A new beer celebrating one of Scotland’s Oldest Breweries
Traquair House Brewery has reached a remarkable landmark in its history with the 2000th brew being put through the ancient vessels since brewing was restarted by Peter Maxwell Stuart, 20th Laird of Traquair in 1965.
At that time, it was the first domestic brewery in the UK to obtain a brewing licence for many decades and it is a remarkable achievement that brewing continues here to this day nearly 60 years later.
The beers produced are all traditional Scottish Ales; rich, dark and malty with the unique flavour of Traquair derived from the fermentation in the old oak tuns and Spring Water from local hills. Hops are exclusively Old Kent Goldings, a traditional English variety and match perfectly with this style of ale.
The brewery has grown from its early days when the Laird exclusively undertook the brewing process. Traquair is now run by his daughter, Catherine, 21st Lady of Traquair and two brewers are now employed here. Catherine has always avoided expanding production into a different site believing the magic of this beer is the authenticity of its production in the original brewery.
“It is completely unique to be brewing in an original domestic brewery using the original vessels and equipment and we are the last British brewery to continue to ferment our entire production in oak. It is a labour intensive process but we are proud of producing ales that are truly craft beers of consistently high quality and an authentic taste of Scottish history”
Although the production is very small (less than 1000 barrels per year) the ales have won many awards and are exported all over the world. Highly regarded as “iconic” Scotch ales in the US and regularly seen on shelves in Canada, Sweden, Italy, France and Norway.
The Laird also began the tradition of “special ales” to mark special occasions such as the 100th Brew, Silver Wedding Brew and Catherine’s 21st Brew. But even he would be amazed that the landmark of the 2000th Brew has now been achieved.
Brewed as a limited edition bottled ale with a commemorative label these are sure to become collectors’ items as previous specials have become. It has a 9% ABV and is a dark, strong and smooth beer matured for several months before bottling.
The 2000th Brew can be obtained direct from Traquair House Brewery or from selected Independent retailers.