Allagash Four

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

Pours a deep chestnut brown. Aroma is a beautifully deep complex set of sugars and Belgian phenolics. Taste is complex burnt sugars, dates, beets, and other dark sugars/fruits. Very complex and interesting, however very bitter for a Belgian. Leaves a nice little sour tang in your mouth, as is common in many nice quads. A really nice quad, could’ve used some more age (already a year+??).

Pours a dark reddish brown with a tan head. Aroma is caramel, malt, grains, hint of sourness. Flavor is caramel, sugars, malt, hint of sourness, hops, yeasts and a little funk. Nicely integrated quad.

Brillian orange-amber, highly carbonated, ok head. Pleasant riffs of crystal malts surrounded by moderating hoppiness introduce themselves to the nose After several minutes of aeration and warming, small pulses of phenols with light cloviness arise as well. Medium-amber crystal body, with crystal candi sugar sweetness and medium hop bitterness. Alcohol is well-masked to the palate, though the gut feels the punch. Phenolic syrupiness on the finish. A vein of Belgian funk runs throughout the experience. Waves of crystal malt and phenols push on.

750 bottle- pours an opaque caramel colour with a one finger off white head and fair lacing. Nose- toffee, fruit- very sweet smelling. Taste- raisins, brown sugar spice and other dark fruits. Very creamy texture and moderate carbonation. One of the more drinkable quads I’ve had. I think this bottle has a few years on it, so didn’t notice the booze heat that others have remarked on. Quite smooth. Not the most complex quad out there, but still a solid drink.

Reviewed 5/21/2009 (Bottle batch#15): Pours a medium brown colored body, with a white head, diminishing. Clear. Strong fruity aroma, grape but not wine-y. Sweet craemy mouthfeel. Grape taste. Honey sweet taste. Carbonated, soft mouthfeel. Some hops, but very hidden.

Bottled @ Olfestival 09 pre-tasting. Aroma is very fruity and fresh, has raisins, malts and Unibroue like yeast. Hazy, red-brown coloured beer with an off-white head. The taste was sweet, with orange, raisins, some hops. Full bodied with a nice lingering bitterness. Good one.

On tap at Downtown Johnny Brown’s in San Diego. Pours a hazy, dark amber orange body with an inch thick, dense and creamy, beige colored head that dissipates very slowly and leaves tons of gorgeous, layered lacing. A very nice looking quad. Aroma is big on the chocolate, prunes and plums, and toffees with lots of vinous, ripe fruits. Some soft spices and floral hops with a nice yeasty nose. A touch of vanilla and some light maple syrup. Flavor is similar with a great, softly spiced balance throughout with a sweet malt, somewhat sugary taste. Lots of florals, big prunes and raisins, plum-citrus, caramels, chocolates, and yeast. Finishes soft and dry with a light to moderate bitterness. Sweet and malty linger. Palate is medium to full and quite complex. Overall, big fan of this quad. Quite complex and sweeter than some quads, but enough of a soft spicing to keep a nice balance.

Bottle from 3 Sons. brownish golden hazy with little head and little lacing. Very sweet but not just candy with lots of malts. can’t find much for hops though. Very nnice finish if not hoppy