Traquair 900 - Traquair House Brewery Lld

seanyfo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.43/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

33cl bottle poured into Grimbergen Goblet

Bottled March 2007, best before March 2017

A- Dark mahogany with a lot of floaters. 2 finger tan head reduces very quickly to a crown. Lacing is average.

S- Slight madeira note, some toffee malt, some spice, overall malt dominant as expected with some dark rye bread.

T- Slight sweet sherry quality with subdued sweet malt character coming through, tad syrupy in the finish. Hint of alcohol heat coming through with prune like bitterness but very subdued

M- Low carbonation, a bit thin in body. Smooth

D- Definitely not the best from Traquair, thought 2010 was far better although thats a younger beer. Would be great to try fresh as this seems to be taking on a sherry quality which i doubt was there fresh which im not entirely keen on. Lost a bit of life. Not one i would seek out again or age any further.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2011 22:22:20 | More by seanyfo

sixerofelixir

Ohio

4.2/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

33 cl bottle. 2007 release.

Pours a solid, very dark brown. A tan head soon rings up. Smell is dark, rich fruit and dark, rich malts. Sipping, I also get a heapin' helpin' of roasted molasses. Not really "burnt" though - just sweet, mellow, and boozy. Complex. Tastes like hard tack maple candy. Finishes bitter and with a bit of alcohol burn.. to be expected. Easy drinking and tasty. A fine beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2011 04:28:23 | More by sixerofelixir

superspak

Michigan

4.2/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

330 ml bottle into snifter. Pours cloudy dark red-brown color with a dense 2 finger light tan head with good retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap that lasts for a majority of the glass. Almost no lacing on the glass. Aromas of molasses, caramel, roasted malt, toffee, raisins, oak, and booze. Some interesting aromas that are fairly strong and very malty. Taste of molasses, raisins, caramel, roasted malt, oak. Near the finish the caramel and molasses flavors get stronger, and then it leads to a fairly dry finish, but some light malty flavors linger for a short period. It also has some very light alcohol taste with a bit of warming after the finish as well. Pretty well hidden on alcohol. Medium-full body and fairly light carbonation. Very smooth and highly creamy mouthfeel. Overall, this is a delicious barley wine with some great flavor combination, and it is very enjoyable to drink as well.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2011 19:36:27 | More by superspak

clickpush

Pennsylvania

2.58/5  rDev -35.8%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Lots of sediment, dark brown body, not much head though some bubbles visible. Caramel nose, woody, chocolate. Flavor is a bit oxidized and subtler than I expect from a 900th anniversary beer. Not much going on inside this bottle... wish I'd had the opportunity to try it fresh.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2010 01:19:50 | More by clickpush

thierrynantes

France

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer bottle (33 cl.), tasted in 2010 (brewed in 2007, to celebrate the 900th anniversary).

Appearance : deep red-brown, with tan foamy head.
Smell : vinous aroma and alcohol presence.
Taste and mouthfeel : dried fruits with bitter notes of hops.
Drinkability : a very good beer in the style English Barley Wine.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2010 18:24:12 | More by thierrynantes

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

11.2 ounce bottle, 2007 vintage, best before March 2017. Served in a snifter, the beer pours a cola brown color with a half inch tan head that went away quickly. There's also a decent amount of lacing. Aroma is very malty, it smells like caramel, raisins, molasses, and brown sugar. The taste is pretty much the same as the aroma, but with some booze noticable. Also, the taste isn't as strong as the aroma would indicate. Mouthfeel/body is medium with low carbonation, however it seems a bit thin. It's not as rich as I expected it to be. I think the drinkability is good, it's a good sipping brew. Overall I think it's a good beer, although I think this could use some more age on it.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2009 00:32:16 | More by bluejacket74

zoso493

North Carolina

4.3/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I got my hands on a 2007 bottle and I've been excited to try it. Poured from a 330 ml bottle into a nonic.

Appearance: Pours a nice coca-cola color with a lot of ruby tints when held up to the light. A vigorous pour produces a foamy three-finger head that receded quickly.

Smell: Really nice scent of caramel and toffee and all other kinds of sweet malts. Also maybe some brown sugar? Definitely has a graininess that's typical of Scotch ales, as well.

Taste: Really smooth drinking beer. The taste is difficult to describe, but it's almost like a chocolate covered fruit. I'm having a really hard time picking out any specific flavors but it's a very sweet beer.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel on this is almost perfect. Really creamy and full-bodied.

Drinkability: You'd never guess there was 9% ABV in this brew. Really smooth, easy-drinking beer, even despite the sweetness.

