Traquair Bear Ale

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

Serve in English pint, Snifter

Small sample at the Mondial. Light amber with a bit of head and lace...nose of musty old papers, dried up caramel, light fruitiness...a bit of chocolate emerges in the body, again the caramel, a sort of oxidized old caramel if that makes sense, and later some unpleasant vegetal characteristics to go with the aluminum-can texture at the finish, which is very light and cottony. All in all, not good.

Sample at the Mondiale 2005: Poured a medium brown color ale with medium head with limited retention. Aroma is quite sweet with some spicy notes and some nice malt. Taste is sweeter the expected with some honey. Body is average and carbonation is low. Average Scottish ale.

Bottle. Characteristic Traquair aroma. Clear chestnut colour. Small head. Quite bitter flavour. A little watery (naturally) in comparison with other Traquairs.

Bottle from Moffat Wine Shop in the Scottish Borders not too many miles from the brewery. Lovely tawny colour with a good persistent white head leaving nice lacework. Rich malty nose and a full malty palate, attractive fruity hops appearing on the finish. A big well flavoured ale from a tiny brewery...loved it lots.

Brown colour, low white head. Ashy hops, wet stones and grass in aroma. Light smokey and plastic flavour. Small ashy and yeasty notes. Short aftertaste.

Bottled. Amber. Way to much yeast in both aroma and flavour. More than real-ale-ish. Some late bitterness and notes of grape.

Amber, small head. Yeasty, quite strange aroma, that gives me the feeling the yeast had not finished its work in this brew. Flavor reminds me of a real ale with grapefruit.

Dark amber colored with a foamy tan head. Sweet malt and berry aroma, nice and full and special. Berries and malt in the flavor as well with yeasty and hayish tones. Pretty different but good. Easy drinkable.