La Succursale Abt

Brewed by La Succursale
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Montreal, Canada

Serve in Trappist glass

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In short: A highly drinkable uber-clean fruity Abt
How: Tap at brewpub
The look: Clear burgundy topped by a small persistent beige head
In long: Nose is rather timid for a 9% brew (abt or not) with a slice of raisin pie, baked fruits, candies. Taste is relatively smooth, a fresh slice of raisin pie, juicy caramel, fresh red berries, apples, wooden hops. Alcohol is well hidden. This is not a big fat nourishing Abt like the classic trappist/abbey examples, this beer is very clean, not yeasty at all, very crisp for an Abt. But it is also very easy to drink and dare I say “refreshing” even if it is a 9% beer. It appears that I like this beer more than most people here, but I don’t let other people’s opinions influence me, I even wrote a book about that: "Learning to appreciate beer without external influences". People are in total agreement with me. Not a single copy sold.

Sampled at Winter Warmer 2012. Brown-orange beer with a thin beige head. Aroma is fruit cake, molasses, brown sugar and malt. Flavor is very malty with spice cake, brown sugar, melanoidin malt, raisins and a clean finish. Full body. Not as heavy as most ABT but a great beer nonetheless.

**Critique distortionnée par les abus du réveillon: Bien balancé, l’équilibre entre les fruits et la finale est bien ficelé, agréable.

En fut @ La Succursale. Nez de levure (banane) et de malt roti. Bouche: malt, encore un peu de banane, finale amere avec une chaleur due a l’alcool. Plutot bien.

On tap at the brewpub. Beautiful dark mahogany pour with an off-white head. Aroma is quite fruity, lots of cherries and plums up front, with a nice roastiness to balance it all, very authentic so far. Taste is rich and sweet, nice malty notes that reminisce both rich caramel and toffee as well as plums and cherries. The taste finishes on a somewhat boozy note that is a bit of a letdown. Palate is rich and creamy, not quite as carbonated as I am used to for this style. Still a fine winter beer.

My Bottom Line :
Prunes, cherries and dates are supported by chocolate undertones in this classy, silky Quadrupel.

Further Personal Perceptions :
-A sheet of foam protects the purplish dark brown.
-There isn’t much alcohol showing, which is nice.
-All flavors are well aligned and brightly displayed.
-Mouthfeel could be a bit leaner and more carbonated.

Bottle.

A reddish copper ale with a thin mocha head. In aroma, a sweet burned caramel with dark fruits, treacle, smooth. In mouth, a smooth caramel malt, treacle, dark fruits, light molasses, herbaceous Belgian hops, sustained bitterness, alcohol warmth, grassy final.

Dégustée en fût sur place. De couleur ambrée-brune et voilée. Nez de levures fruitées (prunes rouges, notes de cerises et de raisins) et aux petites notes épicées, moyen de caramel avec des notes de sucre brun ainsi que des traces d’alcool et de houblon herbeux. Moyenne-ronde en bouche avec un pétillement moyen ainsi qu’une texture légèrement sirupeuse. Goût de levures fruitées (prunes, léger de cerises, traces de raisins) aux notes épicées lors de l’entrée en bouche auquel se rajoute un goût malté de sucre brun, moyen de pain et de caramel puis en finale l’on retrouve un léger goût d’alcool avec une légère amertume de houblon herbeux. Post-goût moyen, légèrement amer dalcool doux avec un goût de levures fruitées (pelures de prunes) et des notes de houblon herbeux. (2 janvier 2013 )

Dark ruby-mahogany color, with a small beige head, with a light yeasty, fruity, plummy, dried raisin, chocolatey nose, with some faint chocolate chip cookie dough, date notes, with a mild toasted, caramel, chocolate, bread malty, cocoa powder accent in the aroma follows through on a medium-bodied palate with a mild warmth, yeasty, fruity, chocolatey character, with some dried raisin, date, plum, chocolate, roasted, toasted malty flavours, with a raisin pie, faint brown sugar, toffee undertone, leading towards a warming, light juicy plummy, fruity, dried date, fig, raisin sweetness, dark chocolatey finish.

A lacey beige foam covers the hazy brown with burgundy reflections. Surprisingly, traces of foam pursue the glass sides with every sip. Upon smelling, we’re greeted by an undeniably fruity ester profile from authentic Trappist yeastiness. Where chocolate truffle undertones from the gently roasted cereals evolve into tobacco leanings in the nose, richer cakey notions almost dominate the palate. Coating sweetness comprise both a datey, grapey fruity side and a molasses, biscuity counterpart. Medium to full bodied, its carbonation is less agressive than many similar examples, and this diminishes the attenuation feeling, while the powdery cocoa undertones amplify it, though not in the same proportions. in the finish, mild herbal hops come to dominate the nutty malt leanings that confirmed proper aging, albeit the bitterness aptly remains very limited. A fair example in that its yeast and malt driven, but without the incredibly silky texture of top examples, nor the undescribable complexity. Still, it’s an honest ABT, if a little biscuity, and one where the alcohol remains subtle and expertly concealed.