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Heather Ale Days
"From the bonny bells of heather
They brewed a drink long-syne,
Was sweeter far than honey,
Was stronger far than wine.
They brewed it and they drank it,
And lay in a blessed swound
For days and days together
In their dwellings underground."
~ Heather Ale: A Galloway Legend, Robert Louis Stevenson, 1890
SlĂĄinte! Raise a glass of heather aleâor whatever your favourite may beâand toast the waning days of summer, when Scotlandâs hills and moors are still awash in flowering heather.
This lovely, âswound-worthyââor, in modern parlance, swoon-worthyâtartan was inspired by Scotlandâs natural beauty, reflecting the vibrant purples of heather and thistle against the rich greens of its rolling hills.
Heather ale is a traditional Scottish âgruitâ ale. Instead of relying upon hops for bitterness and flavour, brewers use fragrant heather tips, which lend the drink delicate floral and earthy notes. The heather is brewed with malted barley and is sometimes joined by other native herbs, such as yarrow or bog myrtleâalso known as sweet galeâto create a light, distinctive ale with a subtly peaty character.
Heather ale also belongs to Scottish legend. According to the old tale, the Picts possessed a closely guarded recipe for a brew so rare and delightful that it was considered one of the treasures of their land. When the last Pictish survivorsâa father and sonâwere captured by an invading Scottish king, they chose death rather than surrender their secret.
Robert Louis Stevenson immortalized the haunting legend in his poem Heather Ale: A Galloway Legend.
This reputedly ancient style of brewing had nearly disappeared when Williams Bros. Brewing Company revived it as Fraoch Heather Ale, drawing upon an old Scottish Gruit recipe for an ancient Herbed ale using heather, bog myrtle (sweet gale), and ginger instead of hops! đ đ đ€ đș đș đș đż
Designed by Lochcarron of Scotland, this tartan was inspired by Scotland's beautiful natural surroundings using vibrant tones representing heather and thistle in combination with the verdant greens of rolling hills.
The Picts were one of the main groups of people living in what is now Scotland during the Late Iron Age and Early Medieval periods. Their history is somewhat mysterious due to the limited written records from the Picts themselves; much of what is known comes from Roman and later Scottish and Irish sources.
The Picts were not invaded by the Scots in the sense of a foreign invasion; rather, the history of the Picts and Scots is more a tale of gradual assimilation, alliance, and eventual unification. The term "Scots" originally referred to the Gaelic-speaking people from Ireland (also known as the Scoti) who settled in the west of Scotland, in a region known today as Argyll and later spreading further. Over time, these Irish settlers and the native Picts, among others, gradually merged through intermarriage, alliances, and the expansion of Christianity, which played a significant role in uniting the different groups under a common faith.
By the late 9th century, the distinction between Pict and Scot began to blur, culminating in the reign of King Kenneth MacAlpin (CinĂĄed mac AilpĂn), who is often credited with founding the Kingdom of Alba by merging Pictish and Scottish kingdoms around the middle of the 9th century. This unified kingdom eventually grew into the medieval Kingdom of Scotland. The narrative of an invasion might stem from later interpretations or simplifications of these complex interactions. In reality, the processes were more gradual and involved a mix of conquest, assimilation, and political marriage, rather than a straightforward invasion by one distinct group against another.
For more details of the famous legend of Heather Ale, click the painting of the gathering of heather!