Traquair 900
Traquair House Brewery

Traquair 900Traquair 900
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Traquair House Brewery
 
Scotland, United Kingdom
Style:
English Barleywine
ABV:
9%
Score:
89
Avg:
4.02 | pDev: 9.7%
Reviews:
39
Ratings:
46
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 30, 2023
Added:
Sep 06, 2007
Wants:
  16
Gots:
  2
Brewed once in 2007 to commemorate the 900th anniversary of the Traquair House.
View: More Beers
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by nlmartin:
Photo of nlmartin
Reviewed by nlmartin from Ohio

3.85/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
This beer was served in a tulip glass. The beer came out of the fridge a bit colder than I would have liked it. After a wait of 20 minutes the beer was about the way I liked it.

Appearance: The beer pours a very nice ruby coloration. The carbonation bubbles up in a lazy loose grouping. The head of the beer is a very light cream coloration. A film of lacing remains behind on my glass.

Smell: A fruity blend of raisins and cherries dipped in port wine. Chocolate, honey and vanilla dance around in the aroma.

Taste: The beer delivers a pleasing combination of the aroma. Its a bit boozey on the finish but not in a bad way. A very nice malty treat.

Mouthfeel/ Drinkability: The mouthfeel of the beer is too thin. It has an anemic medium body. The low carbonation works well with the smooth mouthfeel. I just wish the body was a bit fatter. I like em round and big. The beer is a very solid stab at the English Barleywine style. Worthy of a glass or two.
Oct 15, 2008
More User Ratings:
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.7/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
August 2007: Bottle, at RBESG 2007 in Glasgow, Grand Tasting. ABV is 9%. Deep reddish brown to ruby colour. Very oaky and malty aroma and flavour, with plenty of caramel.
Jul 30, 2023
Photo of GlennWB
Rated by GlennWB from West Virginia

4.44/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Chocolate taste along with malt and carmel. Very good beer.
Sep 26, 2016
 
Rated: 4.08 by Sanderson from Washington

Mar 26, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by olradetbalder from Sweden

Nov 20, 2014
Photo of Ozzylizard
Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Bottle BB 03, 2017, at 40 degrees into standard pint glass
Aroma of malt and alcohol
Head small (2 cm), light brown, fizzy, rapidly diminishing to 2 mm ring and partial layer
Lacing none
Body dark brown, opaque, many floaties
Flavor of malt and caramel; no hops, no alcohol, no diacetyl
Palate medium to full, creamy, soft carbonation

Wow! A great-tasting beer, malty and sweet, with well-hidden alcohol. Got to buy some more of these.
Aug 09, 2014
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
330 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled in 2007. Pours very murky dark reddish brown color with a 1 finger dense light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of big caramel, toast, toffee, molasses, raisin, plum, prune, fig, brown bread, light roast, and herbal earthiness. Damn nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/fruity malt notes; with good strength. Taste of big caramel, toast, toffee, brown sugar, brown bread, raisin, plum, chocolate, light roast, and herbal/toasted earthiness. Zero bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, toast, brown sugar, toffee, brown bread, raisin, plum, chocolate, light roast, and toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice balance and complexity of dark malt and lightly fruity flavors; with zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Light carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a very creamy and lightly slick mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming present after the finish. Overall this is a damn nice English barleywine style. All around good balance and complexity of deep malt flavors and very smooth to sip on for the ABV. A very enjoyable offering.
Jan 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by DoubleSimcoe from Pennsylvania

Dec 01, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Sturmthis from Ohio

Oct 19, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by DLucky from Florida

Sep 04, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by bigdaddypolite from Minnesota

Nov 20, 2011
Photo of seanyfo
Reviewed by seanyfo from Scotland

3.42/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
33cl bottle poured into Grimbergen Goblet

Bottled March 2007, best before March 2017

A- Dark mahogany with a lot of floaters. 2 finger tan head reduces very quickly to a crown. Lacing is average.

S- Slight madeira note, some toffee malt, some spice, overall malt dominant as expected with some dark rye bread.

T- Slight sweet sherry quality with subdued sweet malt character coming through, tad syrupy in the finish. Hint of alcohol heat coming through with prune like bitterness but very subdued

M- Low carbonation, a bit thin in body. Smooth

D- Definitely not the best from Traquair, thought 2010 was far better although thats a younger beer. Would be great to try fresh as this seems to be taking on a sherry quality which i doubt was there fresh which im not entirely keen on. Lost a bit of life. Not one i would seek out again or age any further.
Aug 05, 2011
Photo of sixerofelixir
Reviewed by sixerofelixir from Ohio

4.17/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
33 cl bottle. 2007 release.

Pours a solid, very dark brown. A tan head soon rings up. Smell is dark, rich fruit and dark, rich malts. Sipping, I also get a heapin' helpin' of roasted molasses. Not really "burnt" though - just sweet, mellow, and boozy. Complex. Tastes like hard tack maple candy. Finishes bitter and with a bit of alcohol burn.. to be expected. Easy drinking and tasty. A fine beer.
Jun 11, 2011
Photo of clickpush
Reviewed by clickpush from Pennsylvania

2.59/5  rDev -35.6%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Lots of sediment, dark brown body, not much head though some bubbles visible. Caramel nose, woody, chocolate. Flavor is a bit oxidized and subtler than I expect from a 900th anniversary beer. Not much going on inside this bottle... wish I'd had the opportunity to try it fresh.
Dec 14, 2010
Photo of thierrynantes
Reviewed by thierrynantes from France

4.12/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Beer bottle (33 cl.), tasted in 2010 (brewed in 2007, to celebrate the 900th anniversary).

