[Cellar Review] 2017 Traquair House Ale VS. 2013 Traquair House Ale

2013 Vintage Traquair Ale

The Traquair House Ale is an instant classic. The beer has gained notoriety for its interesting history and ability to be aged. I lucked into a few bottles of this beer back in 2013, and thought I would throw one in my cellar. I was thinking about when I wanted to pull the beer and try it. And as fortune would have it, while cruising the import aisle at Binny's looking for some Irish Dry Stouts, I stumbled upon a new vintage of the House Ale. So here we are.

The two beers in their glory:

Brewed By: Traquair in Innerleithen, Borders, Scotland  

Purchased: 500ml (1 pint, 0.9oz) bottle bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Scotch Ale, 7.2%

Reported IBUs: ?
Best By Date: June 2018

2017 Vintage Traquair Ale

Brewed By: Traquair in Innerleithen, Borders, Scotland  

Purchased: 500ml (1 pint, 0.9oz) bottle bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2017 

Style/ABV: Scotch Ale, 7.2%
Reported IBUs: ?
Best By Date: May 28, 2026

[2013] Appearance: Both beers kick up an eggshell head, but the body of the 2013 House Ale is considerably more murky and worn. There are ruby red tones, but they reside in a swampy haze.

[2017] Appearance: Ruby red, filtered, and deceptively looking like your run of the mill bottle of Shamal Adams. An intriguing, ruby body.

[2013] Aroma: Here is where these two beers depart. The 2013 bottle features peat moss, raisins, leather, faint wood/barrel, oxidation, sherry, some port wine, hints of fortified marsala, and these beautiful tropical and stone fruit notes that come across through shades of peat moss. 

Side-by-Side

[2017] Aroma: The 2017 beer is brighter on the nose immediately, and has a strong grain and malt presence, with a fair amount of peat. There is oak, Scotch Whisky, toffee, caramel, and some toast. Cereal grains are present, and the beer smells warm and inviting. It smells not unlike a brewery. Lots of peat.

[2013] Taste: Wow. Not at all what I was expecting, the 2013 vintage basically sips like a nice peat whisky, sans the alcohol and burn. This is all about the sweet peat moss, with notes of raisins, woodsy mushrooms, musty leaves, peat, peat moss, greens, shades of fruitiness, and some lingering barrel character on the back. As the beer opens up in my glass, I'm getting some fruity notes too (probably from the yeast). Interesting stuff.

[2017] Taste: The taste of the 2017 vintage mirrors the nose in many ways. This is an assertive, grain-forward beer with lots of peat notes. There's a fair amount of astringency from the grain (and water and barrel, hang on) which drops some cereal and toasty notes. The barrel adds oak and wood tannin, and peat moss. The water is hard. There's a whole lot of peat. 

[2013] Finish: Wonderfully complex, this lays Scotch whisky in your glass and doesn't look back. The beer is medium-full, with shades of peat moss, fruit, grain and barrel tannin. There's some oak, chocolate, musty mushrooms, and layers of complex and developed graininess. Palate depth is banging, and this is endlessly complex. It really develops in waves, with peat moss and Scotch whisky up front, fruity notes and then oak/chocolate in the mids, and lingering musty mushrooms and wood and barrel in the back. 

[2017] Finish: The 2017 vintage is thicker, heftier, hoppier, and maltier. It is probably more in line with what I would look for in a beer as a pretty stereotypical American craft beer nerd. The beer is medium-bodied, with good palate depth and moderate to full duration. Each sip does linger in your mouth for 30-60 seconds. And there's good depth of flavor here. You get grains and peat moss up front; cereal and hoppy bitterness in the mids; the back end drapes some of the wood tannin, oak, and more peat moss. The lingering flavor is decidedly the peat moss. If you like Scotch whisky, this is a good contender. 

With flash/potato: 2017 on the left, 2013 on the right

[2013] Rating: Decent Above-Average (4.25/5.0 Untappd)

This was fun to age, and I would age a bottle again. I think the aged bottle is more complex and more intriguing, although it appeals less to my own preferences and sensibilities. I'm not a huge Scotch whisky guy, but I enjoy the complexities of a good peat drink. The layers of grain, smoke, and complex fruitiness are nice. There's no doubts about it, the 2013 bottle morphed into something quite nice and complex. 

[2017] Rating: Light Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

All around this is sweeter, hoppier, and smells and tastes like a brewery. The peat moss pops in as a secondary note, and brings along some oak, wood, and fruitiness. The yeast contributes some fruity characteristics to the beer as well. It's good, even thought it is not my go-to jam. It's no Dubbel. But this is an admittedly awesome beer. If you do see it, pick it up. This is one of those beers that comes around once in a while, and is worth checking out.

Random Thought: Proof that cellaring doesn't have to be super serious. Go buy some beers, stick them in your cellar, and see what happens.