale:

Representation: .80
Accessibility: .75
Style: .85
Personal Preference: .90

Total: 3.3 Flags

--From the office of the Vice President

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Williams Brothers Brewing Co. "Grozet" Gooseberry & Wheat Ale

Williams Bros. Brewing Co. "Grozet" Gooseberry & Wheat Ale:

Did you know that the word "grozet" is Auld Scots for Gooseberry? Yeah, me neither. As a lovely Christmas gift from cousin, I received a four-pack of beers from the Williams Brothers Brewing Company of Scotland. Being of Scottish descent, and having watched Braveheart at least ten times, I thought this was wonderful. However, knowing that Scotland is also the land of haggis and Scotch whiskey (I'm not a fan), I had some doubts.



Cracking open the Grozet Gooseberry & Wheat Ale, I was struck by its effervescence and head in the glass. I used a small pilsner glass instead of a wheat glass proper, and luckily El Presidente was not around to witness the faux pas. My nose in the glass, you can smell the wheat, tasting it, you are not overwhelmed. There is a bit of lingering wheaty aftertaste also where you can find some of the berry flavor. The berry flavors come out more as the beer settles down and warms up a degree or two.

To be honest, though, I am at a disadvantage, because I have never consumed a gooseberry, so I don't know what to look for (or taste for). But I liken it to another berry wheat beer I reviewed (Long Trail's Black Beary Wheat). Its subtly is its strength. Some wheat beers feel overly wheaty and fill up your nose and mouth and stomach. Some berry beers go overboard on the berry to make it distinctive. This is different and nice, and the fact that Scottish brewers have been using the gooseberry in fermented drinks for centuries, this beer strikes me as sophisticated and not gimmicky at all. Of course, maybe I'm just buying into hype. But I like it. I found it interesting, too, the ingredients listed on the bottle: Malted Barley Bree, Wheat, Gooseberries, Bogmyrtle, and Hops. Whatever the combination I like it. Very accessible, good introductory beer, not overly berry-ish, and at 5% abv, able to drink all night long as you recite Robert Burns poems and paint your face blue. Wallace!!!!!

Williams Bros. Brewing Co. "Grozet" Gooseberry & Wheat Ale:

Representation: .8
Accessibility: .95
Style: .75
Personal Preference: .85

Total: 3.35 Flags