In the very strange collision of postmodernism, iconography, fetishism, and our consumer culture, one can now ingest a little bit of both Wallace and the Bruce—well, in theory at least. The robust nature of these two icons has even made its way into the beverage industry. The Bridge of Allan Brewery, Ltd., in Scotland brews a year-round Scottish ale simply called “William Wallace.” Other beers in the company’s line include more (of course!) Scottish ales: “Bannockburn,” “Stirling Brig 1297,” and “Sheriffmuir” (named after the battle in the Jacobite Rising of 1715). These can be purchased at the gift shop at the National Monument. Maclay Inns, Ltd., in Alloa, Scotland, brews an India pale ale (IPA) simply called “Wallace”; that this is an IPA, an ale that was originally brewed in England for export to the British in India during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, is interesting when one considers the history of English “colonialism” in Scotland. The Three Floyds Brewery in Munster, Indiana, has a decidedly strong reputation among lovers of quality beer. Their award-winning “Robert the Bruce Scottish Ale” is a mahogany-colored, malty ale with hints of chocolate and caramel; it is also available in a very limited barrel-aged version that has a significantly higher alcohol content by volume. The illustration of the Bruce on the label is less stern and warlike than the Wallace-themed images on other bottles and is more comical: bearded, in armor and with a crown on his head, sporting a big and somewhat mischievous grin, the Bruce is raising his foaming tankard in one hand while holding a small hatchet in the other. Duncans, an erstwhile chocolate company in Scotland (now owned by an English firm and relocated to the north of England), once made a chocolate bar in honor of Wallace: “Independence.”106 Of course we will never know what the Bruce and Wallace would have thought of all of this; indeed, neither one had access to chocolate in their lifetimes. Many replica versions of Wallace’s Braveheart sword are available for purchase; had Braveheart not received an “R” rating, perhaps the movie would have spawned a line of toys.
World History
