Traquair Jacobite Ale

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

Bottle. Pours a dark amber, thin wispy white head that dissipates within a minute. Defininately fruity, and definitely a scotch-like. A bit dry on the aftertaste, which was unexpected given the fruit. Probably much better from the source and not after the trip overseas, but very good nonetheless.

Pours a dark brown with no head--a couple bubbles that appear to be light tan. Spicy and fruity aromas, alcohol--smells somewhat like a wit, but is way too dark and other funky flavors are going on. Funk is a good word for this. Slight bitterness up front, some sweetness in the middle, and a dry finish.Very strange beer--but good.

Pours a very dark amber/maroon and has a beautiful small off white head (shortly lasting). Aroma is absolutely top notch...tons of crazy spices and honey...I could smell it from a foot and a half away. Taste is very interesting. Tons of that crazy spice in the flavor (no idea what it is)...a little malt, chocolate, fresh grape/fruit, molasses, and a touch of grass (with a bunch of other flavors...very complex, but very manageable). Mouthfeel is initally very dry and starchy...but it takes a good amount of time for it to go down. Very light bodied and lightly carbonated.

Poured like thick cola with a creamy head. Immediate spiced cola aroma that developed notes of soy sauce as it warmed. Medium-full bodied with a velvety smooth mouthfeel. Complex flavors changed with each passing minute. Prunes, soy, spice, semi-sweet chocolate and enough of a complexion to notice other flavors with the next bottle. All the flavors are just on the border toying with becomming powerfull or slightly tiresome but never quite get there, which is the mark of a great beer IMO. Quick and dry finish adds yet another interesting quality to a beer that you would assume to have a lingering sweet finish.

Bottle. Looks exactly like a violently poured Dr. Pepper. Big frothy head that quickly fades into an island of bubbles, with CO2 bubbles coating the entire glass at the liquid/glass contact. Nose-raisin, fig, dark malt extract. Taste-the coriander is there and well balanced throughout. The coriander is all over without being dominant. Bitter, fruit gum, apple, clove, and anise. lychee, watermelon, black pepper. There is a flavor here that I cannot describe (it is akin to the coriander) that is just AWESOME! It is like melon, coriander, and pine all rolled into one gentle flavor. I like this a whole lot more than I thought I would. Excellent.

Bottle: Pours a dark mahogany with a thin tan head that fades. Dark fruit and licorice aroma with a spicy bready malt undertone. Fruity dry bitter flavour that has good depth but I could not successfully cogitate over at the time.

Happy Day after St. Patty’s Day! After finishing up at the Smokehouse last night, we meandered over to the Winking Lizard. This was my fifth brew of St. Patty’s Day. I’ve been wanting to try this one for years, but I’ve only been able to secure the House ale from Traquair for my sampling pleasure up until now. Perfect nose of sweet malt & spice, bubblegum & butterscotch. The brew pours with a nice stout-ish cascade that blooms into a thick, dense rocky beige head with fair retention and lace. The brew is a dark clear brown with copper highlights. The flavor so awesome that I’m just going to say it will hit your G-Spot right on the center circle of the bull’s eye. The full body is creamy and soft. With a slightly better head and lace this brew would be an easy 5. Worth the long wait, WOW!

Bott. Strong brown sugar coriander licorice aroma, spicy sweet, inviting. Deep opaque brown-black with a few tan bubbles. Medium-light bodied. Flavor is as aroma, very coriander licorice, maybe too strong on the coriander and too sweet. Almost cola-ish. This is probably the kind of stuff Tim Webb had in mind when he said "Coriander soup."