Williams Bros Brewing Company (legally Heather Ale Ltd.) is a Scottish family-owned
microbrewery, founded and operated by brothers Bruce and Scott Williams. It is based in
Alloa
Alloa (Received Pronunciation ; educated Scottish pronunciation /ˈaloʊa/; gd, Alamhagh, possibly meaning "rock plain") is a town in Clackmannanshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It is on the north bank of the Forth at the spot wher ...
, Scotland.
History
Williams Bros started brewing in 1988. Their first ale was inspired by a 17th-century
Gaelic recipe for ''leann fraoich'' (heather ale). The heather ale is made using
bog myrtle
''Myrica gale'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Myricaceae, native to parts of Japan, North Korea, Russia, mainland Europe, the British Isles and parts of northern North America, in Canada and the United States. Common names include ...
and
heather flowers. The ale was produced in a tiny brewery in
Taynuilt railway station
, symbol_location = gb
, symbol = rail
, image = Taynuilt station.JPG
, borough = Taynuilt, Argyll and Bute
, country = Scotland
, coordinates =
, grid_name = Grid reference
, grid_position =
, manager = ScotRail
, platforms = 2
, c ...
, which could make no more than five barrels per batch, just enough to supply five pubs across Scotland. As demand grew, the recipe was taken to the old
Maclay's Brewery in the Scottish brewing town of Alloa.
The company developed other historic ales, using natural Scottish produce such as
elderberries
''Sambucus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Adoxaceae. The various species are commonly called elder or elderberry. The genus was formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but was reclassified as Adoxaceae due to ge ...
, the shoots of
Scots pine
''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US) or Baltic pine, is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-green leaves and orang ...
, seaweed and gooseberries. In 1998 the Heather Ale brewery moved to Craigmill, outside
Strathaven
Strathaven (; from gd, Strath Aibhne ) is a historic market town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland and is the largest settlement in Avondale. It is south of Hamilton. The Powmillon Burn runs through the town centre, and joins the Avon Water to the ...
in Lanarkshire. In 2004 the company moved again, to the Forth Brewery at Kelliebank, Alloa, where they are the last remaining brewery in the former Scottish brewing capital. Following the move, the company rebranded as Williams Bros Brewing Co., and continues to expand its range.
See also
*
Gruit
Gruit (alternately grut or gruyt) is a herb mixture used for bittering and flavouring beer, popular before the extensive use of hops. The terms gruit and grut ale may also refer to the beverage produced using gruit.
Historically, gruit is the te ...
References
External links
Williams Bros Brewing Co. web site
Breweries in Scotland
Companies based in Clackmannanshire
1988 establishments in Scotland
Food and drink companies established in 1988
Alloa
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