These odd beers can be very hard to rate as they often come with unique flavors that one may really like or dislike, making an already subjective task even more subjective.  At any rate, this Scottish Gruit / Ancient Herbed Ale was thin in mouth-feel seeming very macro-like in nature.  The flavor was interesting, certainly unlike any I've encountered before.  It starts out almost like an American Macro Lager, although that may be more to do with mouth-feel than taste; one then gets washed in the primary flavor which is a sourness that is unique.  The sour is a bit hard to describe but it is almost like a very light lambic mixed with floral hop with a touch of earthiness or dirtiness.  Definitely a flavor I hadn't previously encountered and even if the description sounds good, for me it really wasn't that enjoyable.  Somehow it almost had that sort of nauseating taste I get in American Malt Liquors, but obviously it didn't come from the same source as this beer seemed awfully light on the malt side of things.  Carbonation was also low.  Looking back at what I've written, you'd think I hated this beer, but I didn't, I suppose my description makes it sound worse than it is.  That being said, although I basically liked it more than your average American Macro Lager, I certainly wouldn't choose this over your average American Macro Lager in every situation as I'm not quite sure how this will mesh with my typical tucker and despite its light nature, I don't really see it as a palate cleanser either.

Bottle Cap

Brewery Website

BeerTripper Rating

http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/

Alcohol Concentration

5.00

Scottish Gruit / Ancient Herbed Ale

Ale