Tag Archives: Scotland

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Old Ale, Scotland, Traquair House Brewery

Traquair 50 Anniversary Ale

Leave a comment

Brewery: Traquair House Brewery
Country: Scotland
ABV: 9%
Style: Old Ale
Other Notes: 50th Anniversary

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Traquair’s 300 year old brewery was brought back into production in 1965. This potent ale celebrates 50 years of brewing in this ancient brewhouse. All our ales are brewed and fermented in the ancient oak tuns to give them their unique character.

My rating: 3+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.82
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of 28th April 2025. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a one finger beige head that had decent retention, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Light roasted malts, dark fruit, plum, raisins, with notes of nearly burnt caramel.
Taste: Moderately sweet, plum, raisins, light roasted malts, caramel, toffee, brown sugar.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Aromas were a little on the weak side, but I thought the flavours worked with a nice light char bitterness that balances the sweetness.

Advertisement
4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Scotland, Sour Ale, Vault City Brewing

Vault City Double Crust Raspberry Pie

Leave a comment

Brewery: Vault City Brewing
Country: Scotland
ABV: 9%
Style: Sour Ale
Other Notes: Modern sour beer

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Ever feel like you can’t have your pastry treat and drink? We’ve taken direct inspiration from the culinary world for this Modern Sour Beer. A big biscuity base and a fruity filling so jammy, it’s juicy! Layering complex malt and squeezing in as many raspberries as we could for the fullest, richest pudding we could muster. Decadent and delightful, mixed-culture tartness and sharp fruit flavour balance the sweet pastry-like malt elements.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.42
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 375ml bottle with a best before date of 12th November 2022. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy deep reddish purple colour with a just over one finger pink head that had decent retention while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Fruity dessert, jammy raspberry, strawberry and raspberry shortcake, with Digestive wheat biscuits.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, sweet, jammy, raspberry, strawberry, biscuit, pie crust.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Aroma was near perfect and reminded me of strawberry shortcake. Taste was enjoyable, but didn’t match the perfectness of the aroma. Still, it was great overall, and hid the 9% booze well.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Scotland, Sour Ale, Vault City Brewing

Vault City Cherry Skies

Leave a comment

Brewery: Vault City Brewing
Country: Scotland
ABV: 8.5%
Style: Sour Ale
Other Notes: Modern sour beer

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The return of our notorious Skies series! For this variation we jumped at the chance to use late season sweet cherries for a ruby red addition to the range. Equal parts rich, smooth and delightfully tart, Cherry Skies is the epitome of the Modern Sour Beers we make. To honour the complex yet smashable versions which have come before it we added hibiscus flower and Madagascan vanilla to accompany the fruit for the fullest and juiciest cherry sour beer possible.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.8
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 375ml bottle with a best before date of 5th October 2022. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A deep red colour with a slight purple hue and a big two finger pinkish head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Juicy, lightly tart cherry, blackcurrant, red apple, and a touch floral.
Taste: Very lightly tart, moderately sweet, mixed berries, cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant, and floral (I’m guessing it’s the hibiscus).
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Cherry and vanilla should be a match made in heaven, but I’m not getting any of the supposed vanilla aroma or flavours. It was also not quite the cherry bomb I was hoping for as the floral hibiscus notes were quite strong, along with a whole bunch of other mixed berry aroma and flavours that crept in. For a sour beer, the use of sweet cherries also appears to have turned it on the sweet side, which I’m not fond of.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Scotland, Sour Ale, Vault City Brewing

Vault City Blueberry Pumpkin Spice Latte

Leave a comment

Brewery: Vault City Brewing
Country: Scotland
ABV: 8.8%
Style: Sour Ale
Other Notes: Modern sour beer

Brewer Description: (from bottle) It’s that time of year, all the knitwear and pumpkin flavoured everything! We’re no exception and have created our own unique take on a ‘pumpkin beer’ but opted for the pumpkin spice approach. Befitting the time of year, and a fruit that we know works wonders in combination with our house mixed-culture, we settled for local blueberries as the base for our Autumn special. Cosy up for a seasonal sensation of tart blueberry, warming spices and sweet vanilla in texture smoother than crema. It’s not a trick, it’s a treat!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.19
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 375ml bottle with a best before date of 2nd November 2022. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A deep purple beetroot colour with a big three finger purple head that had good retention and left lots of lacing.
Aroma: Pumpkin spice dominates with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, along with notes of tart blueberry and pie crust in the background.
Taste: Tart, lightly sweet and sour, blueberry, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and some vanilla notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Balanced and enjoyable as long as you like pumpkin spice.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Scotland, Sour Ale, Vault City Brewing

Vault City Tropical Sour – Mango Coconut Passionfruit

Leave a comment

Brewery: Vault City Brewing
Country: Scotland
ABV: 7.2%
Style: Sour Ale
Other Notes: Modern sour beer

Brewer Description: (from bottle) As winter draws nearer, we look to sunnier climates to bring you a taste of the tropics in your glass. Having ripened in the far-off sunshine we’ve picked a mouth-watering medley to transport you to a world of tropical tartness in this Modern Sour Beer. A sweet mango base and floral passionfruit tartness are unified by the creamy character of coconut, which imparts a hint of woody vanilla. Each element stands apart and together they are complimented by our ester filled house mixed-culture base beer. Sunglasses at the ready!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.07
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 375ml bottle with a best before date of 11th November 2022. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A murky mango juice orange colour with pretty much no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Mango dominates with hints of tart passionfruit and coconut.
Taste: Sour, tart, unripe mango, passionfruit, with only a hint of coconut in the background.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable, easy to drink, cocktail like, very fruity.