Trade Winds is one of those classical beers that will take your brain down memory lane, specifically to the year of 1997 and if you were Scottish born it will certainly be a remembering thought.
In the heart of Scotland, within the city of Aberdeen there once took place a Tall Ship race which was viewed from the eyes of half a million people and this event is notified as being one of the largest events to be held within the Scottish borders and still to this very day this event is taking place.
Cairngorm Brewery, located within the Highlands of Scotland, decided to brew this almighty golden ale to celebrate the iconic Tall Ship Race.
According to Cairngorm, this beer is identified as being the perfect beer to enjoy on the summer’s day whilst sitting on the patio.
We were incredibly lucky to be able to have the chance to try this Scottish beer at The Great British Winter Beer Festival in Burton Upon Trent and when we found out that this beer had won many national awards we were certainly keen to give Trade Winds a sample.
| Clarity | Dark Golden |
| Aroma | Tropical Fruit, mild hop |
| Taste | Hoppy, Bitter finish |
| Aftertaste | Dry |
| Overall (Star Rating) | 3/5 Stars 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 |
Thoughts on clarity, aroma, taste and aftertaste
Clarity – The colour of the beer in the glass was almost similar to the same style of two of Luke’s favourite classic bitters, Draught Bass and Marston’s Pedigree. Also, the beer was so clear, you could see reflections through the other side of the glass.
Aroma – There was an enormous amount of tropical fruit scents which honestly made this beer smell amazing and it was these scents that made us understand why this beer is perfect for summer. The specific fruits that we could smell were pineapple, mango and melon and this was balanced against the hops which were used in the making of this beer.
Taste – The hop aroma became stronger when we took the first sample, it made our palates become fiery which gave us that impression that this beer is for the type of drinkers who like extreme hoppy beers. We were also slightly surprised when we noticed that the tropical fruit scents that were around at the start of the tasting had now suddenly vanished, the finish delivered a subtle bitter finish which was pleasant.
Aftertaste – The bitter finish which rounded off this drink converted our palates into a citrusy dry finish which did make this beer taste good but it was missing that outstanding wow factor. It did make us think that we believed there was something missing in the flavour of this beer and that was those impeccable sweet tastes.
Do we recommend it?
We believe that Trade Winds is a great beer but it’s only a beer that we would happily try once in a while, we just feel that it’s missing that sweetness touch in the flavouring. On the other hand, as mentioned earlier in this post, the aromas that floated around the top of the glass were outstanding and that’s one thing we love about beer, tropical fruits and sweet scents.
This has given us the idea though, that even though this beer wasn’t up to our taste buds, we will certainly in the future try another beer from this amazing brewery.
