Legend has it that men have died for the ale of the moors. Andrew Mackay meets a brewer who would once again make it the drink of Scotland.

FROM the day a Gaelic-speaking Islander translated an ancient recipe for heather ale in Bruce Williams's homebrew shop in Glasgow it became his passion to produce the ale which at one time enjoyed as much popularity in Scotland as lager has today. Mystery and legend have surrounded heather ale over the years but none more dramatic than the events which took place in the south-western tip of Scotland - long before the twentieth-century version of Fraoch (heather) ale was produced.

It was there, where seven tides meet in the sea beneath the towering cliffs of the Mull of Galloway, that a Scots king (a bad one), after killing nearly all the Picts in a battle, was desperately keen to get his hands on the recipe for heather ale. He found two survivors by the cliff, a Pictish chief and his son, and began to torture them to get the secret recipe.

The chief agreed to tell if they killed his son quickly. After doing so and throwing the boy's body from the cliff, the Pictish chief faced the king and said: ``But now in vain is the torture, fire shall never avail, here dies in my bosom the secret of the heather ale.'' He then threw himself at the king and they both fell from the cliff.

Heather ale goes back before the Celts to the time when Picts had a say in local government. But when the hop gardens were established in England in the eighteenth century heather was banned in brewing. Indeed, heather never had a chance to compete with hops because it was outlawed.

But to return to Bruce Williams, and his lust to produce an ale that would once again be the drink of Scotland. His first efforts began, as many experiments do, in the kitchen. The brew eventually showed great promise and a move to a tiny brewery was required to keep up with the demand.

That was to Taynuilt, near Oban, where a small brewery had been established in old railway buildings. One problem Williams encountered was in the collection of that singular vital ingredient - heather. It took long hours to collect what would be sufficient to make a commercial brew. But driven by the reward of #2 per gallon for heather tips, an army of students soon converted gallons into drinking money.

Fraoch is now brewed at Maclays brewery in Alloa by Williams, who by arrangement has the use of the brewery's plant. Malted barley and heather flowers, bell or ling, are added as though they were hops, imparting aroma and dryness. Additionally, myrtle leaves extract flavour and nectar. The hot ale is then filtered through a bed of fresh heather flowers.

Fraoch is a serious beer. Its taste, aftertaste, scent, and light carbonation make it an extremely palatable and agreeable drink. It has been described as having a flowery-fruity bouquet, spice and apple tones, herbal, woody, floral, peaty fruit. It is not after-shave or a herbal bath foam. But there is a hint of heather without its complex taste being overpowering. The sceptic may find Fraoch surprisingly good.

It is uncommon for Cellarman to venture into the kitchen but it would appear that Fraoch offers great potential to the cook and if you have a spare bit of raw venison haunch submerge it in heather ale and bring to boil, simmer for one hour or until cooked, add chopped root vegetables, top up with more Fraoch and casserole in oven until sauce thickens. Just one of many recipes using heather ale. In the bottle, Fraoch has an ABV of 5% and is recommended to be taken at cellar temperature. When it appears in draught form the ABV is 4%; however, there is a cold allowance in November to February when the ABV is a unified 5%.

At Heather Ale Ltd, Bruce Williams is in the company of brother Scott and Andrew MacGregor. Smart marketing will see Fraoch in many bars and restaurants around the world. But for the time being Fraoch Ale is available at specialist beer shops such as Peckhams and at Blackfriars, the Brewery Tap, State Bar, Glasgow, and the Hunting Lodge, Kilmarnock where it may also be on tap.