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The Heather Ale
 Once upon a time, the Mull of Galloway was the last
stronghold in mainland Caledonia (as Scotland was
then called) of the Southern Picts, those same fearsome
blue—painted warriors who had fought the Romans at
Hadrian’s Wall. But not only was the Mull their
fortress, it was also a sort of prehistoric brewery. For
these prehistoric Picts had discovered the secret of brewing an ale
from the heather which still grows today, around the
Mull. Their Heather Ale was said to he so wonderful in
its flavour and effect that it surpassed anything else in
the country and its unique recipe was passed from
generation to generation to preserve that same secret.
However, the fame of this wonderful elixir spread and
Niall, High King of Ulster, crossed from Ireland to
capture not only samples but also the secret recipe for
his own use. After stiff resistance, the Picts were eventually
destroyed by the invaders, assisted largely by a treacherous
Pictish Druid who had turned traitor at the promise of
being put in charge of the brewing in Ulster.
Finally, only the old Pict and one son remained, with
the latter mortally wounded and seeing only two left,
the King agreed to spare one if the other revealed the
recipe. Knowing his son was weak and dying, the old
man agreed and the son was as duly thrown from the
cliffs to his death. Heartbroken, the old man maintained
that he should only give the recipe as agreed to
one man and led the druid up to the highest
point of the cliffs at the Mull where, grasping
him by the hand, hurled himself and the traitor
into the foaming waves beneath. And so the
secret of heather ale was lost for ever.
Well not quite for ever, for there is now a
Heather Ale available again locally. Try some and
learn why an Irish king fought over it and why
Robert Louis Stevenson immortalised it in verse
in his 'Heather Ale: A Galloway Legend'. |
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