Allagash Four

Brewed by Allagash Brewing Company
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Portland, Maine USA

Bottle@UDRM. Very nice well brewed beer. Tastes like a sweet fruity quadruple. And that’s what the meant to brew I guess. But I think it has become pretty boring in the end. And maybe a bit too much on the sweet side.

On tap during the annual Boston/Salem/Marble head tour. Sampled at the Sunset grill. Amber pour with a tart aroma good spicey alcohol taste. Well done. I was happy.

750ml bottle, batch15, cloudy dark amber-copper hue, with a small thick creamy beige head, yeasty, fruity, spicy nose, of nutmeg, ripe apple, sultana raisin, candied orange peel esters, from a belgian type of yeast, with a hint of Grand Marnier liqueur, and some toasted, caramelized, biscuity malt note in the aroma follows through on a medium-bodied palate with a yeasty, fruity, sweet toasted, caramelized malt character, with some fruitcake, dried dark raisin, fig, prune, orange peel flavours, and a faint spicy cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, coriander accent, with a toffeeish, brown sugar sweetness, leading towards a warming, malty, fruity orange peel, lingering hop bitternessfinish.

pours amber brown with lots of carbonation. Fairly fruity, spicy. Alcohol is present but not overbearing. I don’t remember the details of this brew, but I do remember that my overall impression was that this was fairly standard for a Quad and certainly has not stood out in my memory the way Rochefort 10 did. Good beer none the less, probably not worth the 14$ though...

I decided to purchase this 11$ bottle at Mac’s on West Peachtree. Batch #19. I hope it is good. Looks pretty good; has a nice fluffy head that settles out to a relatively thin head, and has a nice deep dark brown caramel color. Seems to have an almost light sour aroma to it, but then again I get this darker fruit-type aroma. The lighter aroma I was speaking of is probably due to the hops used? Ah...there she is. The beer just needed a little oxygen I guess. The dark fruits and yeast are coming out a wee bit more, now that it has had time to warm up. Still, I don’t feel the beer is as aromatic as it should be, atleast for a quad. The flavor is a lot better than the aroma (one would hope). Dark fruits and yeast flavors dominate. Not a large hop present, but you feel it slightly towards the end. Not an overpowering quad, as I like them to be. A little too carbonated for me, as the carbonation bite steals some of the flavor. I am a bit picky when it comes to quads being over carbonated. Overall, great taste, but I think other quads are better.

Pours an opaque golden brown with a nice creamy head. It has a great sweet candy flavor that is accentuated by the a true complexity of flavors and a good amount of carbonation.

Generous lacing on a dark brown body with a sweet, somewhat hoppy aroma. Balanced mouthfeel, very smooth.

Wow...really well balanced tasty beer. Sweet, strong, and friendly. I call it the "4 X 4" and with good reason. Fairly complex, yet with rustic over-tones. Can I mention that I like the label? 53F from 750ml bottle. VERY NICE.