Traquair Bear Ale

Brewed by Traquair
Style: Old Ale
Innerleithen, Borders, Scotland

Serve in English pint, Snifter

27 Mar 2006 - Compost sweet malt aroma. Medium brown colour, good head and good suds lacing. Roasted malt flavour. Thin roasted malt finish.

Bottle. Dark orangie colour with a big off-white head. Malty, spicy, herbal aroma and taste. Medium body with a dry finish.

Bottle. Clear orange coloured with a solid beige head. Aroma of malts and caramel. Flavour of malts, caramel and hops.

Aroma is not very plesant perhaps sulpher. Clear red brown colour with fair head and lacing. Bitter malt flavour. Very thin. Flat palate.

Cask Stillage at the Mill At The Pier, Wigan 13/03/2003 Amber mid brown coloured and strong in alcohol. Some wheat aroma. Slightly dry bitter malt finish.

Aroma very weak caramel, the very head small disappears after a matter of seconds, not much lacing, light to medium bod, low carbonation, slightly malty and dry, unexcitng finish. One of the things I love about British ales is they mostly carry a description of the beer on the label, but it is missing from this bottle, I wonder why! Give Traquair House Ale a try, gorgeous stuff, but not this, drinkable but bland. Try again Traquair.

Traquair Bear Ale pours to a beautiful, bright, deep copper to tawny brown color, with a bubbly white head that fades, and a moderate amount of carbonation. The nose on this beer is very interesting. Aromas of biscuity malt, and some dry, herbal hop aromas, marry with the aroma of oak. The palate is firm, with pleasing biscuity pale malt flavors, paired with a touch of sour fruit flavor, and notes of oak. Bear Ale finishes with more malty and oaky flavors up front, and ends with a refreshing slightly sour and oaky edge. This is an excellent Scottish ale that is very distinctive due to the fact that it is fermented in 200 year old oak fermenters. This beer is brewed exclusively with pale malts, hopped with East Kent Goldings, and picks up that deep copper color from the oak fermenters. I enjoyed the malty and oaky aromas and flavors of this beer, and that touch of sourness in the finish. The bottled version of Bear Ale comes in at 5% abv, making it a little bigger than your average "session" beer, but no less drinkable

For me to rate a scotish ale, from a renowned brewery, is near unheard of. Aroma has some spicey bittering hops which dont pair well. Taste is harsh bittering hops which leave a bad taste in my mouth. Bad beer, from a good brewery.