Beer descended from kings

The oldest inhabited house in Scotland also operates as a brewery. Adrian Tierney-Jones went to Traquair.

We all love a loser. The Welsh have Owain Glyndwr and his doomed revolt, the English Eddie the Eagle and the national football team, while the Scots keen over Bonnie Prince Charlie. At Traquair House near Peebles, the Prince’s memory is still kept fresh by owners (and descendents) the Maxwell- Stuarts: he visited in 1745 and the house’s outer gates have remained locked ever since.

Thankfully, there are other ways to enter, as Traquair is an amazing house to visit, with a rough-edged, lived-in feeling that you don’t get in National Trust properties. However, there is a more pressing reason to call, as beer connoisseurs will know – Traquair is home to one of the pioneers of modern country house brewing.

Traquair is an essential beer journey, even though it turns a quiet and understated face to the world, unlike other places where brewing is also part of the fabric. Come off the train at Burton-on-Trent and all around is the evidence of the town’s brewing history, while the ornate gates and baroque water tower of Pilsen make a bold statement for the city’s past. But Traquair?

Innerleithen is a quiet town and the House is a couple of miles outside and not even visible from the road, yet miss it at your peril.

This sense of modesty stretches over into the beers brewed. The brewery only produces Bear Ale, House Ale and Jacobite Ale, with the odd beer for a special occasion. The amount that goes into cask is minute, with the local Traquair Arms, Edinburgh’s Gilford Arms and the .....

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By Adrian Tierney-Jones

Section : Micro Brewery

Page number : 22