Allagash Four

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

Serve in Trappist glass

750ml caged&corked bottle. Pours a deep, murky copperish brown with amber and red highlights. The foam pours thick, cloudy, and soft. It eventually fades into almost no head and leaves very light specks of "lace" on the glass. The aroma is thick with fruit - banana, pineapple, sweet cherry - and has a subtle must to it, too. Notes of spice and alcohol also permeate the smell. The beer starts bready with touches of spice and cake. As the beer nears mid-palate, flavors of brandy, sweet malts, soft fruit, and spice strengthen. The middle of the tongue and back detect a light, fruity hop bitterness which is complex and complements the malty sweetness nicely. The finish also has a touch of bitterness from ethanol. It ends warmingly and medium in fullness vs. dryness. The mouthfeel is quite briskly carbonated and is playful - a nice way to lighten this otherwise thick and decadent brew. Overall, another awesome beer from Allagash. As much as I don’t like how expensive these big bottles of their special beers are, I keep finding myself paying it up because of how delicious these things are...

750mL bottle, pours a cloudy dark amber with a small beige head. Aroma of dark fruits, brandy, red wine and candied sugar - omnipotent on the nose. Flavour of brandied fruits, candied sugar, red wine, slight booze but not overpowering. Full-bodied and smooth, incorporating the ABV exceedingly well. Delicious.

Rich medium dark brown ale. yeasty aroma. Tasty stuff. Some spices. A little crisper at the end that I would have thought. The missus enjoyed it too. Serving: Bottle

Pour is a dakr cloudy mahogany color with a small with a small khaki head. Nose is of deep malts and little bread. Taste is different, much sweeter with a bit more of a wine like finish, bit dry with a bit of a bitter finish, though nothing unpalatable for a beer.

750 ml bottle into tulip, batch 18(2008 bottling I think). Pours very hazy dark red color with a small fairly dense khaki head with good retention that reduces to a thin cap. Some spotty lacing on the glass. Aromas of huge raisin, prune, banana, caramel, molasses, candi sugar, and yeast spices. Nice aromas with big fruitiness. Taste of big raisin, prune, caramel, toffee, toasted malt, molasses, candi sugar, biscuit, and yeast spices. Lingering notes of molasses, toffee, dark fruit, and yeast spices on the finish for a while. Medium carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a very creamy and slightly slick mouthfeel. Alcohol is extremely well hidden for 10%, with hardly any warming after the finish present. Very smooth and drinkable, but it is still a sipper. Overall this is an outstanding Belgian Quad with tons of great flavor and balance. I would definitely have this again.

Pours a cloudy brown-orange with a thin white head. Aroma is mostly spiciness and Belgian yeast. Taste is sweet, bready, grain, vanilla and a bitter citrus finish. Not bad but there are better Belgian ales.

Bouteille de 750 ml, âgée d’environ 1 an et demi. Arômes de fruits mûrs et de caramel brûlé. Présence de levure rappelant le pain frais. Magnifique robe cuivrée et légèrement trouble, très belle mousse qui tient bien et effervescence active. En bouche, on ne retrouve pas la touche de sucre candi des exemples traditionnels, mais plutôt une belle présence de céréales caramélisées et de fruits confis. Très légère présence de madérisation. Finale donnant une belle impression de sécheresse, accentuée par l’effervescence très active. L’alcool est apparent en finale, mais demeure bien intégré au profil des saveurs.

Bottle. Pours a hazy caramel brown, with a medium off-white head. Aroma of yeast and brown sugar. Fairly complex flavor - sweet and malty, with flavors of raisin and spice. Nice yeast character. A little bit of hops on the finish, although the aftertaste is odd in some sips. Pretty solid, though.

Bottle @ home with Jetson. Batch 24. Pretty clear, copper orange appearance with a fluffy, tan head. Carbonated, spicy Belgian yeasty, toasty caramel malty, mild brown sugar aroma. Fairly rich candy sugar, brown sugar, toasty caramel malty, mild toffee, slightly fruity flavor. Really more like a Belgian Strong Ale. Easy to drink but not what I would usually consider a Quadrupel.