Traquair 2010 Ale, 10%
Anyone who knows the sort of beers produced at Traquair will look forward to sampling this new, limited-edition offering.
It was in 1965 that Peter Maxwell Stuart, laird of Traquair, decided to revive the old brewhouse at his country mansion in the Scottish Borders. It is a home with a heritage, the oldest inhabited house in Scotland.
It is said that Bonnie Prince Charlie, Stuart pretender to the throne, stayed here in 1745 and its famous Bear Gates are now firmly locked shut, only to be opened should a Stuart ever become monarch once again.
The brewhouse also dates back to the 18th century. Once returned to use, the beers it was expected to create were, fittingly, not in the modern style, but in a fashion harking back to the days of strong, malty Scottish ales.
The first offering, Traquair House Ale, is a world classic, a 7.2% ale revered for its malt and fruit character. Jacobite Ale is an 8%, spiced variation on the theme, laced with coriander.
Possibly the most quaffable is Bear Ale, offering similar malt and fruit flavours but at only 5%.
Peter Maxwell Stuart’s daughter, Catherine, is now in charge of the estate and she sanctions the addition of occasional special beers to the range, the latest being 2010, so named because it marks the first decade of the new millennium.
It’s not the most convincing excuse for a commemorative beer, but who cares when the result is something this good?
Traquair Tradition
2010 Ale is brewed from pale, crystal and amber malts, along with some roasted barley. The hops are East Kent Goldings. The recipe is similar, but not identical, to Traquair 900, a 9% beer released in 2007 to mark the 900th anniversary of the signing of a royal charter at the house.
In Traquair tradition, fermentation takes place in unlined oak casks, lasting eight or nine days. The beer is then conditioned for a number of weeks before being prepared for bottling.
This involves filtration and pasteurisation, although it could be strongly argued that beers of this quality and strength do not need that second step in order to survive well in the bottle.
Happily, the deep malty flavours and the substantial 10% alcohol mask any damage the heat treatment may inflict but one does wonder just how good this beer could be if properly and carefully bottle conditioned.
Despite that daunting alcohol content, 2010 drinks rather light, much lighter than you’d expect. Like the very best strong ales, it deals with the alcohol brilliantly, never letting it dominate at the expense of finer flavours.
It pours a ruby colour in the glass, with a creamy, beige foam. The aroma is winey and fruity, with bready malt, faint hints of chocolate and perhaps even, as it warms, hints of sasparilla or marzipan.
The taste falls on the sweet side, with a super-smooth maltiness that brings light toffee to the palate. There’s more winey fruit, too, joined by traces of liquorice and background tangy hop notes. A slight saltiness adds to the moreishness.
Malty sweetness is slowly pushed aside by growing bitterness in the dry, warming finish, where winey fruit lingers and oaky-woody notes add to the complexity.
This is a classy, refined beer that is well worth seeking out (available online at www.traquair.co.uk) but, even though the bottle carries a ten-year best before date, you may have to be quick. Only 20,000 bottles have been released and nearly half the order has already been earmarked for export.
It was in 1965 that Peter Maxwell Stuart, laird of Traquair, decided to revive the old brewhouse at his country mansion in the Scottish Borders. It is a home with a heritage, the oldest inhabited house in Scotland. It is said that Bonnie Prince Charlie, Stuart pretender to the throne, stayed here in 1745 and its famous Bear Gates are now firmly locked shut, only to be opened should a Stuart ever become monarch once again.
The brewhouse also dates back to the 18th century. Once returned to use, the beers it was expected to create were, fittingly, not in the modern style, but in a fashion harking back to the days of strong, malty Scottish ales.
The first offering, Traquair House Ale, is a world classic, a 7.2% ale revered for its malt and fruit character. Jacobite Ale is an 8%, spiced variation on the theme, laced with coriander.
Possibly the most quaffable is Bear Ale, offering similar malt and fruit flavours but at only 5%.
Peter Maxwell Stuart’s daughter, Catherine, is now in charge of the estate and she sanctions the addition of occasional special beers to the range, the latest being 2010, so named because it marks the first decade of the new millennium.
It’s not the most convincing excuse for a commemorative beer, but who cares when the result is something this good?
Traquair Tradition
2010 Ale is brewed from pale, crystal and amber malts, along with some roasted barley. The hops are East Kent Goldings. The recipe is similar, but not identical, to Traquair 900, a 9% beer released in 2007 to mark the 900th anniversary of the signing of a royal charter at the house.
In Traquair tradition, fermentation takes place in unlined oak casks, lasting eight or nine days. The beer is then conditioned for a number of weeks before being prepared for bottling.
This involves filtration and pasteurisation, although it could be strongly argued that beers of this quality and strength do not need that second step in order to survive well in the bottle.
Happily, the deep malty flavours and the substantial 10% alcohol mask any damage the heat treatment may inflict but one does wonder just how good this beer could be if properly and carefully bottle conditioned.
Despite that daunting alcohol content, 2010 drinks rather light, much lighter than you’d expect. Like the very best strong ales, it deals with the alcohol brilliantly, never letting it dominate at the expense of finer flavours.
It pours a ruby colour in the glass, with a creamy, beige foam. The aroma is winey and fruity, with bready malt, faint hints of chocolate and perhaps even, as it warms, hints of sasparilla or marzipan.
The taste falls on the sweet side, with a super-smooth maltiness that brings light toffee to the palate. There’s more winey fruit, too, joined by traces of liquorice and background tangy hop notes. A slight saltiness adds to the moreishness.
Malty sweetness is slowly pushed aside by growing bitterness in the dry, warming finish, where winey fruit lingers and oaky-woody notes add to the complexity.
This is a classy, refined beer that is well worth seeking out (available online at www.traquair.co.uk) but, even though the bottle carries a ten-year best before date, you may have to be quick. Only 20,000 bottles have been released and nearly half the order has already been earmarked for export.
