Traquair House Brewery 'House Ale' Fermented in Oak Barrels. 7.2% abv. Dark ruby color, finger of ivory creamy head. Good retention, moderate lace. Head recedes to a thick sustaining collar. Nose of soft white bread, nutty malt, with floral hops and faint stone fruit as the temp changes. 

Front taste of toffee, candy sugar, light bitter fruit, oak expression on the back end. Aftertaste is caramel, vanilla, earthy, wood sustain. Medium body. Mouthfeel is warm, soft, creamy, carby.

This is an excellent Scotch ale. There are plenty of malt and light fruit notes, along with mild bitter hop notes, all atop an oak expression that just barely emerges as the temp rises to room. The feel is very soft, with a creamy nearly foamy presence. I would have liked a little more carb and lace, but these are nitpicks for an otherwise wonderful and well-crafted old world ale. Highly recommended.

From the brewery:

"The original ale first brewed in 1965 and now sold all over the world. Perhaps the most distinctive Scottish ale on the market, and with its rich dark oakiness, this is a serious winter ale… Serious alcohol and fruity malt on the nose and delicious plum pie and vanilla flavours with a little oak and amontillado sherry character."

[source: traquair.co.uk]

"A handmade ale brewed in the ancient brew house of the oldest inhabited house in Scotland…  Traquair House Ale is a traditional Scotch ale or ‘Wee Heavy’ produced at the tiny Traquair House Brewery, located in the oldest inhabited house in Scotland. Brewed in a 1738 copper kettle and fermented in oak vessels, it is rich, complex and deep with firm but elegant flavor."

[source: bottle]

Petaluma Hills 'Big House Blonde' Belgian-Style Blonde Ale. 6.4% abv. 24.7 IBU. Hazy honey color. Thin white head. Moderate retention, very little lace. Nose of light malt, floral, flat grain. Front taste of grassy-herbal grain, wheat, bitter hop back. Aftertaste is yeasty, earthy bitter hops, sustain is harsh grassy. Medium body. Mouthfeel is warm, dank.

This beer starts out well enough but is plagued by an unpleasant yeast taste that's present throughout, particularly in the aftertaste. It makes for a beer that's overly earthy, almost like soil in flavor. The brief head and almost zero lacing do not help the overall impression. Disappointing.

My friend took a trip to Petaluma and bought this beer for me, from a small nano-brewery across the street from the mighty Lagunitas Brewing. Based on this beer, it seems that Lagunitas has nothing to worry about. Pass on this one.

From the brewery:

"This Belgian style Blonde Ale is made with Belgian pilsen and Belgian aromatic malts plus lots of East Kent Goldings hops for lots of flavor. However, it's the Belgian Abbey yeast that defines this ale, adding a spicy bonus to a crisp, clean taste."

[source: petalumahills.com]

House of Pendragon 'Overzealous' Double Espresso Oatmeal Stout. 6.5% abv. 42 IBU. Black in color. Finger of creamy tan head. Excellent retention and lacing. Nose of roasted malt, ample fresh ground coffee. Front taste of roasted coffee, dark chocolate, dark fruit on the back. Aftertaste of coffee, bittersweet chocolate, earthy, faint nutty. Medium-full body. Mouthfeel is silky, creamy, rich, warm.

This is a wonderful coffee beer, a bigger, bolder version of their excellent 'Zealous'. The espresso tastes very fresh and compliments the roasted malt. The oatmeal serves the beer well, adding a big body and smooth mouthfeel, making a bold yet easy-drinking beer. Highly recommended.

From the brewery:

"Many of you have had Zealous in the past. Zealous is an Oatmeal Stout that has been aged with coffee. We have recently teamed up with the Sierra Nut House acquire all our coffee for our beers. Sierra Nut House is well known for their Dried fruits and Nuts, but also roasts their own coffee beans locally here in Fresno. We found after tasting many blends that the Espresso roast was perfect for Zealous. Cheers!"

House of Pendragon 'Crème de la Kremlin' Imperial Stout. 9.5% abv. 80 IBU. Black in color. Thick, creamy tan head. Good retention. Superb lace. Nose of roasted grain, smoky wood, chocolate, dark fruit. Front taste of roasted, sweet malt, bitter fruit, plum. Aftertaste of bitter hops, smoke, hickory, raisin on the back end. Full body. Mouthfeel is hot, creamy, thick.

This is an extraordinary imperial stout, with its Spanish Cedar aging coming through in the long sustaining aftertaste, and a bitter flavor profile that is balanced well against the slightly sweet fruit notes. As the temp drops the aroma becomes rich with the Cedar wood. Wonderful. Highly recommended.

From the brewery:

"Crème de la Kremlin is our yearly Russian Imperial stout. It's like no other RIS that you have ever had. This beer has been aged with Spanish cedar for two months to add to its rich complex flavors. CDLK has an intense dark dried cherry, chocolaty roastyness in the aroma. These aromatics follow through to the flavor where it melds with rich slightly velvety texture with a slight hickory wood flavor in the finish. Don’t miss out on this beer. We will be releasing it tomorrow for new beer Thursday. We are only releasing a few kegs of this beer while it’s young, and aging the rest for special releases throughout the year. So get it while you can."

