Southampton Abbot 12

25.4 oz bottle, 2006. Clear mahogany with a creamy beige haze. Nose is raisin, yeasty molasses and wood with hints of chocolate banana. A fine, tickling carb settles to a velvety smoothness. Taste is raisin and candi with porcini drying. Warming with a touch of alcohol. The best American Quad i’ve sampled but still seems a bit young.

Thanks to eaglefan538 for sharing his bottle. Pour was ruby brown with thin head and little lacing. Good grape/winelike aroma. The flavor was a caramel malty base, maybe a bit too much for the style, with some belgian candy sugar, toffee, a touch of fig/plum and some roasted nutty/chocolate notes. Wonderfully complex and quite tasty!

Big thanks to the STL crew for sharing this quad. Pours bronze / orange with a light tan dense head. The aroma has lots of brown sugar, raisins, dark fruits, rich dark Belgium malt and nice yeastiness ~ very enjoyable. Medium / thick body with lots of gentle carbonation that helps spread the flavor. The flavor starts off with figs, dates, raisins and probably some other dark fruit traits. There is also quite a bit of brown sugar and alcohol warmth. Whilst not the highest in complexity what was there melded into a delightful treat. The finish added a bit more warmth and some spice. Very nice and enjoyable quad.

[1121-20080226] 750mL (c/o blankboy, w/ him, biegaman, GregClow, HogTownHarry, jerc, mds). Boozy grains and a bit of sweet floral in the aroma. Hazy, amber brown body with quick foamy off-white bubbles. Sweet toffee flavour with a bit of spicy floral yeast. Medium-full body is smooth. Smooth and lovely.

On tap at Sly Fox in Royersford as part of their April 08 Belgian Quad Night. Pours a mahogany brown with amber notes and a small bubbly off white head that left light lacing. Aroma of toffee, nuts, brown sugar, dark fruits, light vanilla and a bunch of Belgian yeast esters (spices and fruits). Flavor of Belgian yeast esters, dark fruits, bready, nuts, toffee, some vanilla, candi sugar, nice dry finish.

The final beer on the first night of the sour tasting. Mahogany, huge head with nice lacing. Nose is big malt, yeast. A shocking departure after a day of lambics. Flavor is caramel, candi sweetness. Yeast is there but secondary to the gigantic malt. There is some hop bitterness but this is so sweet that I’m somewhat reminded of unfermented wort. I should have bought a second bottle to age.

Aroma is of rusted pennies, sweet caramel malt and fruit. No noticeable alcohol. Creamy foam, dense and lingering. Golden brown. Taste is bright fruit, raisins, some slight spiciness, touch of oxidation it seems like. Wow, this is deep, rich and complex. Lingers, cloys just a bit, but not too much. Finishes with some alcohol and sweetness.

Thanks to Goldtwins for this bottle. Pours a rusty copper color with a tall white head. It has been a while since i’ve had a corked bottle with some good carbonation, there was a moment of panic searching for the glass, but it was just a false alarm, no gusher. Palate comes through sweet, brown sugar and plum, caramel and raisin... wait, I think a plum is a raisin, aw hell. I really enjoy the sweetness, it builds off the spiciness in the finish. If you were looking for a dry and airy palate this wasn’t it. Smooth and gripping on the palate, letting the layers of flavors do their thing without interruption. Not a brainstorming session of flavors, more the pin you down and listen to what I have to say, and I’ll say, it was rather convincing.