Overall, this is a really nice and very interesting brew. This is the first English barleywine I've had and while it departs from the American style a bit (or rather the other way around) it's still very tasty and seems to maintain a Scottish edge to it. Definitely worth a try if you see one.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2009 23:44:25 | More by zoso493

Pencible

Virginia

4.6/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

2007 bottle. (Thanks to Will for sharing!) This poured a transparent dark mahogany with quickly dissipating tan head. It smelled like sugary caramel and toffee and honey wheat, with some subtle creamy orange and a bit of alcohol. It tasted like chocolate covered cherry with honey and molasses and oranges and cream and fresh wheat. It was watery with no carbonation, and had a sweet aftertaste. Overall this was a super sweet and succulent beer. It had fantastic complexities and subtleties that go far beyond the flavors I've captured above. It was bold and ultra clean, with well hidden alcohol, so it was super easy to drink. The body was a bit thin, but the taste was just perfect. Truly a great barleywine, which will likely continue to improve with age (peaking in another 5 years maybe?).

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2009 13:10:40 | More by Pencible

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks phyl21ca for this 2007 edition. Pours dark brown with foaming off-white head. Barleywine and sugary aroma, a little old ale in the nose. Above average mouthfeel, with caramel and inetraction of brown sugar. A simple and easy drinking beverage, with some potent alcohol. Satisfing, and sweetish but not overally.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2009 22:00:49 | More by northyorksammy

prototypic

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: It pours a dark, nut brown color. There's quite a bit of light getting through producing garnet (nearly purple) highlights. The head is tan in color and modest overall. It's lucky if it reached a finger deep. Retention was short and lacing was relatively light.

Smell: The nose is very malty and full of dark fruit. Caramel malts smell sweet and strong. Some chocolate is also noted. There's a diverse range of dark fruit including plum, raisin, and a little prune. It smells very sweet. Brown sugar and molasses are secondary components, but add a great deal of depth and character. Smells like there's some very light hop aromas. Alcohol is noticeable, but isn't overly strong. This a very deep and nice smelling beer. I'm sure I'm not catching it all.

Taste: 900 is one malty, sweet beer. Caramel malts are the most prominent variety. They're sweet and give it a really solid backbone. Chocolate malts are secondary and add a little more of a sweet flavor. Prune, raisin, and plum come through very strong and are a primary feature. Brown sugar and molasses play complementary roles, but only add to a very deep roster of flavors. I'm not picking up any hop flavor here. If they're here, they're consumed by the malts. Alcohol is noted, but it's blended pretty well. It doesn't come across too strong. Finishes sweet with a nice dark fruit flavor. I'm close to pulling the "4.5" trigger here. Ultimately, it's just not quite as refined here as compared to the nose. But, it is very good.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: It's medium bodied and feels a tad too thin. Carbonation is light. It is smooth, but would benefit from a more substantial body. Drinkability is good, but a little limited. It's a big beer, is a little heavy on the stomach, and is strong at 9%. Good sipping beer.

Traquair 900 is really good beer. It's a very nice English Barleywine. I like it quite a bit. The body is a little thin and throws the experience off a bit. There's little doubt it's very good beer. I'm certainly glad we see Traquair here in Ohio. I've been impressed with every single beer of theirs I've tried. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2009 02:15:03 | More by prototypic

endincolorado

Ohio

4.72/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance- Inviting brown body, with ruby highlights, tan head with large bubbles, light lacing

Smell- Sweet malty caramel with toffee and little hops

Taste- Deliciously sweet malty flavor with caramel and toffee. Light roasty malts with slight hop-bitterness in the background to bring a great balance, solid and focused.

Mouthfeel- Medium body with a chewy texture. Excellent.

Personally, I could drink this all night.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2009 00:57:13 | More by endincolorado

cameraman

Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A deep rich mahogany color, poured into a snifter, with very little evidence of a head on top. A thin beige ring circles the glass. a sweet, almost sugary scent strikes the nose, that is followed by dried fruit fragrance. Then a dark bread scent rounds it all out. The taste is heavy on the malt, and it dominates all the way through ech taste. Bread and yeasty fuit esters come in at the end of every sip. A hearty mouthfeel at the front, it spreads itself out evenly, gradually thinning out. The warming sensation of alcohol hits the back of the throat and continues all the way down. This is definitly an english barley wine, the intense maltiness and fruitiness in the taste and the hearty feel, make this a beer to warm up to on cold rainy day.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2009 02:13:22 | More by cameraman

dukedevil0

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Single 33cl bottle from Jungle Jims in Fairfield, OH.

A: Pours a dark dark brown with a little bit of khaki head.