House of Pendragon 'Bors' Brown Ale. 7.2% abv. 62 IBU. Dark brown color with nearly two fingers of head. Great retention and lacing. Aroma of malt and floral hops. Front taste is toasty-nutty malt, bright hops, notes of dark chocolate. Aftertaste lingers with herbal mix of hops, roasted grain, toffee, some light fruit on the sustain. Medium body. Mouthfeel is warm, creamy, not as sticky on the tongue as some browns.

This is an excellent beer, a fine example of a hopped up American brown. If your tastes in beer lie directly between malty and hoppy, look forward to this beer. Highly recommended.

From the brewery:

"When people think of brown ales they usually do not put them in the hoppy category. Bors Brown will change your thinking of the style. Slightly sweet with a light roastyness gives this beer malt complexity which leads you to a citrus and pine flavor and aroma."

As with all of HoP's beers, the Bors Brown has great head, lace, and retention.

The first time I had Bors Brown was when House of Pendragon was still raising funds for their taproom. I enjoyed a pint at Peeve's Public House.

New Belgium 'Salted Belgian Chocolate' Stout. 9% abv. 35 IBU. Black color with a finger of creamy beige head off the tap. Great retention and excellent lace. Nose of chocolate, spice, sugar cookies. Front taste of bittersweet chocolate, roasted grain, raisins, plum. Aftertaste of dark chocolate, notes of vanilla, plum, faint licorice. Slightly alcoholic. Medium body. Mouthfeel is warm, creamy, sticky, small-bead carb.

The base of this brew is their popular 'Lips Of Faith.' This is a unique and excellent brew that puts its own spin on chocolate stouts. The 'salted' and 'Belgian' components are certainly there, and the chocolate is always up front. Highly recommended.

I had this beer at a New Belgium 'tap takeover' at Spokeasy Public House. I got to keep the festive glass the beer came in, and ate chocolate cake pops made with the stout. They were extraordinary!

From the brewery:

"This collaboration with Perennial Artisan Ales pairs two favorites: chocolate and beer. Dessert is best poured. And the brewers at Perennial agree. So for our next Lips of Faith release we dreamt up a beer that would bring together chocolate sweetness, Belgian yeast, deeply roasted malts and just the right shake of salt to pour a creamy stout worthy of a cherry on top."

I had this unique brew at a New Belgium tap takeover at Spokeasy Public House.
I got to keep the festive glass the beer came in!

House of Pendragon 'Imperial Lancelot' DIPA 8.2% abv. 114 IBU. Golden honey color. Thick white head falls to a collar that remains to the end. Good retention and excellent lace. Aroma is a hop bouquet with sweet malt and citrus rind. Front taste of malt, fresh floral hops, citrus, grapefruit. Aftertaste of balanced abundant bright hops and a long lingering citrus-grapefruit taste. Medium body. Mouthfeel is warm-hot, creamy carb.

This is a superb imperial IPA that is guaranteed to satisfy hop heads and lovers of big brews. Highly recommend.

From the brewery:

"Kings lock up your queens and fathers hide your daughters! Lancelot is the legendary IPA that put HoP brewing Co. on the map. Don’t expect tongue-splitting bitterness with Lancelot. It seduces you with its smooth bitterness, but makes you fall in love with its hop flavor and enchanting aroma. IMPERIAL Lancelot has arrived at the Tasting Room! We've doubled the amount of hops of our flagship IPA, and coming in at 8.2% ABV and 114 IBUs, this one is NOT to be missed!"

House of Pendragon 'Benevolence'. 6.6% abv. 73 IBU. Unfiltered American IPA. Hazy honey color. Nice finger of head that recedes to a thick collar with superb lacing. Excellent retention. Aroma of fresh hop bouquet. Bright taste of floral hops. Balanced bitter aftertaste. Medium body. Mouthfeel is slightly sticky, warm, herbal. Hop bite sustains long after first few tilts of the glass. An excellent example of a West Coast style IPA. I look forward to trying their other variations.

From the brewery:

"Benevolence is our new unfiltered American IPA. It’s brewed with a mixture of Citra, Centennial and Nelson Sauvin hops. (Other versions of) Benevolence are aged with Spanish Cedar and habañero."

House of Pendragon 'Lancelot' IPA. 7.1% abv. 48 IBU. Copper color. Nice thick two-fingers of head off the tap. Excellent retention and outstanding lace. Abundant fresh hops in the nose. Nice bitter balance of hop bite and grain in the taste up front with a fragrant hop-herb aftertaste that lingers a while. Medium body. Creamy mouthfeel.

This is one of those hoppy beers that nails the balance. One of the better IPAs out there. Highly recommended.

From the brewery:

"Kings lock up your queens and fathers hide your daughters! Lancelot is the legendary IPA that put HoP Brewing Co. on the map. Don't expect tongue-splitting bitterness with Lancelot. It seduces you with its smooth bitterness, but makes you fall in love with its hop flavor and enchanting aroma."

Me and Mario Gutierrez of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. enjoying a Lancelot IPA at House of Pendragon's tasting room.