Beer: Williams Brothers Brewing - Historic Ales From Scotland

This set of Scottish ancient ales is produced by Williams Brothers Brewing in Scotland, and showcases some herbed beer variations that aren't made anywhere else.

According to the literature included in this lavishly-packaged 4-bottle set, these were all made according to ancient recipes, and all utilize local Scottish ingredients. Remember that my beer rating scale ranges from 1 (awful) to 5 (awesome). 

ALBA SCOTS PINE ALE - 4.0

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!

FRAOCH HEATHER ALE - 3.75

Pours a clean amber, with a solid head of off-white suds. Little residual lace. Nose is floral and honey-like, with some unusual herbal tones. Not bad. Taste is more of the herbal, with a touch of fruit in the mix somehow. Definitely a malt-based ale, this one brings a floral finish. 

Enjoyable and different from the usual craft ales.

EBULUM ELDERBERRY BLACK ALE - 3.5

Pours pretty well black, with only slight carbonation. No lace at all. Aroma is roasty -- actually very stout-like with some definite fruit notes. Tastes just as roasty and fruity, with tones of chocolate, raisins, dried berry, and an unusual herbal tone. 

A curious melding of a roasty stout and a fruit ale, this one is well worthy of a try.

GROZET - 3.5

Pours a clean amber, with limited carbonation and virtually no lace. Nose is unusual and fruity, with a hint of sour somehow. Not bad. Taste is fruit (gooseberry?) up front, with a follow-through of cereal grains. The finish ends up with a tinge of hops. But it's slight. Very moderate.

Enjoyable, and certainly not bad, just somehow underwhelming.

Williams Brothers Brewing site

Beer Report for 11/09/12

It's time again for brew reviews -- this selection includes some regional crafts from the Midwestern United States, the West Coast, and an oddly unique beer from Scotland!

FINCH'S THREADLESS IPA (Chicago, IL, USA) - 3.0 

This Chicago brew (found in limited quantities here in Southern Indiana) comes in a nice pint can, and pours a cloudy amber with a solid sudsy head and thin lace.

Nose says floral with pine and citrus notes. Not bad.

Taste is sharply hoppy, no surprise, with pine and grapefruit tones, and a substantial malt profile. Threadless is a solid, if unremarkable IPA that remains drinkable and session-worthy, but it's not one I'd revisit anytime soon.

URBAN CHESTNUT - WINGED NUT ALE (St. Louis, MO, USA) - 4.0

A curious ale here out of St. Louis, picked up for under $3/pint at the peerless Wine & Cheese Place, which is a superlative mecca for craft beer (and wine and cheese, if that's your thing).

This tawny amber, semi-opaque ale brewed with chestnuts pours with a thick head of fine, off-white suds. Lace is lovely and delicate.

Aroma is uniquely roasty and nutty. Kinda sweet, even, but very appealing and enticing.

Flavor profile is pleasing to the palate and well-nuanced. I get a hint of malty and lightly toasty nuts (chestnut?) and a wisp of light citrus hops at the finish. I drank this one almost room temperature, and it was a delicious and worthwhile experience. Very good!

LOST COAST - TANGERINE WHEAT (Eureka, CA, USA) - 1.0

This fruit-infused wheat beer from California's Lost Coast Brewing pours a hazy amber, with sediment visible, although the bottle was dated over a year ago, so that's taken into consideration. Limited suds, no lace.

Nose proves to be soapy. I get dish soap, to be exact. Would make for a fetching hand-wash, but not beer.

Tastes similar to the aroma, like slightly carbonated soap, with a hint of wheat and citrus at the finish. Definitely not impressive.

WILLIAMS BROS - KELPIE SEAWEED ALE (Alloa, Scotland) - 4.0

This unique and inventive Scottish ale (found in Bloomington, Indiana's excellent Sahara Mart) pours black, with ruby highlights. Light carbonation and almost no lace.

Nose is chocolate and roast. I also get some booziness, although this one is only 4.4%. Odd.

Taste is sweet and roasty, like a good session-worthy porter, and with a light body. There's a slight brininess in there, but it's quite subtle, as the chocolate maltiness and dark roasty qualities come to the fore. A solid and enjoyable ale.