Traquair Bear Ale
Traquair House Brewery

picked up at the source, which was a pilgrimage of sorts, well, not of sorts, it was a pilgrimage, we made the trip down here from edinburgh with the sole purpose of hitting this mecca of a brewery, and even though they dont have a bar and you cant really have a beer here, its worth the trek anyway, one of the most iconic and unfortunately unsung at the same time operations on the globe, this place matters. since its not a bar it cannot be reviewed here as a place, but a few words on the experience feel appropriate here. its so rural and beautiful, the whole drive, green hills spotted with sheep and other animals, little farmhouses, mature trees, its just stunning. the brewery is not the main attraction at traquair, its the old house and the grounds, something like 20 or 30 kings and queens have stayed here over the years, hundreds and hundreds of them, and its a lovely old property. a walled garden in front, a hedge maze in the back, a garden, pigs, a play area for kids, walking trails, its all so mellow and beautiful and its open to the public to picnic and relax and walk around, that alone is destination-worthy. nobody was drinking beer that i could see, but it also didnt appear to be prohibited in any way. the house is able to be toured and its worth doing, an insanely cool old library is there, some eerily in tact rooms from eras long gone, and relics from nobility that has come through set up like a museum in parts, its very cool. the brewery is actually off to the left of the main house, tucked under the chapel, not really an attraction at all. there is a little shop there where you can taste the beer, buy bottles to go (samples and picked up two new ones to me, this bear ale and their 2000th brew!) and get trinkets and such, bread made with the beer, that kind of thing, but you cant have a pint and there isnt a bar, so its a quick hit. the brewery is viewable around the side down the hill, hard to believe all of this beer, this famous beer, that has long come to the states, is made right here. they have the old system there, gravity fed, wood fired, open wood fermenting vessels, none of this is in use any more and i guess they have a modern brewery next to it that cannot be seen by the public, but its new and and can only be so large in the space, still crazy it all comes from here, and cool to see the origins of it all, a lovely experience, even if beer is only part of it. now for bear ale, the lightest one the make apparently, our bottle looked like it was labeled for export to sweden or something, never seen it domestically before. gorgeous pour on it, the deepest amber with light coming in setting a pretty glow, a high lasting airy burlap head, very well refined looking brew. the nose and taste are sweet, nutty, and autumnal, amazing richness for a beer this low in alcohol and with a lot of the characteristics of their famous house ale, especially the ferment, unique and old worldy, some light spiciness to this, deeply earthy, timeless really, somewhat herbal, even tea-like, molasses and maple and chestnut from the malt, praline, bran and dark bread too, died apple and raisin fruitiness, spice cake, but its not weird or overdone its just unique and its simple really, grain and yeast driving it, incredibly clean and bright and well polished, especially considering how rustic this place is and how the brewery space must be. soft feeling, not too sweet, very nuanced and cozy feeling to me, doesnt need to be cold to drink, its very special stuff from a very special place. do not sleep on traquair beer just because its around, a known entity, having some context around it now elevates it a whole lot for me, and i am honored to have had the privilege of checking the place out. traquair rules, bear ale rules.

Wonderful blend of deep maltiness yet keeping it sessionable. Complex flavours - nutty, raisin, bitterness - but you never find it gets "too much" - sessionable indeed. Overall, a wee masterpiece!

0.5l bottle into a nonic pint. Best before december 2024, been sitting in my cupboard for ages.

Slightly fermented apple juice and wet pines in the autumn on the nose.

Fallen fermented apples again in the taste. Subdued grapefruit. Dry grasses, hint of toasted corn. Burnt coffee and tin, overbrewed earl grey. Strawberry squash. Really high quality water that comes though unusually well in the taste.

Light and dry, delivers hard on drinkabillity. Both the malt and hops stand forth in a very unforgiving way. Would use as to test if someone actually likes beer or just the idea of it.

Aug. 2013: 500 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5%. Clear brown to copper colour, moderate white head. Malty aroma with notes of toffee, caramel and nuts, hints of over-ripe fruits. The flavour is also malty but not very sweet, some fruity notes, hints of oak, nuts and caramel, fairly bitter and slightly roasty finish. More "contemporary" in style than Traquair House Ale and Jacobite Ale, but this one is also a fine beer.

 

 

 

 

 

500ml bottle from Aldi Supermarkey (UK):
Dark caramel brown with a clear body & thin, patchy lacing on top of the beer builds up a little around the circumference but leaves a lot of bare patches in the centre.

