Brewery: Williams Bros
Location: Alloa, Scotland
ABV: 6.5%
Version: 330ml bottle

Or to give it it’s full name – Heather Ales Ebulum Elderberry Black Ale. Which tells you quite a bit already. According to their website info this ale is based on a 16th century recipe from the Scottish Highlands, and is made “from roasted oats, barley and wheat boiled with herbs then fermented with ripe elderberries.” Certainly sounds intriguing.

Surprisingly then it pours a rich deep brown colour, so not quite black, with a roasted malt aroma and some hints of fruit. The flavour is a lovely blend of lightly roasted malts, with a finely balanced slightly sour edge which never outstays its welcome. It’s altogether very smooth and drinkable, very moreish, with the only minor downside being a rather thin finish. Still, a very pleasurable drop, worth checking out.