Traquair House Ale - Traquair House Brewery Lld

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.7/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

16.9 oz bottle into a nonic pint glass.

A: Pours a deep cola brown color. The head is a one finger white shade which quickly descends into a thin film. Lacing is okay.

S: This is quite caramel-forward in its malt profile, and also some biscuity malt/yeast interplay as well. There's an element of dry chocolate here, alongside some brown sugar, molasses I have some trouble detecting the oak barrel here, but it's not a negligible presence. Quite pleasant.

T: At first, I notice some vaguely smoky caramel malts, before giving way to some brown sugar and molasses. The exhales present a lot of smoky chocolate on the palate - and is probably my least favorite aspect of this, due to how dangerously close they come to tasting like flatulence. Unlike Jacobite, there's a faint presence of leafy, herbal finishing hops which helps balance the sweet maltiness in conjunction with the barrel tannins. Not particularly complex, but it goes down with superb ease.

M: Extremely clean and dry finishing. A slight amount of alcohol-concealing residual sugar lingers past the initial tannin presence - however after a while the tannic quality accumulates, which goes even further toward drying the palate out. I might even surmise that the heavy (but not harsh) dryness kills its potential complexity. Firm yet gentle carbonation helps ease this one down superbly.

O: Personally, I'm more inclined to prefer a less bone-dry Scotch ale (like Old Chub). I'm also a bit let down in its lack of depth; but on the flipside, the drinkability this presents is impressive. All things considered, a bit too expensive ($8/16.9 oz) given that it seemingly focuses on drinkability over complexity. That doesn't mean it isn't very good, however.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 21:58:26 | More by ThisWangsChung

510a

Washington

4/5  rDev -4.3%

05-18-2013 05:31:26 | More by 510a

coz

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +7.7%

05-18-2013 01:43:57 | More by coz

BeerRefugee

Oklahoma

3.61/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear dark red. Thin tan head that dissipates fairly quickly. Strong, sweet aroma of malt and dried fruit. Flavor is raisins, dried cherries, toast and just a hint of vanilla. A little more alcohol burn than usual for the style. Medium body. Slightly slick, oily finish and very mild carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 20:39:35 | More by BeerRefugee

hilgart1

Illinois

2.75/5  rDev -34.2%

05-12-2013 02:01:59 | More by hilgart1

MCDub

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%

05-10-2013 14:49:05 | More by MCDub

Bill235

Ohio

4/5  rDev -4.3%

05-09-2013 14:43:09 | More by Bill235

dalepryor

Kentucky

4/5  rDev -4.3%

05-08-2013 03:54:17 | More by dalepryor

YamagamiTravis

Japan

4.5/5  rDev +7.7%

04-24-2013 14:25:25 | More by YamagamiTravis

Jameswoody

Montana

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%

04-24-2013 05:03:43 | More by Jameswoody

Hellpop65

Kansas

3.75/5  rDev -10.3%

04-23-2013 22:32:20 | More by Hellpop65

SLeffler27

New York

4.31/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Fills a Dogfish Head snifter with murky, ruddy brown ale and a quick, thin creamy beige head. Each swirl leaves a viscous film on the glass.

Sweet toasted malt gives way to strong fig and light sherry. Some brown sugar and cashew or hazelnut is also discernible.

Malt is up front with moist wheat bread or perhaps pumpernickel. Fruit flavors are less prominent, followed by milk chocolate that comes out after warming. There is a nice balance to the sweetness of butterscotch and dates in the mild finish.

A medium to full body with cotton texture, fizzy carbonation and light alcohol.

This is a comfortable beer with enough character to be interesting but not so much as to be distracting from other pursuits while consuming. Warmth is a good friend to this beer, which was aged four years in the cellar.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 14:54:26 | More by SLeffler27

Ciocanelu

Romania

4.5/5  rDev +7.7%

04-20-2013 12:36:31 | More by Ciocanelu

wrightst

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +7.7%

04-12-2013 00:18:34 | More by wrightst

Nayr

Hawaii

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%

04-06-2013 09:05:40 | More by Nayr

Hultkrantz

Sweden

4/5  rDev -4.3%

03-23-2013 23:42:06 | More by Hultkrantz

vande

Illinois

4/5  rDev -4.3%

03-20-2013 01:07:06 | More by vande

josephwa

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -16.3%

03-19-2013 21:23:23 | More by josephwa

imfrigginfly

Hawaii

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%

03-18-2013 16:18:04 | More by imfrigginfly

Lukass

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +7.7%

03-17-2013 22:14:57 | More by Lukass

saeh

France

4.5/5  rDev +7.7%

03-16-2013 06:25:31 | More by saeh

chippo33

Vermont

3.25/5  rDev -22.2%

03-13-2013 23:46:53 | More by chippo33

enelson

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +7.7%

03-10-2013 23:24:06 | More by enelson

PEIhop

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%

03-08-2013 02:25:19 | More by PEIhop

brewsclues

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Out of a bottle on 3-5-2013 - it's no wonder they call me "McCree!" - love this wee heavy.

A decent pour out of the bottle, a nice amber color without much foam on top - a consistent white ring all the way around the glass even towards the end. Also sort of looks like a beer I could make, which is why I don't give it higher marks here.

Smell: oh wow. Sometimes the malt on these Scots is too robust to ever get much of an olfactory kick, but this one has plenty of it. Earthy garden, fresh grass, plenty of floral notes, and tons of freshly baked bread. I really dig that. Makes me feel like a regular ol' Scot.

Taste: fresh, smooth, lighter than expecting, and plenty of kick on the way down. Very easy aftertaste. Not a lot of carbonation, but doesn't feel flat. Just like a wee heavy heavy should be.

Mouthfeel: Doesn't coat the mouth the way I was expecting. That's a very nice thing. Sometimes these malt bombs leave me feeling like I just left the WIlly Wonka factory - this is actually crisp, believe it or not.

Just overall an excellent, excellent beer. Would grab this again in a second. Great representation of a nice, drinkable, malty beer that goes down well at almost time.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 01:16:05 | More by brewsclues