Malty with a earthy notes coming through & plenty of bitterness. Roasted notes appear around the middle & some subdued fruits as well but the earthy smells & strong malts dominate from the off with a strong nutty aroma backing this up. There is some spice but some off-notes seemed to appear throughout as well.

Thankfully this one picks up a little in the taste department and doesn't seem to have the same seemingly off notes that the nose featured. There was a strong and quite malty flavour coming through with a nutty taste too and some lighter fruits as well. There was a nice bitterness to this one with some caramel as well but this is fairly light.

Medium bodied with low carbonation and a very smooth feel with a soft and slightly bitter and dry mouthfeel.

The aroma was quite poor but the taste was a lot better with a lot of malts and some light fruits offset with a solid bitterness throughout and the beer proved an easy one to drink and turned out a lot better than I thought it would after the nose.

 

 

Poured from a 500mL bottle into a pint glass.

A: A white, pitted head. Clear, wood-dark brown. Lacing on the side.

S: Caramel malt, light fruit.

T: Mm, fruity malts, light hops. Round, light sweetness tempered by a well-balanced bitterness. The aftertaste is faintly metallic, but only briefly -- then malty and nutty.

M: Meh...Pleasant. Malty. Kinda boring.

D: I found this to be a very pleasant beer. I could/would drink several of them. Not sure why the reviews are a bit low -- definitely a solid pick.

This beer pours a clear reddish amber colour, with one finger of soapy beige head, which leaves some random spotty lace around the glass as it recedes. It smells lightly of fruity malt and raisins. The taste is more fruity barley malt - dates and plum, and mild earthy hops. The carbonation is on the light side, the body decently weighty and smooth, and it finishes on the sweet side, some earthy fruit and mild hops staying after school.

A fairly tasty, but mild Scottish ale, not as much going on as I would expect coming from this brewery.

Enjoyed at Bar Volo. Pours light brown with a small remaining off-white head. Faint aroma of barley and malt. It has a mild sourness to it, and hops in the finish, its not off. Above average mouthfeel. Not much on taste, this is avoidable but drinkable if you must.

500 mL bottle poured into a mug.

Appearance: Pours a clear dark reddish-brown color. No visible carbonation; head is more of an off-white film.

Smell: Mild aroma of roasted malts and caramel.

Taste: Light flavors of caramel, roasted malts, etc. Somewhat watery, with a bit of hops in the finish. A mild flavor overall.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and very smooth. Virtually no carbonation.

Drinkability: Very easy to drink, mellow ABV.

This has a very mild and minimal taste to it, something that caught me off guard. It would work alright as a session beer, I think. I do find it enjoyable and a good beer overall, but it really pales in comparison to its big brothers, Traquair House Ale and Jacobile Ale. Those are excellent and I'll stick to those -- sure, they are also a bit stronger and more expensive, but are worth it. Having had the Bear Ale now, I'm no longer disappointed that it isn't imported. Good, but not particularly worth seeking out.

Appearance: Pours a clear, medium brown body with a bubbly white head.

Smell: Malt, nut-covered nose with some light notes of spice and fruit.

Taste: Altogether nutty maltiness with a light caramel sweetness. Tiny bit of berry fruitiness. Light hops, spicy and floral, with a small amount of bitterness. Fine dry finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Relatively soft, smooth mouthfeel.

Drinkability: Keenly drinkable and refreshing, due in part to it's low ABV.

From a half liter brown bottle - Pours light brown/red but clear pale with a small almost non existent head. Smells of oak and malts. First sip is malty and spicy with a slight bitter hop presence. Finishes well. Nicely bodied slightly under carbonated

Very nice chestnut brown color. Decent head. Low aroma-sort of metallic actually. Medium malt flavor balanced with some hop bitterness-a decent blend of the 2. Finish is slightly sweet. Good mouthfeel. Overall a decent enough effort. In my honest opinion this brewery needs to stick to "bigger" beers there are enough Scottish Ales that far outshine this one.

Despite a nose dominated by malt which screams wholesome this mahogany brew actually has more hoppy bite than anything else I have drained in my first month here in Scotland.

This is a really well coordinated beer. The interplay between the rich malt and a herbal hop taste is grand, making me ponder mint without being able to confirm that I can really taste it. This hint of mint may well be a result of the brew's oak aging.

Definitely worth a try.