Karl Strauss Two Tortugas

Brewed by Karl Strauss Brewing Company
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
San Diego, California USA

Serve in Trappist glass

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Red-amber with a tan head. Aroma is cherries, dark fruit, toffee and alcohol. Flavor is raisins, cherries, toffee, alcohol, bread and brown sugar. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

A - Cloudy dark red-brown with a finger of frothy tan-khaki head. Fades fairly quickly. S - Dark caramel malts, date, plum, and other dark fruits, Belgian yeast, clove, spices, candi sugar, brown sugar, hint of vanilla, and some booze. T - Sweet dark caramel malts, date, raisin, plum, and other dark fruits, Belgian yeast, clove and other spices, candi and residual sugars, some booze. M - Full bodied, moderate carbonation. Smooth with a sweet and warming finish. D - Excellent Quad. Really nice balance and smoothness.

(22oz bomber thanks to bu11zeye) clear rich copper, fine tan bubbles. Nose of rich raisin, caramel, brown sugar. Taste of raisin, toasty, alcohol, medium thick body and an alcoholic linger.

3rd April 2012
Hazy deep amber beer. Tidy pale tan head - bubbly. Semi dry palate. Rich caramel and dried fruits. Mild aniseed alcohol. Mild banana and bubblegum esters. Semi dry finish that is mildly warming. Not bad.

On tap @ Hamilton’s Tavern during SD Beer Week: Poured into a proper trappist glass as a glowing amber hue with a shade of brown tinting. Created some development of foam on top but quickly thinned out leaving the liquid naked. The aroma is initially fruity with a funky strain of yeast that comes alive as being an authentic Belgian strain while a heavy presence of alcohol is easily found with the nose. The drink is sweet and displays the taste of fruity yeast that was so in the aroma except the fruit becomes more apparent and suggests such natural fruits as banana, dark rich plum, and the taste of a strawberry smoothie that included both the top green stem part and berry. Palate is refined with steady carbonation levels while an aftertaste of sugary malts and candy sugar end this beer on a good note as a good quad.

From the 12/2012 3R6P tasting. +++ Sampled from a 22 oz brown bottle this beer poured a bright caramel-orange color with a small foamy tan head that left a bit of lacing. The aroma was sour caramel, nut, booziness, pepper and faint vague fruits. The flavor was tangy sour caramel, pepper, apple, nut, pear and more booziness. Long pepper, caramel and fruit finish. Moderately full bodied but the booziness distracted. Interesting.

Bomber purchased a year ago at BevMo in Carmel Mountain ($8.99). Pours into tulip a murky reddish amber color with one finger of beige foam that very soon reduces into nothingness. Aroma of sticky figs and prunes, buttered caramel, coconut, and brown sugar. Flavor of rich toffee, dark sticky fruit, nutty bready malts, dark honey, molasses, vanilla, and some spice. Finishes moderately sweet and with a slightly boozy finish (though the high ABV is generally well concealed). Pretty good quad. Will be interested to see how the other bottle I have ages. (34, 752)

Draught at City Beer. Nose of caramel, some spice, plums, fig, cherry. Dark brown. Sweet flavor, honey, molasses, lots of dried fruit. Boozy but smooth. Decent.

Bottle from Total Wine, Sacramento. Pours dark amber with no head and a sweet fruity aroma. There is a hearty sweet dark malt flavor with some plum and a warm alcohol trail.

Shared with Strkyzone on Facebook Chat. The 22 oz bomber poured a dark copper with a tan head. Nose is malty, with dark fruit - raisins, plums, banana, candy,and some cloves. Full body and a very smooth mouthfeel. The high alcohol is very well hidden but still sneaks up on you. The flavor is of dark ripe fruit. Warm, sweet, and alcoholic finish. A very delicious brew that stays consistent from first to last drop and keeps surprising you with new subtle flavors.