Traquair 900

Brewed by Traquair
Style: Barley Wine
Innerleithen, Borders, Scotland

Bottle: (Thanks MaxxDaddy!) Pours a deep brown with a copper hue and a fading/wispy light tan head. The aroma has some sweet raisin-like notes, sherry, light esters that give off a banana bread note (as Jess pointed out). The body is nice and slick. The flavor has some tobacco notes and a touch of raisiny sweetness. Also has some subtle cocoa and a subdued dark nutty hint. Some sherry sweet notes come through as well. The finish gives of a smooth roasted character with an indeterminate bitterness. An interesting Barley Wine; well crafted.

Bottle shared by the one and only MaxxDaddy. Very sweet, gentle aroma, lots of fresh tobacco and banana, with light cigar box. Pretty much dead pour. Fizzy, wet cardboard flavor, lots of sherry, a bit thin bodied though never showing strong alcohol. A pretty mellow beer overall, surprising for a beer of this stature.

Courtesy TheCheeseMan. Dark red-copper color, very little head. Rich Scottish malts, slight seaweed notes, a very light sweetness for a barleywine. Tastes like a Scotch ale in places. Malty up front, not a ton of complexity, some molasses, but very drinkable, and doesn’t taste like 9%.

Bottle at the Winking Lizard. Pour was dark amber brown. Aroma was all black cherries. Delightful aroma!! Had high hopes for this one...And it did not disappoint. VEry much an English BW. Which I dont normally like. But this one was great. Flavor of malts, cherries, vanilla, a hint of brandy or bourbon. Alcohol nicely hidden. Only complaint was it was a bit light in texture in my mouth and it was served too cold. It got better as it warmed. This brewery rocks!

Thanks to the Cheeseman for this nice brew. Dark brown pour that is slightly thin and has a small thin head. Sweet and malty with hints of peaty seaweed, bourbon and vanilla. Smooth malt whiskey taste. Much more of an English BW, slightly thinner than the american and very tasty.

Bottle… This beer rocks!… Clear, burnt orange ale with a small, creamy, white head. The aroma is of toffee and smoked meat. Full-bodied with an oily mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Rich caramel and praline sweetness; mineral bitterness. Finishes sweet and beefy.

Bottle @ mgumby’s: This beer pours like a syrup-heavy cola, sticking down the sides as it sloshes into the glass. Flavor and aroma are rum-soaked raisin, and chocolate malts. Fig? I thought this did not have the intensity of flavor I was expecting for a barley wine -- malt backbone was kind of weak here as compared to the intensity of the present alcohol. Nice, but not a top contender.

A rather dark brown ale with a thin off white head. A pleasant aroma of plums, molasses, sweet treacle and light alcohol. In mouth, a good loads of molasses and licorice, with notes of black pepper, some good British hopping, tobacco. Rich bodied. A beer to be savoured. Bieropholie imports.