Name: House Ale
Brewer: Traquair House Brewery (United Kingdom)
Style: Wee Heavy
ABV: 7.2%
Review Year: 2021
House Ale is a classic Wee Heavy (aka. Scotch Ale) brewed by the Laird in the ancient Traquair House Brewery of the oldest inhabited house in Scotland.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as a Wee Heavy (17C) in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.
TASTING NOTES
Clear deep brown with ruby highlights; thin light brown head. The aroma was moderate and malt-forward: think of brown sugar, toffee, raisins with low nutty, earthy, floral, and a touch of smokiness. Medium-full-bodied, moderate carbonation, with subtle alcohol warmth. Flavor showcased rich and deep maltiness with fairly high impressions of caramel/toffee with a low nutty, and biscuity character following through. Low earthy, floral, dried fruit, smoky, and cinnamon flavors contributed to the complexity. Bitterness was moderate but the residual sweetness was moderately high. A malty sweet, slightly roasty, and raisin-like profile characterized the aftertaste.
THE VERDICT
The Traquair House Ale is a rich and malty beer that highlighted mainly caramel and toffee qualities. The noted sweetness felt well-integrated and natural; it is not cloying as with some contemporary beers with obscene amounts of lactose and/or sugary adjuncts. Despite being rich and malty-sweet, this Wee Heavy is quite drinkable and is something we could drink almost daily. Overall, we think this is an excellent take on the style.
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Traquair House Brewery
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