March 2015 Heather Ale

This is, for some parts, outside the scope of the SCA. Although I find it as a fascinating myth and feel it's one that has to be told. Although it might be a bit gruesome so readers discretion is adviced.

To describe what heather ale is I will give you the lyrics (or parts of at least) from a ballad written by Robert Louis Stevensson:
"From the bonny bells o'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"

It appears that heather ale was a strong, yet sweet drink. As the folklore has it, it was the picts that was brewing this extraordinary ale. As the story goes the Scots were being influenced by European brewing techniques and slowly starting to forget the ancient ways of making strong ale or other strong fermented drinks. Now this would happen, mostly at least, during the 12th century. It also appears that by incorporating new techniques, the old drinks faded away. And that is what would have happened to heather ale. And so the legends started to brew, pardon the pun, about mysterious drinks that were being made in the islands and other more remote areas where the old ways of brewing were still maintained.

Although, according to folklore, the way to brew the true Pictish heather ale dissappeared throug a serious of harsh events. Here is where the gruesome part comes in. According to legend, the Scots had invaded the Pictish homelands and during the fight only two people were spared, an old man and his son. The old man was promised that they would be left alive if he were to give up the way of brewing true, pictish heather ale. The man agreed to this on one condition, and one condition only, and that was that his son were to be beheaded. The Scots, obviously, were surprised by this request but agreed to it. When the old man was presented with the head of his son he smiled and told the Scots that his son might have revealed the secret to them but now that he is dead the old man would find comfort in knowing that the Scots would never be able to find out the mystery of this drink. Another set of scholars and different folklores tells the story a bit different, in the other version the old man says that he will only reveal the secret to another Pict, knowing that a traitor is among the Scots, a pict who has changed side. The man will tell this traitor the secret at a cliff-edge which was sacred to him. But when they met the old man flung himself at the traitor, bringing them both to a gruesome death among the rocks. And thus the secret is lost in the history. There is also a legend comming from Norway and it also contains a father and a son, who are the only living people who can brew proper heather ale. And I imagine you can guess the rest of the story from the common theme of the myth.

There are numerous mentions in folklore about this particular ale, all different in some ways but also have the common theme that the drink is both strong and sweet. Unfortunately there is no recipe or description on how to make it. Some legends has it that it was a Viking invention, which gives some credit to the legend from Norway. To add more to this, in parts of Ireland heather (fraoch), which is most likely to be the plant Erica vulgaris, is known under another name: fraoh lochlannach, which means "viking heather" (source: A history of beer and brewing, Ian s. Hornsey).

Lots of studies has been made, the plants has been analyzed but no one has been able to find anything that can be properly fermented from it. Even when it has been mixed with honey the outcome has not been sweet but more sour and bitter. So the legendary drink is lost in the shadows of a distant past.