Alba Scots Pine Ale

Williams Brothers Brewing

Alba: Scots Pine Ale - 7.5 ABV

Rating: A-

"A traditional Highland recipe, popular in Northern Scotland until the end of the 19th Century. This "triple" style ale is spiced with sprigs of spruce and pine, harvested in the spring and brewed with only a small token handful of hops . Break out the goblets and pour with abandon. Rich, tawny and best enjoyed at Room temperature."

So this is one of the specialty beers from Williams Brothers. They do 5 brews using old original Scottish techniques long forgotten. Nice changes of pace from the traditional styles. This one is their Pine Ale. As the title says they use actual pine, along with spruce and bogmyrtal in the brewing process. How many beers have you had that do that? Got this is one of the "Historical Ales" mix packs the company does. Each one has 4 of the 5 historical brews.

As for the beer itself it pours out to a nice see through copper/amber color. When you smell it you immediately smell the earthy spice of the pine and spruce. You also get the sweet caramel malt aromas as well as a fruity aroma. It's full bodied and has a nice slight carbonation to make it crisp and smooth. You IMMEDIATELY get the spicy, earthy, and herbal flavors from the pine/spruce. The initial burst of that flavor fades to the sweet caramel matly smoothness. The slight splash of hops in the brews serves to give it just enough balance to keep the malt in check so it doesn't get too sweet. It had a nice smooth and slightly dry aftertaste with a bit more pine coming through.

As for my rating I'm giving this a very solid A- rating. The only reason I didn't give it a full A is the earthy, spicy, and herbal flavors are strong and can be a bit much for some. Overall though this is a damn good beer and it's unique as well. If you can find it in singles or in one of the Historic Ales gift sets get it. All of the historic Ales are good but this one is my second favorite of all 5 personally.