Fraфch me

T

Thor

Thor Iverson
Otter Creek Imperial Series Russian Imperial Stout (Vermont) Sweet and sticky. Burnt sugar, espresso bean oils, molasses, thick malt, etc. (4/09)

Orkney Brewery Dark Island Dark Ale (Scotland) Bitter. And yes, dark. Very complicated, by which I mean something slightly different than complex. Peaty, smoky, maybe even angry. Good? As one can see, Im uncertain. (4/09)

Orkney Brewery Red MacGregor Ruby Ale (Scotland) Bitter. And yes, red, but a dark red. Even more complicated than the dark ale, with more of a dried fruit character amidst all the swirling storm clouds. Theres sand here, I think. Good? Yes, probably, but not for everyone. (4/09)

Williams Rose Fraфch Heather Ale (Scotland) Tastes much as described: strong ale with the taste of the brushlands. Interesting, though I dont know that Id want to drink a whole lot of it. (4/09)
 
originally posted by Thor:
Williams Rose Fraфch Heather Ale (Scotland) Tastes much as described: strong ale with the taste of the brushlands. Interesting, though I dont know that Id want to drink a whole lot of it. (4/09)
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I didn't. Half way through the bottle I felt bored. The novelty wared off and it just seemed a bit top-heavy after that. I managed to finish the bottle, but only because I'm Finnish and we famously persevere.
 
Yeah, that's about it. I was sharing the bottle with a dedicated beer drinker, so I didn't have to finish it myself. For which I'm glad, as was he.

Re: Finnish perseverance, as my wife has been there a half-dozen times over the last year, and I just cooked a big dinner for a major handful of said Finns on a visit to Boston, I've come to understand it well. It's...impressive.
 
There's a whole host of these Scottish novelty beers -- Skullsplitter (also from Orkney, I think) is a giant, sugary, boozy thing that seemed to lose its luster a few years after I graduated from college; and the cleverly named seaweed beer Kelpie (also from Williams Rose), which suffers from the same problems as the Fraфch -- that are just really mediocre. Novel and entertaining. But not really delicious or quaffable.

There are so many good ales from Scotland with such variety as it is, it seems a shame that those get as much attention as they do. On the more traditional end, one of the sweeter beers that, despite my preference for drier brews, still gets me every now and again is Traquair House, which, considering its caramel, sweet, spicy flavors comes in a far more appropriate package than others (a 33cL bottle). But my real favorite has to be Black Friar, a more standard Scottish ale with a nice dry streak through it despite all the big caramel flavors. There are others, of course (Wee Beast, Lia Fail, Arran Blond, etc), but Black Friar is just lovely.
 
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