Brewer: Williams Brothers, Scotland
Style: Heather Ale
ABV: 5%
While reseraching my Booze of Skrim video, I wanted to get a hold of some authentic ale from a time before hops. Nowadays they are in everything for use as both flavouring and preservative, but this was not always so. Enter Fraoch, a beer that is modelled after the sort of beers some of my Scottish ancestors may have swigged, infused with that most Scottish of flowers, heather. Now sadly, the recipe that they use is from the 16th Century, which means some hops do get a look in, but I was keen to see what sort of brew those of yesteryear would enjoy after a long day of having a go at the English.
The Looks
Fraoch suprised me in that it looked pretty much like beers that are around today. It's look is probably closest to a Golden Ale, with a bright white head contrasting with the clear golden liquid below. It looks like the sort of drink you would enjoy during summer.
The Smell
Well, the bottle and title of this ancient brew is very clear what it should taste like- and the smell does not dissapoint. One whiff gives you one smell- that of heather, that reminds me of those days when I'd go wandering through the countryside on long summer days.
The Taste
Sometimes you get a beer that flaunts itself as tasting like something when in reality, it doesn't. This was not the case with Fraoch. Initially you get a hit of heather with a flowery feel, which is then followed up by a hit of mild bitterness in the aftertaste. It's one of those rare brews where you get pretty much what you were expecting. The flavour is there, but it not intense and violent, but rather mild and enough to let you feel like you are actually drinking a beer and not some sort of experiment to overwhelm your tastebuds. It certainly did not taste like it was 5%.
Conclusion
For a first review for this site, it feels a bit wierd to try a beer that I actually, really enjoyed. For recording I bought 12 bottles, mainly because by the time you'd stuck delivery prices and such on your order you might as well go big or go home. I've seen that this is available in some shops, but since I'm writing this during a lockdown, supply is sometimes an issue with beer. So I bought them direct from the source.
With that digression over, this was acually a really enjoyable beer, and I could see why this recipe has endured for so long. It's certainly makes you think about what our ancestors would be quaffing. Once you get used to the initial strangeness of the flavour, it feels like a beer should. I'm not keen on giving beers numerical scores, but I instead like to descibe the environment in which you could be enjoying this brew With that in mind, I give Fraoch a...
Chill Out Beer - This is the sort of beer you could have a few of to wind down with when you don't have to go anywhere. At 5% it doesn't quite fall into Sessional territory, but it is the sort of beer that you'd have two of.
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