S: caramel malts, brown sugar, slight alcohol scent

T: a sweet, slightly alcohol flavored caramel malt and brown sugar taste...nice combo

M: very full bodied and palate covering

D: drinkability suffers a little from the alcohol flavor, but the overall taste is delicious enough to keep you wanting more

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2009 23:29:31 | More by dukedevil0

BigMcLargeHuge

Arizona

3.8/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

This is the tenth and final beer in our June 11th Old Ale Blind Tasting. It finished in 4th place. Courtesy of JRedner. Pours clear amber with thin tan head. The aroma is date, prune, plum and raisin dark fruitiness. There's also mild cherry candy sweet and tartness too. The taste is malty sweet leaning toward caramel. Behind that is a note of sugar coated plum sweetness. There's some grapes mixed with caramel too. Wow, very dark fruity goodness. Almost tastes like a rich sweet grape juice. This one seems to border between the styles of English Barleywine and Old Ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2009 03:28:31 | More by BigMcLargeHuge

beveritt

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Presentation: Poured from a silk screened, 12 oz brown bottle into a Duvel tulip. Label has a short narrative concerning the 900 year anniversary of the Traquair House. No freshness date visible.

Appearance: Pours with just shy of 1 finger of light tan head. This settles to just a thin, incomplete coating of foam and a slight ring around the glass. The beer itself is a deep, dark brown and completely opaque. No sediment in the bottle.

Smell: Extremely sweet and fruity aroma, like the strawberry Red Vines. No hints of malt or hops.

Taste: Luckily, not as sweet as the smell. Still sweet malt, but at a much more reasonable level. Caramel abounds, with hints of honey. Slight acidity. Very mild bitterness in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Low carbonation level. Body is good, but not as good as it can be for a barleywine.

Drinkability: A little leary based upon the smell, but this turned out to be a nice sipper. Not sure if this has the complexity to develop with age, but not a bad sipper now.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2009 05:20:03 | More by beveritt

Bananaman

Sweden

4.28/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I've tried this beer two times. The first time was at home a year or two ago and now I tried it again on the pub. You can really tell that some stuff has happened to this beer after so long in the pubs refridgerator (good things actually).

Looks amazing! The bottle is so lovely and mystique, I've even saved a bottle to have at home to look at. The beer pours a dark brown/red color with a huge beige head.

Smells interesting of pine-needles, almost hints of the Swedish Christmas-drink "Glögg" which is a basically a spiced up wine with some Vodka added. The smell is really malt-dominated anyway, and really matured.

Tastes good with notes of those earlier mentioned pine-needles, sweet malts and some spices. The high ABV doesn't bother me at all in this one, I couldn't tell that is is 9%.

I think this is one of those "must-try"-beers.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2008 09:42:16 | More by Bananaman

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.65/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a clear, dark brown body with a thin, short-lived head.

Smell: Sweetish dark caramel aroma with a distinct woody component and notes of dark fruits stirred up with some booze.

Taste: Cream dark caramel and brown sugar with a reasonable amount of malty sweetness. Touch of licorice. A bit woody, some tobacco hints too. Rather fruit throughout with a taste of plump, juicy raisins. Earthy hops with a restrained bitterness. Somewhat boozy on the chewy finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium-low carbonation. Soft mouthfeel.

Drinkability: A decent, enjoyable barleywine and isn't that all anyone was ever asking for?

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2008 23:32:52 | More by ChainGangGuy

adamette

Ohio

4.45/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The 20th review of this beer...whooohooo... Served into my clean, clear Cooperstown Beverage Trail pint from a bottle looking exactly like the one pictured here. I purchased it at Chuck's fine wines in Chagrin Falls, OH and the guy there (Chuck?) told me that they are very rare.

A Georgeous ruby deep brown body with little head although initially I was carefull to avoid a big head. Really nice appearance.

S A really great, strong classic ale smell of malt, sweetness and I can smell some alcohol there.

T Very nice. A big, bold ale taste of malt, somewhat syrupy nectar like biggness with little hops. It is sweet for sure but not terribly so. It actually shares some characteristics with some bold red wines, difficult for me to put into words but there it is.

M Full with big, bold tastes but little carbonation on the tongue.

D Not great due to the bigness but this is a great beer none the less.

Notes: I really enjoyed the Jacobite from Traquair so I was looking forward to sampling this one. I was not dissapointed. I was a bit suprised to see that the style here includes the word "Barleywine" but I can say for sure it is better than any other Barleywine I have had before this.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2008 03:13:44 | More by adamette

barleywinebrewer

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

so, an anniversary beer from Traquair. Didn't know about this one till it showed up courtesy of BWBIF 3. How's it fair:

A - rich dark brown / ruby red with a nice off white yead

S - rick dark ripe fruits, sweet malts, raisin, raisin and a slihgt hint of abv.

T - similar to the aroma, it's rich toffee, raisings and sweet malts. It reminds me of certain moonraker but drier.

M - full bodied, nicely carbonated, sweet with a balance to keep it on the dry side of sweet.

