House Ale

April 2011: Brought this beer home from Las Vegas last year, strange to bring a Scottish beer back to the UK, but we don’t see Traquair House beers around here! 330ml bottle poured into a ’Hoegaarden Grand Cru’ stemmed tulip. Lovely dark brown/reddy colour, tan coloured tightly knitted foamy head. The head left some good lacing on the glass, so condition of the beer was good. Dark chocolate smells come from the beer, coffee esters also in the mix for my nose. The flavours followed the smells, chocolate and coffee, with the coffee being the dominant one this time. The alcohol content is just below the surface, but can just about he found as the mouth dries after each sip. Not as sweet as I thought it might be, or expected after the first sniff. This ia a well balanced brew for a Wee Heavy.

Friday night brew from ideal cheese shop across the street. Pours root beer brown with one finger beige head. Nose of toffee and cocoa. Tastes of caramel, rum, brown sugar, malt, and coffee. Slightly sweet and not bitter at all.

33cl bottle. Pours toffee to chestnut in colour with a nice small head. The nose has ginger biscuits and cream. The taste has more creamy ginger biscuits. The palate is medium bodied and textured with a pleasant clean finish. Overall, this is very pleasant though a bit one-dimensional.

0.33l bottle @ Schoukjelleren, Oslo. This one pours a deep deep red - almost brown - body with a fading bubbly beige and sidesticking head. The aroma has sweet licorice tones, some leather, dark malts and dried dark fruits. Soft to average carbonation with a oily mouthfeel. The flavors are dark malty, nice touch of licorice with a fruity and almost herbal finish. Quite alright.

Bottle from Waitrose, Byres Road, Glasgow.
Appearance - Chestnut brown, thin white head, moderate lacing, clear.
Aroma - Complex aroma of dark sweet malts, resin, raisin, some port notes, bit od warming alcohol, slight medicinal, no hops, slight hint of smoke.
Taste - Caramel and toasted malts, molassess, spicy hops, post raisin, slight pepper, slight medicinal, smooth complex but not overtly strong. Well balanced
Palate - Dry on palate, hint of sherry in the finish. Moderate carb, smooth, medium body.
Overall - One of the best bottled Scottish beers I’ve tried. The Jacobite is bit more complex with its herbal notes. A superb strong ale, with complex but understated flavours.

Svag doft av körsbärskärna. Skummar lite. Smakar honung, torkad frukt, marsipan, körsbär. Bra balans och hyfsat komplex smakbild. Riktigt god.

330ml bottle. Pours a hazy dark caramel with a medium head. Aroma has raisin, thick treacle and a touch of mint. Taste has raisin to start. Treacle on the finish with a little alcohol.

Bottle at a tasting. Thanks Oren. Deep brown color with a bit of beige foam. Malty aroma with caramel, lots of nuts and some toastiness. Rather sweet malty flavor with nuts, caramel, biscuits and a drier finish with light bitterness, slightly herbal. Medium-bodied, rounded mouthfeel. A well-made beer - very malty but not overly sweet.

Bottled. A dark chestnut colored beer with an off-white head. The aroma has notes of over ripe fruits, dusty hops, caramel, and alcohol. The flavor is sweet with notes of alcohol, over ripe fruits, spices, malt, and caramel, leading to a dry almost woody finish.