Allagash Four

Sampled most recently on draft at Capone’s during Philly beer week. Pours orange amber, capped with a medium-sized off white head. Aroma of caramel, dark fruit, spice, brown sugar, and some yeast. Flavor exhibits caramel, chocolate, alcohol, spice, dark fruit, and sugar. Finishes on the sweet side, with some notable alcohol. Solid Quad.

750 ml bottle. Pour tawny brown with a large tan head. Leaves some nice lace behind. The nose is a bit rummy with some dark fruit, herb notes, and an alcohol burn. Very nice flavors with some raisin/prune, a bit nutty, syrupy sugar, and some alcoholic notes. Med/full body and lots of carbonation. Long sweetish finish. Pretty damn tasty stuff here.

[750 mL bottle, batch 16] Pours a murky reddish amber with a light tan head that melts away to a ring. Aroma is quite sweet with a good deal of yeast (imparts some faint cocoa and banana notes), honey and caramel. Not as complex as I had hoped for, but fairly enjoyable nonetheless. Alcohol is still a little forward, but there is also yeast, malt towards the back end, red grape, and honey again. Good mouthfeel with a somewhat dry, long finish. Overall a very nice, drinkable beer, but it is a little hot, and not quite as complex as I was hoping for. ...After finishing the bottle, I am going to bump it one point, because I love the finish and it is so drinkable.

"Dark orange .. very good appearance ... caramel syrup smell .. strangely sweet, not as dark fruited as most quads .. mellow for the abv ... gentleman, is a fruity bitch ... "

Tap at Sunset Grill. Aroma of cherries and other fruits. Flavor of cherries to me, slight alcohol undertones. Really smooth, probably would have enjoyed it either more if I was more of a cherry fan.

Pours a murky orange-brown with lots of carbonation and a rocky, off-white head. Minimal lacing. Cherries, dried dark fruits, a boatload of brown sugar and yeast, and a clove/nutmeg/cookie dough mixture. Thicker, velvety mouthfeel. Somewhat sticky, which enhanced the sweeter side of the brew. The tangier, earrthy side of the beer dominated. Apples, grapes, and cherry for the most part. A fair amount of toffee and even some chocolate flavors popped up. Lots of sticky caramel and yeasty esters. The alcohol is not well masked, giving the a boozy finish. A very good beer that is easy to have you fill of.

2006 bottle sampled March ’09.

Relatively light appearance with a modest head. Aroma is dominated by characteristic Allagash yeastiness, light caramel flavors around mild dark fruits. Mouthfeel is a bit on the thin side, but the alcohol has no problem going straight to my head despite being nowhere to be found on the mouthfeel.

Bottle from Monument in Concord, CA. This brew was rather sweet with dark fruit flavors and a nice solid malt body. There was also some spice and yeast flavor, almost bready.