D - a sipper and at 12oz it's a great serving size.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2008 01:35:00 | More by barleywinebrewer

Douglas88

Utah

4.38/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Brewed 2007, best before March 2017! Bottle thanks big time to Andrew who sent this all the way from Edinburgh to Utah! Thanks mate. Pours a ruby color with a small off-white head. An amazing nose; full of rich berries, sweet candies, alcohol, toffee and perhaps some prunes. The taste was awesome; sweet and juicy berries, currants especially. Some chocolates, nutty and sweet malt too. Very interesting, more like a strong old ale than a barley wine though. So many fresh berries, just decadent. Scotland shows her muscle with this one. Awesome. I need more.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2008 00:14:42 | More by Douglas88

ATLbeerDog

Georgia

3.85/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From a 12oz bottle - Pours a clear root beer color with small quickly dissipating head. Below average carbonation. Smells sweet alcohol with oat and a ton of fruit notes in the nose. First sip is super sweet and smooth with fruity flavors balanced by a matching mal backbone. Very nice, very drinkable. Excellent bitter finish. The 9% ABV is not well hidden.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2008 02:41:25 | More by ATLbeerDog

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks goes out to Dlucky who sent this bottle my way because as he said, I just had to try it. Well damn, I guess I will then. I pulled this one out and proceeded to chill it down. Served around fifty degrees and poured into a chalice. This one was consumed on 10/22/2008.

The pour was very nice, rich dark and earthen looking. Nice tones of a dark hazelnut brown with an infused look to it. Almost totally opaque, save for a few tiny glances of light in and around the back end of it. A nice tuft of tannish colored foam then rose up over the top of it and settled down nicely into a small pillow on top of the glass. Some light side glass lace capped off a very nice little show.

The aroma was very full, and nice and complex, classic old ale. Nice notes of bourbon, woodsy, oak like notes and a good touch of caramel coming off of it right away. Maybe some currant, or some other nice dark frit like vibe well underneath with the slightest touch of what could be seen as honey kissing it. The flavor was very mellow, nice and almost tasted aged, this was very well put together. Interesting blend of toffee and chocolate like flavors on top of a very bready, malt driven base that really just pushed this well into the forefront. Some light, and earthy hops in the finish were fleeting, but had enough of a punch to really push the caramel and toffee flavors across the back of the tongue towards the end. Nice push on here for sure. Smooth, with the alcohol very well hidden, this was a sipper, but by no means came off too strong. Delicate carbonation was more then enough to keep it from feeling flat, but not too much to lighten it up.

In the end, while not the best I have ever had in the style, I have to give this one a damn good recommendation. Very solid with a deep, resin filled palate. I really enjoyed this and would love to have it around on a semi regular basis.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2008 01:37:39 | More by mikesgroove

nlmartin

Ohio

3.85/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer was served in a tulip glass. The beer came out of the fridge a bit colder than I would have liked it. After a wait of 20 minutes the beer was about the way I liked it.

Appearance: The beer pours a very nice ruby coloration. The carbonation bubbles up in a lazy loose grouping. The head of the beer is a very light cream coloration. A film of lacing remains behind on my glass.

Smell: A fruity blend of raisins and cherries dipped in port wine. Chocolate, honey and vanilla dance around in the aroma.

Taste: The beer delivers a pleasing combination of the aroma. Its a bit boozey on the finish but not in a bad way. A very nice malty treat.

Mouthfeel/ Drinkability: The mouthfeel of the beer is too thin. It has an anemic medium body. The low carbonation works well with the smooth mouthfeel. I just wish the body was a bit fatter. I like em round and big. The beer is a very solid stab at the English Barleywine style. Worthy of a glass or two.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2008 05:09:16 | More by nlmartin

Bierguy5

Ohio

3.78/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle. 9% ABV. Pours a very dark mahogany color. A nice looking tan creamy head disappears after a few minutes, leaving a bit of lace.

Dark fruit, cherries in the nose. A bit vinous. Toffee malt and esthery character.

A fair amount of chocolate malt, with some residual sweetness. Dark fruit and raisins come to mind. Not much in the way of bitterness. Alcohol is well hidden for a beer of this size.

Medium body, low carbonation. An interesting, and somewhat pleasing beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2008 17:03:47 | More by Bierguy5

mcallister

Ohio

3.85/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Ruby red colored with bricky accents. Pours with a very full head of off white that sticks around.

Thick with raisin aromas, port reduction of figs, chocolate, marmalade, honey, oxidation, sherry grapes, with even a hint of marsala. Some caramel and a slight hint of vanilla.

Much the same as the mouth with a alcohol showing on the finish. A creamy texture on the finish as well yet the mid palate is slightly off. Bitter on the finish also but more tannic than a hop bitterness. Raisin is prevelant but not as overwhelming as the nose would suggest, chocolate covered raisin is the key. Prunes, and dried figs with dried black and blueberries as well. A solid beer but nothing that really reaches out and grabs you. Just barely missed on this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2008 22:15:55 | More by mcallister