Traquair House Ale

Brewed by Traquair
Style: English Strong Ale
Innerleithen, Borders, Scotland

Bottle. Pours a clear deep dark brown colour with a good mostly diminishing light brown head. Soft sweet aroma of roasted caramel and malt, dark fruits, some chocolate, bitter hops. and bit of alcohol. Good mouthfeel. The flavour has roasted malt with dark fruits, bit of chocolate, bitter hops and wood. Bitter roasty woody finish.

This beer quickly opens up with big flavour of chocolate, port, raisins and then dissipates quickly to a creamy chocolate and slight astringency that I attribute to the hops. Cherry and oaky notes develop as the beer warms past cellar temperature. The low levels of carbonation allow this beer to fully open up before being swept away.

33cl bottle from systembolaget. Clear darker brown with almost no head, but persisting foam lace. Rich malts in aroma: some spicy caramel, dates, dried mango maybe. Flavor is all malts, smooth, sweet, nutty, and woody. Just enough biterness in the finish to keep the malts from being too sweet. Hops arent too present, very bockish in a way. The body is outstanding: thick and full with silky carbonation. The flavor sticks to the back of your tongue just long enough to be a reminder. Very drinkable and tasty.

Bottle. Medium brown. Malty, caramel, sweet, some Dried dark fruit, oaky wood. Really tasty & easy drinking

Boy do I love this brew. I long to drink it at the brewery. Bottle procured at Half Time. Pours a wonderful deep brown with a light white head. Lightly toasted malts are a bit oak/peaty. A nice earthyness revolves around both the nose and body of this lovely brew. Medium body is unpretentious and pleasant with a meal or alone. This has to be magic on draft.

33 cl bottle. Dark brown color, beige head. Malty with caramell, some fruit and hops. (RBNAG’07 in Grimstad Nov. 3th.)

11.2oz bottle. Pours orange brown with a moderate sized tan head. sweet aroma, with oak, smoke, and vanilla. Rich, malty flavor, with caramel, oak, fruit and hops. Long fruity finish. A bit thin bodied.

Pours a clear, dark cola color. A small, bubbly, off-white film settles to a swirly, wispy film with a bubbly edge. Minimal, sudsy lacing drapes itself about the glass. The aroma is reminiscent of flat root beer. Toasted caramel, molasses, oak and vanilla comprise the bulk of the nose. A subtle fruitiness adds a layer of complexity. The flavor is slightly different. Sweet caramel meets overly ripened dark fruits, and a touch of woodsy oak and vanilla. Medium bodied, with a fairly still mouthfeel. A touch of bitter hops bite down at the end, as the beer fades into a quick finish. Decent beer, but I had higher hopes for this one.