Appearance : deep red-brown, with tan foamy head.
Smell : vinous aroma and alcohol presence.
Taste and mouthfeel : dried fruits with bitter notes of hops.
Drinkability : a very good beer in the style English Barley Wine.
Oct 07, 2010
Photo of bluejacket74
Reviewed by bluejacket74 from Ohio

4.04/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
11.2 ounce bottle, 2007 vintage, best before March 2017. Served in a snifter, the beer pours a cola brown color with a half inch tan head that went away quickly. There's also a decent amount of lacing. Aroma is very malty, it smells like caramel, raisins, molasses, and brown sugar. The taste is pretty much the same as the aroma, but with some booze noticable. Also, the taste isn't as strong as the aroma would indicate. Mouthfeel/body is medium with low carbonation, however it seems a bit thin. It's not as rich as I expected it to be. I think the drinkability is good, it's a good sipping brew. Overall I think it's a good beer, although I think this could use some more age on it.
Dec 29, 2009
Photo of zoso493
Reviewed by zoso493 from North Carolina

4.32/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
I got my hands on a 2007 bottle and I've been excited to try it. Poured from a 330 ml bottle into a nonic.

Appearance: Pours a nice coca-cola color with a lot of ruby tints when held up to the light. A vigorous pour produces a foamy three-finger head that receded quickly.

Smell: Really nice scent of caramel and toffee and all other kinds of sweet malts. Also maybe some brown sugar? Definitely has a graininess that's typical of Scotch ales, as well.

Taste: Really smooth drinking beer. The taste is difficult to describe, but it's almost like a chocolate covered fruit. I'm having a really hard time picking out any specific flavors but it's a very sweet beer.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel on this is almost perfect. Really creamy and full-bodied.

Drinkability: You'd never guess there was 9% ABV in this brew. Really smooth, easy-drinking beer, even despite the sweetness.

Overall, this is a really nice and very interesting brew. This is the first English barleywine I've had and while it departs from the American style a bit (or rather the other way around) it's still very tasty and seems to maintain a Scottish edge to it. Definitely worth a try if you see one.
Dec 06, 2009
Photo of Pencible
Reviewed by Pencible from Virginia

4.57/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
2007 bottle. (Thanks to Will for sharing!) This poured a transparent dark mahogany with quickly dissipating tan head. It smelled like sugary caramel and toffee and honey wheat, with some subtle creamy orange and a bit of alcohol. It tasted like chocolate covered cherry with honey and molasses and oranges and cream and fresh wheat. It was watery with no carbonation, and had a sweet aftertaste. Overall this was a super sweet and succulent beer. It had fantastic complexities and subtleties that go far beyond the flavors I've captured above. It was bold and ultra clean, with well hidden alcohol, so it was super easy to drink. The body was a bit thin, but the taste was just perfect. Truly a great barleywine, which will likely continue to improve with age (peaking in another 5 years maybe?).
Jul 30, 2009
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.8/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks phyl21ca for this 2007 edition. Pours dark brown with foaming off-white head. Barleywine and sugary aroma, a little old ale in the nose. Above average mouthfeel, with caramel and inetraction of brown sugar. A simple and easy drinking beverage, with some potent alcohol. Satisfing, and sweetish but not overally.
Jul 05, 2009
Photo of prototypic
Reviewed by prototypic from Ohio

4.12/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: It pours a dark, nut brown color. There's quite a bit of light getting through producing garnet (nearly purple) highlights. The head is tan in color and modest overall. It's lucky if it reached a finger deep. Retention was short and lacing was relatively light.

Smell: The nose is very malty and full of dark fruit. Caramel malts smell sweet and strong. Some chocolate is also noted. There's a diverse range of dark fruit including plum, raisin, and a little prune. It smells very sweet. Brown sugar and molasses are secondary components, but add a great deal of depth and character. Smells like there's some very light hop aromas. Alcohol is noticeable, but isn't overly strong. This a very deep and nice smelling beer. I'm sure I'm not catching it all.

Taste: 900 is one malty, sweet beer. Caramel malts are the most prominent variety. They're sweet and give it a really solid backbone. Chocolate malts are secondary and add a little more of a sweet flavor. Prune, raisin, and plum come through very strong and are a primary feature. Brown sugar and molasses play complementary roles, but only add to a very deep roster of flavors. I'm not picking up any hop flavor here. If they're here, they're consumed by the malts. Alcohol is noted, but it's blended pretty well. It doesn't come across too strong. Finishes sweet with a nice dark fruit flavor. I'm close to pulling the "4.5" trigger here. Ultimately, it's just not quite as refined here as compared to the nose. But, it is very good.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: It's medium bodied and feels a tad too thin. Carbonation is light. It is smooth, but would benefit from a more substantial body. Drinkability is good, but a little limited. It's a big beer, is a little heavy on the stomach, and is strong at 9%. Good sipping beer.

Traquair 900 is really good beer. It's a very nice English Barleywine. I like it quite a bit. The body is a little thin and throws the experience off a bit. There's little doubt it's very good beer. I'm certainly glad we see Traquair here in Ohio. I've been impressed with every single beer of theirs I've tried. Recommended.
Mar 23, 2009
Traquair 900 from Traquair House Brewery
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 46 ratings