Traquair Jacobite Ale

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

11.2-oz. Gorgeous ebony pour, though essentially headless after a few seconds under a game but overmatched thin white film. Roasty aromas jump out of the snifter like frogs from a pot--it almost smells skunked at first if you’re not paying attention. Rich smoke, piney hop, and malty sweetness accentuate the roast nose, but they’re running way back in the pack. There are some garnet/brown highlights under light, but they’re not prominent. The body’s watery, but it’s a clean and drinkable wateriness, not a haphazardly-brewed wateriness. Spicy mid-palate after a roasty, toasty attack, with some mild bitterness in the finish and a perfectly modulated malt underpinning. Very, very well considered beer.

330ml bottle, best before June 2011. Mahogany with a decent tan head. Nose somewhat sweet, vinous, a bit of sloe gin, berries and coriander. Wow, this is wierd. Spicy flavors, hard to get a handle on. More sloe gin, a berrylike flavor (raspberries and blueberries) and coriander. Smooth, slightly creamy mouthfeel, kinda slick. Alcohol apparent at the end. Mildly dry once it’s down the gullet. A wierd and wonderful beer!

Best Before June 2011. The beer pours to a very deep garnet colored body with a very thick and tall chocolate milk foam colored head. The aroma is port wine, coriander, grain dust, blueberries. Really strange. The flavor is chocolatey, oatmeal-like, peat, tobacco, and powdered sugar. 75+% similar to a Scotch or Scottish ale with some flair added for uniqueness. The palate is rich, lightly smokey, creamy, good feeling. Took me about 45 minutes to decide how to rate this unique beer.

Bottle. Dark brown. Almost no head. Aroma of caramel, malt and port, quite spicy. Taste is caramel with spices, some alcool, maltiness, some bitterness. Medium body. Good scottish ale.

A very nice Scottish style ale, with just enough coriander to be noticed. Deep amber color with a medium head. Smooth drinking with caramel notes and medium maltiness. Not too strong on the alcohol front or the smoky front, so easily drunk.

Dark brown color with some red hues and only a brief thin head. No lacing at all. The aroma had a lot going on, some alcohol, but mostly malty spicey scents. The flavor was intersting: spices (coriander), dark fruits, licorice, some chocolate, and rich maltiness, very balanced sweetness, spices, and light bitterness. The mouthfeel, however, was kinda thin, coming off like a weak porter or thin Scottish ale. Bump the ABV a bit and this is like some eisbocks I’ve had.

12 oz bottle. Clear reddish-brown color. The thin off white head dissipated quickly into nothingness and left absolutely no lace. Not a trace. Attractive aroma and flavor which can be summarized in one word: blueberries. There are none in there, I realize, but it is blueberries nonetheless. You also occasionally get whiffs of corinader, alcohol, and grape candy. Smooth and slightly sweet on the tongue. Very good beer.

Dark ruby-red to mahogany colour with clear limited head. Aromas of nuts, berries, spices (cardemum, koriander, anis and some apple). Taste is wonderfully complex with tones of alcohol (giving it more body), more spices and then sweetness until it finishes slightly bitter.