Traquair House Ale
Traquair House Brewery

11.2 fl oz. bottle, looks like a best by date of Jan 2032. A new oddity to me from the local beer spot; "Handmade ale brewed in the ancient brew house of the oldest inhabited house in Scotland".

Poured to a clear stemless wine snifter.
A: Pours a dark mahogany / chestnut / ruby body. Small conjuring of tan bubbles that remains as a surface skimming. It does appear adequately carbonated, with some good sticky lacing. ("Legs"?)
S: Aroma is deep & intricate. Definitely a beer to ponder after a quaff. It hits softly, but is super layered & complex. Aromas of smoke, cherry wood, some minor alcohol / booze fumes, vanilla, caramel, cream. Again, this aroma is soft, almost supple, but the authenticity on display here is the stunning part.
T: Taste brings in what the nose promises. Notes of smoke, raisin, oak wood, vanilla, caramel, cream. Only slightly sweet, but never overly sugary or sticky. Subtle dark fruits - cherry, raisin, with just a hint of copper. (Bottle says this beer is brewed in a 1738 copper kettle, before being fermented on oak).
Mouthfeel is absolutely perfect for this type of beer, carbonation is lowww, super easy drinking for the modest 7.2% abv.

Overall, authentic & absolutely delicious.
Traquair House Ale -----4.5/5

 

 

Poured from 11.2-ounce bottle into a thistle glass (or maybe a vase). Deep reddish brown colored body, with ruby highlights and a light tan head that left minimal lacing as it settled. A fruity note is prominent, with sweet roasted malt, light caramel, and a hint of smoke. Oaky tannins on the finish, with some lingering bitterness. Overall, a fine beer that begs for a food accompaniment. Bangers, anyone?

 

I really like the color on this one. Held in front of a mag light, it's kind of a shiny metallic red/brown. Smells good too. Malty, woody, and vinous. Flavor is rich malt, oak, and surprisingly a pleasant 'fruitiness'. Tannins from the cask apparent, which mingle with hops and add some black tea notes. Resinous mouth feel, briny carbonation. A wee bit light in body for a heavy. Alcohol undetectable. I love this beer!

 

 

Purchased at Purvis Beer in Richmond, a suburb of Melbourne in Australia, in November 2021.

Colour is hard to describe. Is it muddy brown, or amber, or dark, burnt copper? Maybe all of them...

Aroma has cola, some dark fruits, a tangy caramellyness and some tobacco.

Taste has sweetness, brown sugar (burnt?), molasses, raisins and red fruit. Alcohol is unnoticeable.

Mouthfeel is well balanced with mild carbonation.

Overall this is an excellent, and given how well it hides its alcohol, possibly quite dangerous, beer. It screams of warm fires, misty walks, and fog-bound valleys. Beer as a device for long contemplation is on display in this glass. If this is what the Scottish Lairds were drinking back in the day they were fortunate men!

Cheers!

 

 

Bottle from Altopalato, served at home in a thistle glass.
Brown color, medium head with average retention, good lacing.
Aroma of licorice, oak, caramel, prunes, vanilla.
Medium to full body, viscous texture, average carbonation. Sweet finish.
Taste of licorice, caramel, prunes, oak.
Wonderful.

 

 

POURS transparent dark amber, small off white, quickly dissipating head
AROMAS of dark roasted malt, warm leather work boots, left out banana peels, freshly packed Marlboro reds flip top box, decomposing leaves
FLAVORS of Italian roast coffee, carmel, clove, burnt sugar, pumpernickel, raisin, oak
FEELS crispy up front, tiny effervescent bubbles, medium body, finishes semi dry
OVERALL not as sweet as many Scotch Ales, and certainly hides the alcohol.

 

500 ml bottles poured into a tulip

A- A clear ruby red with a two finger tan head.

S- Molasses, dark fruits, oak, earthy, some toffee, touch of peat/smoke.

T- Molasses, earthy, peat, dark fruits, toffee/caramel, some oak, nicely balanced.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A well done and nicely balanced Scotch Ale, very easy to drink

Perfect example of the style. Well balanced and delicious.

 

 

 

500 ML bottle, vintage 2020, poured into a snifter at 55 degrees F:
L - somewhere between a barleywine and a stout, buttermilk colored head lingered
S - bread, malt
T - flavors of malt, peat, biscuit; the peat flavor adds a sweetness on the finish
F - medium mouthfeel and carbonation
O - very interesting beer, good. This one is fresh, so I'm going to age my second bottle 3 years

 

Pours a dark brown with a light tan head that dissipates quickly.

Tastes of light toasted malts with a tad of dark fruit in the mix. There is a bit of barrel but you have to search for it and a slight bitterness in the finish. Thin body and mouthfeel, I was hoping for more "scotch ale" but was left wanting it to be more than it was.

 

 

 

 

 

 

500mL bottle stamped BBE MAY 29 poured into thistle glass at just above fridge temp 7.2% ABV. The beer pours light to medium brown in color with reddish highlights and milky, light khaki head. The head recedes to a thin ring and single layer of bubbles. The aroma is faint with rich malt, cocoa, leather and earthy hops. The taste is rich, deeply toasted malt with subtle smokiness. Earthy flavors of leather, tobacco and oak can also be found before a moderately bitter finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a dry finish. Overall, very good. Subtle, balanced and complex.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A: Pours a nice deep brown/cola color, perfectly translucent. Head is light tan, very small with poor retention.

S: Medium strength smell. It does smell like Scottish malt man. You get some caramel, vanilla, buckwheat honey, figs/prunes/dates and some banana bread. It has quite a bit of musk too.

T: Medium strength taste. It does taste like Scottish malt too. You get caramel, vanilla, buckwheat honey, prunes and banana bread like the smell. You also get leather and oak tannins and some light peat. Coffee on the retrohale. Not a lot of residual sugars and slightly sour like some whisky's can be. A bit mineral. Super old school.

M: Medium mouthfeel with medium to low carbonation. No stickiness.

O: This is a nice blast from the past. Old school flavors all around. Really reminiscent of Scottish whisky's.