Traquair The Lairds Liquor

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

Some fudge, toffee, bitterness, a little acid aftertaste and some alcohol, an red/brownish colour

Dark muddy brown colour with off white cremet head. Aroma of caramel and lots of sweet malts. Vinious taste with good mouthfeel. Slightly burnt and roasted and very malty sweet.

Bottle at blind tasting. Reddy chestnut beer with no head. Bit over carbonated. Ginger spice aroma. Alcohol is too dominant. Bit of liquorice. I thought that this might have been Belgian to start with.

Sample from the bottle (330 ml) at the Mondial de la Bière in Montreal, 2006. Dark, somewhat dusky body with little head....a touch of peat amidst the caramel-malty aroma, woody-ashy hints as well....the body is surprisingly dry and acrid, though as it warms it smooths out more and a touch of whisky and warm sweet malts shows up....all in all, drinkable and fairly pleasant but not in a class with their flagship beers.

Eye : reddish burgundy brow, white head; nose: malt, sweetness, scotch, grain; mouth: Lightly sweet and bitter, average length, medium to full body, lively in the mouth FRANÇAIS Oeil : brun rouge bourgogne, mousse blanche; nez : malt, sucré, scotch, grain; bouche : légèrement sucrée et amère, finale moyennement longue, corps moyen à plein, vivante en bouche

Cookie dough, caramel, peat and a grainy malt character combine in the not unpleasant aroma. Clear, deep brown coloured body is topped by a decent and lasting, fine bubbled, off white head that recedes to a lasting cover. Sweet cookie dough sensation dominates the mildly fruity, chocolatey, lightly tannic flavour. Medium body with fair though soft carbonation. Bottle sampled with MartinT, Olivier_MTL, Rastacouere and Siroy.

Robe brune très claire surmontée d’une mousse beige mince. Arômes de caramel et de houblon amérisant. Saveurs de caramel et de liquorice.

Blind tasting: Filtered. A rough but typical bottled bitter. Not strong. [2.3]
Trying this obviously licorice flavoured beer after the blind tasting I’m wondering if I got confused and drank something else. The body is very light for a 6% ale, but that’s due to the lager brewing process that Traquair use. There’s certainly a very rough edge to this in regards to the flavour. The woody, licorice notes don’t sit comfortable - it’s as though there is something wrong. But it’s an interesting beer. [3.0]