Traquair Bear Ale

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

Bottle courtesy of Carlus12. Pours a dark carotene coloured beer. Cream frothy head. Nose creamy, malty, alcohol. Soft medium mouth, malty, sweet molasses, spicy. Quite refreshing.

Cask at The Guildford Arms, Edinburgh. Amber color with a small beige head. Aroma: Sweet malt, berries, citrus, fruit, smoke, some sourness. Flavor: Lightly roasted malt, berries, wood, coffee, fruit, herbal/peppery hops and nuts. Dry finish.

The creamy, golden head is moderate, but leaves a nice lace on this dark amber beer. The aroma is malty and hoppy. At first the flavour is lightly sweet and malty, but towards the end it develops and I find complex notes an licorice. The finish is dry, almost tannic, probably because of the maturing in oak barrels.

bottle phams- pours copper brown with a bubbly tan head. smells earth chocolate, tastes thin slight berries and metal. not at all as good as the rest of the traquair line.

Brown bottle, 500 ml, via Importations Privées Bièropholie, savoured on September 19 2007; eye: amber with reddish hue and with golden amber reflections, clear, creamy tan head, good lacing; nose: lots of grainy malt, earthy, light hops, light wood, light leather; mouth: surprisingly thin, start is a lot hoppier than expected, grainy malt then arrives to balance the hops, a watery interlude, return of the malt-hops mix, finale in hops but where the grainy malt is quite present, harsh texture, mild astringency, mildly bitter, medium body, not much carbonation; overall: ordinary FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 500 ml, via Importations Privées Bièropholie, savourée le 19 septembre 2007; œil : ambrée avec une teinte rougeâtre et avec des reflets ambrés dorés, claire, très légère effervescence, mousse crémeuse havane, bonne dentelle; nez : beaucoup de malt granuleux, terreuse, léger houblon, léger boisé, léger cuir; bouche : curieusement mince, attaque très houblonnée, malt granuleux qui arrive pour balancer un peu le houblon, un petit moment aqueux, retour du mélange malt-houblon, finale en houblon mais où le malt granuleux est bien présent, texture rugueuse, astringence moyenne, moyennement amère, corps moyen, peu carbonatée; en résumé : ordinaire

500 mL bottle from Bieropholie, served cold in a tulip glass.

App.: Deep copper, rocky tan head. Aroma: Earthy and nutty, some rum-like notes, wooden, sparse fruit and a touch spicy; a bit of burnt sugar; a touch of vegetal green note from the hops(?). Palate: Medium body, fairly soft carbonation. Flav.: Still nutty and a little earthy, but with more malt – some caramel and dark dried fruits; still dry and serious, a bit of wood; some bitterness to finish with residual nuttiness and a hint of green leafiness (like celery leaves).

Pleasant and easy drinking. Has a serious tone, meaning very little “sweet” malt flavours, fruits or other light fun notes that one might expect from the colour. Shut up and drink your beer, Karl.

Bottle: Clear, amber coloured, smaller, slowly collapsing off-white head; delicate (dark-)malty aroma with a fruity-nutty touch; solid bitter-sweet flavour, light to medium bodied; a shy nutty fruitiness shows up in the bitter-sweet finish. Pleasant, tasty, unspectacular.........

Crystal ruby good foam head ... herbal hops ... full boddied malt lager ... with odd not unpleaset petrol tinge ...with woody bitter linger.