Williams Brothers (Heather Ales)
Microbrewery
in
Alloa,
Clackmannanshire,
Scotland 🏴
Associated with 2 Venues
Established in 1988
Contact
Description
Williams Bros Brewing Company is a Scottish family-owned microbrewery, founded and operated by brothers Bruce and Scot Williams.
The Williams Bros. Brewing Co. started life in the humble ‘Glenbrew’ homebrew shop in Glasgow. The first beer brewed was the ‘Fraoch’ Heather Ale at a small 5-barrel brewery in Taynuilt, After the 2nd year of brewing in the Taynuilt brewery and with demand far out stripping supply the brothers decided to expand and also to diversify the range with five Historic Ales. These ales were produced at the new purpose built brewery and premises in Craigmill, Strathaven from 1998-2004.
In 2004 the brothers took over the ‘Forth Brewery’ at Kellibank, Alloa where Maclay’s had been contract brewing and packaging their beers since the sale of their old Alloa brewery. It was at this stage in proceedings that Heather Ale Ltd became Williams Bros. Brewing Co.
The Williams Bros. Brewing Co. started life in the humble ‘Glenbrew’ homebrew shop in Glasgow. The first beer brewed was the ‘Fraoch’ Heather Ale at a small 5-barrel brewery in Taynuilt, After the 2nd year of brewing in the Taynuilt brewery and with demand far out stripping supply the brothers decided to expand and also to diversify the range with five Historic Ales. These ales were produced at the new purpose built brewery and premises in Craigmill, Strathaven from 1998-2004.
In 2004 the brothers took over the ‘Forth Brewery’ at Kellibank, Alloa where Maclay’s had been contract brewing and packaging their beers since the sale of their old Alloa brewery. It was at this stage in proceedings that Heather Ale Ltd became Williams Bros. Brewing Co.
6.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
This pours a murky orange/amber color with virtually no head and little carbonation. Light malt aroma with some molasses. Sweet and lightly acidic. This one is hard to place, having characteristics of a strong mild, or junior Barleywine. Not unpleasant, but I’m glad I just bought a single to try.
Tried
on 08 Jan 2005
at 08:42
5.8/10
—
Appearance 4
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
[At Jyske Øldage 2004, Kolding] A clear yellow beer with a disappearing white head. The aroma is malty and hoppy. The flavor is dry hoppy and slightly malty. Very refreshing.
Tried
on 03 Jan 2005
at 17:39
6.2/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 6
A pitch black beer with a fine brown head. The aroma is of sweet caramel. The flavor is sweet and roasted combined with spices and berries. More special than good.
Tried
on 16 Dec 2004
at 17:17
7.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
RateBeer rating #500. Pours dark brown, kinda thick, and ands up with a small head. Smells include chocolate, wildberries, and slightly cough syrupy. Flavor is sweet, combining a fruitiness with chocolate, almost like a cordial. It’s got a pop-fizz thing in the middle, and finishes smooth and slick. A nice brew.
Tried
on 07 Dec 2004
at 02:50
6.2/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
From a sampler 3-pack. Hazy dark yellow color with a decent head. Fruity aroma, but just the typical ale aromas, nothing that would stand out as being Gooseberry. Again I didn’t notice any flavor that would distinguish if from the average ale. Decent, but nothing remarkable or very different in this one.
Tried
on 01 Dec 2004
at 05:51
6.4/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Hazy gold color with a fleeting head. Aroma is malty with herbal notes that I can’t place. The flavor is lightly sweet with a bit of bitterness in the finish. The heather is very much hidden and presents itself more as a complexity that defies description rather than being up front and obvious. Interesting beer that is not bad.
Tried
from Can
on 30 Nov 2004
at 05:25
6.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 4
Overall 5.5
Bottle. Magnificent blood red pour with a small beige head. Aroma is strongly elderberry oil/juice with some light grains in the background. Flavor begins with the elderberry you’re expecting, nice and fruity, oily and tart. Finishes with a oaty, light cocoa-meets-berries flavor and some very astringent herbal notes. I love the flavor and I really think they only need to amp up the malt in this one to get past some of the astringency (which is big). But the mouthfeel?? Eh, it’s rather thin and lifeless thanks to the utter filtration of this. I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that the druids didnt filter their beer like this, so why must HAL??
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Nov 2004
at 15:43
5.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5
Pours a reddish-brown with no head. Aroma is very creamy and full. Flavor is very berry. I can get some raspberrys and blackberrys as well as cherries. Overall it is very sweet and tart. Probably nothing i would get again but worth a try.
Tried
from Can
on 29 Oct 2004
at 20:43
5.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Bottle. Semi-sweet, standard bitterness. Not too distinct pine flavour, but enough to give a hint. Interesting enough, but gets boring after a while.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Oct 2004
at 19:01
7.2/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Very dark brown, nearly black with a fleeting tan ring of bubbles that never really formed a true head. Fruity wine aroma. The flavor is rich, roast malt with neither bitterness or sweetness predominating. A little bit of the elderberry comes in on the sides of the tongue ending in an acidic finish that is well done. Interesting and enjoyable change of pace brew.
Tried
on 17 Oct 2004
at 16:52