Allagash Four

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

Tap at the Brickskeller, vintage 05. Pour is rusty orange, clear. Aroma is all heavy syrups, with juicy oranges, dirty, peaty, malt and thick cider. Earth tones in aluminum and iron, but still bright and fruity. Tastes dark with foreboding richness; raisin, scotch, chocolate and honey, evolving into deeper beauty as it warms. Bold, and full; well-aged. Coating and unabashedly thick resonance on the palate. Earthy sweetness finishes; a pulse of maple syrup, seemingly fresh from the tree. Slow to blossom, though quite lovely at that point.

In short: An uncharacteristic take on the Abt genre. A great earthy/well-malted/yeasty/fruity/tralala Belgian Strong Ale
How: A few times at tasting sessions and a few 750ml bottles by myself (fresh and 1 year old). I think I prefer it slightly aged
The look: Clear mahogany body with small particles with a medium beige head
In long: Aroma is rather discreet yet but very enticing with hints of fruity yeast in a rich malted body. Taste is just a bit of everything but doesn’t feel all over the place. Definitely strong and complex malt profile with cookie malts delivering rich caramel that is both spicy and earthy. Fruity notes range from red fruits like <insertprefix>berries to the darker figs, dates and friends. The leafy hops do their balancing job but the focus remains on the malt and yeast profile. Overall feels rather sweet with its brown sugared caramel. The alcohol is unfortunately apparent and that’s about the only bad thing I can say about this beer. I really dig those earthy beers with complex fruity notes. Allagash Four dot Four.

750 ml. bottle. Light stone fruit aroma with biscuit, perhaps raisin. A slight suggestion of chocolate. Ruby tinged amber color with a white head that left rapidly. Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. The flavor is yeast, light stone fruit (peach), and spice. The finish is dry and somewhat earthy. It’s really good stuff. The alcohol is not at all intrusive.

750ml Bottle from Country Club Liquors; nose of peaches, breadiness, and a slight tart hint; cloudy copper with a medium beige head; flavor has a hint of funkiness, in front of fruity esters (apricots and a little bananas), yeast and spices. Pretty good quad!

Very bready/biscuit aroma with fruity esters playing in the background (think ripe cherry). This is definitely a malt-bomb. Taste is initially bready and fruity with a nice malty alcoholic sharpness. I love big malty quads, but the sharpness and alcoholic nature of this one kind of lets me down a little.

2/6/05 750ml. Plaza liquor. Hazy amber/red with small tan head. Malty dried dark fruit aroma with some alcohol noted. Malty with harsh alcohol taste and slightly thin palate.

Ruby golden with ample head and good lacing on the glass. The aroma is interesting with touches of wheat, yeast, and sour apples scents coupled with quiet hops and subtle spice. The taste is a well balanced and yeasty venture, which is complimented by nice spice, fruit and hop flavors. A layered and complex, yet lighter brew provides a nice and balanced offering.

Oct. 2005 - Very underwhelming. Beer poured typical brownish belgian color with little head. The taste was just too darned sweet...like other fake tasting American belgian wannabes. No richness, little complexity.