Ancient Beer Series: Scottish Heather Ale
Our story begins in 1850 when a wild storm battered the small Scottish island of Orkney. Large storms battering this Scottish isle are nothing unique, however, what was interesting about this specific storm, is it revealed something very intriguing underneath a mound known as Skerrabra. A number of building outlines were revealed from the wind and sea erosion of the storm. What was later discovered was that these outlines formed an extremely well preserved Neolithic village with radiocarbon dating to between 3200 - 2200 BC. This village now known today as Skara Brae is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and considered to be the best example of a Neolithic village in all of Europe. The very cool part of this amazing archaeological site is that it came complete with its own brewery. Thanks to the advanced field of biomolecular archeology, most notably pioneered by Dr. Patrick E. Mcgovern of the University of Pennsylvania, the world was able to discover what style of beer the ancient people of Skara Brae were producing.
Skara Brae on the coast of Orkney Island in the Scottish Isles.
Pottery fragments from Skara Brae, along with a number of other notable Scottish Neolithic sites, have revealed the brewing practices of these ancient people. Traces of cereal grain, meadowsweet pollen, heather, & royal fern were discovered through biomolecular scans, giving us a glimpse into the preferred fermented beverage of the ancients. This makes this “Floral Grog Ale” one of the oldest known fermented beverages on Earth. Further historic evidence points to, what we now refer to as the Heather Ale, as being wildly popular all the way to the Picts (4th Century AD). Then it all but vanished from the historical record.
Will Kill For Beer
Fields of Scottish Heather growing along the hillsides. An important part of a recipe worth taking to the grave.
An ancient legend from the time of the Pict massacre at the hands of the Scots tells us that a certain King Kenneth MacAlpin decided he wanted to control what was then known as Pictavia (or Pictland). The legend states that MacAlpin spared but two Pict lives in his conquest; a father & son, both who retained the recipe for the legendary heather ale. MacAlpin vowed to spare their lives if they divulged the recipe, however, the father asked for his life to be spared in exchange for his son's, well, because he knew his son would spill the beans. Needless to say, both took that recipe to the grave.
The Rebirth of Scottish Heather Ale
Although legends are steeped with unfactual reference, they always contain a seed of truth. Around the same time as the Scottish invasion of Pictland, Heather Ale seemed to just disappear. After the discovery of Skara Brae & many other Neolithic sites, through biomolecular analysis, the brewing world was given hope for the recreation of this truly legendary drink. While we may never know the exact formulation & process of the original version, we can absolutely combine science & artistic interpretation to provide a solid modern take on Heather Ale.
To date, a handful of Scottish breweries have produced their own versions of heather ale, brewed with locally sourced Scottish malt, heather, & meadowsweet. Additionally, there is one notable American version produced by Highland Brewing (apropos) from Asheville, NC. The current tasting notes for this style describe it as malt, floral, earthy, & spicy, with a wine like finish.
The Scottish Heather Ale is definitely a style to be on the lookout for. Who knows, maybe we will have one for you, one day, right here at Windermere Brewing.