Traquair House Ale

Brewed by Traquair House
Style: Scotch Ale
Innerleithen, Borders, Scotland

Serve in Thistle

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Pours a clear dark red. Thin tan head that dissipates fairly quickly. Strong, sweet aroma of malt and dried fruit. Flavor is raisins, dried cherries, toast and just a hint of vanilla. A little more alcohol burn than usual for the style. Medium body. Slightly slick, oily finish and very mild carbonation.

Great colour - deep ruby red, looks like ribena, unfortunately it has about as much head as a ribena too. Aroma is malty, cereal, some biscuit, port, alcohol. Flavour is mild sweetness, a bit of bitterness, well balanced, but definately missing something. The texture is slick, but very thin. Drinkable, but not great.

Bottle. Dark amber, average fully diminishing head. Moderate to full, malty and sweetish aroma, some caramel and roasted malt, light dark fruits, some notes of wood - light vanilla, light hoppyness. Body is medium to full, malty and sweetish flavor, some caramel and roasted malt, light dark fruits, some notes of wood, light hoppyness. Finish is average to long, malty and lightly sweetish, some caramel and roasted malt, some notes of wood - light vanilla, light hoppyness and faint alcohol. Really nice strong scotch ale - not too sweet/too much caramel, not too oaky.

500 ml bottle. Pours a dark amber color with very little head, no lacing. Aroma is rich caramel malt, cocoa, and oak. Taste is smooth and fairly complex. Moderate sweetness is nicely balanced by a light peaty smoke and cocoa. Light bitterness and a small burnt oak flavor. What keeps this from being great is that it’s thin and a little watery. Love the flavors here the mouthfeel is below average.

Bottle 0,33L. Black colour with fizzy brown head, that falls quickly in a nice circle. Very malty aroma of chocolate, caramel, vanilla, cherries and oak cask barrels. There is also some alcohol note, but it’s well hidden. Taste is moderate sweet at first, but turns into a moderate bitter aftertaste and long lasting finish feel. Full bodied, oily ale with almost no carbonation. Excellent beer, very close to perfect!

Dark red / brown with nice white head. Roasted aromas. Light and very smooth with taste of mocca and chocolate.

Clear, very dark red body with a small, very light-brown head. The head reduces quite quickly to a partially covering film, in addition to a ring of big bubbles that refuse to disappear, but are unable to leave much footprint on the glass. Strong, complex and sweet aroma with both well ripe and dried dark fruits. There are also some very pleasant and well integrated vinous port-like notes, a touch of vanilla in the back and also some faint spicy notes, I think I get anise. Moderate sweet and moderate bitter taste. The moderate but complex flavours follow the aroma, with the fruity components having a stronger emphasis on the dried and dark, like mild prune. I also get some obvious notes of caramel that I didn’t initially pick up in the aroma. Finally spices and herbs in the back. Medium body, oily texture and a bit too soft carbonation. A pleasant one.
[33 cl bottle, enjoyed 8 years before BB date, from Vinmonopolet Vika, Oslo]

the aromas are intoxicating... molasses, toffee- sweet malts and some alcohol... pours dark with good head and lacing. the taste is a little lighter than expected. there’s some savoury characters that linger nicely on the palate, as well as the sweet malt notes. not hugely complex but a lovely ale.

Bottle from Selfridges, Birmingham. Thin in the mouth, yes; but rich still. Deep licorice finish, preceded by a dry, flinty malt. Feel proficient. Or prescient. Or both. Or neither. Not sure what prescient means.

Tap @ The Oak Barrel. Dark reddish brown colour, dissapearing head. Sweet wooden malty aroma with vanilla. Wooden sweetish oak barrel malty taste with touch of salted licorice. Medium+ body and nice balance.