Southampton Abbot 12

750 ml bottle. I thought I had missed the boat with this beer, and living so close to SPH, I have no excuse. Thankfully, a trip to Brooklyn and a visit to American Beer corrected my oversight. Pours a slightly hazy copper-brown with a thin off-white head that left very nice window pane lacing down the entire glass. Aroma is decidedly sweet with lots of caramel, sugar, and to a lesser extent yeast and raisins. The flavor is again sweet with plenty of caramel and rock candy, and to a lesser extent some raisins and dates. The alcohol at 10% was very well hidden. A well crafted interpretation of the style.

Clear orange/copper with a huge head. Fair lacing and medium retention. Aroma of Belgian yeast, dark fruit, spice, toffee and bananas. Very sweet taste; toffee and raisins, with just a slight alcohol warming. Very unique.

Bottle from trade with.john adam2002. Thanks Adam. Pours a hazy amber with a a thick, sudsy, well carbonated head. You could hear the crackling from the carbonation throughout--a little too much for my liking to tell the truth. Nose is odd for a quad--smelled more like a belgian wit--lots of coriander and spices. Flavor was sweet and spicy. I really was expecting a lot more with this brew and didn’t really deliver for me.

Pours cloudy amber/brown with a massive, foamy/rocky/bubbly tan head. Strong aroma of apple and spice, with a floral note, good bit of yeast, and a hint of tobacco. Flavor is sweeter than expected, with fruited nutty note mid-palate, and a sugary floral finish. Palate is medium, effervescent, brown sugary sweet, with some lingering floral tartness. A bit on the sweet side for my tastes, but has a nice complexity, and will probably age nicely. Too bad these SH 750’s are so pricey.

750ml corked bottle from MrBendo, thanks a million dude. Served in my St. Bernardus glass: Pours a mahogany hue with a fading head but there is some oily tears along the way. The aroma has notes of non-aromatic pipe tobacco, sweet and acidic apple, a hint of white grape, sugar smack cereal, some English toffee, red liquorice, and a underlying earthy yeast ester.

The taste starts heavily fruity and some what nutty as well. What I found interesting is the presence of a mix of wild flowers upon the finish along with some light-handed spice. A complex flavor profile that is only beginning to develop. My bottle is young and would expect a mellow and marriage to continue with age.

There is a carbonated lively character with cleans up the palate form all those heavier malt profiles. The alcohol is moderate and warming but hardly in the way. This is a good beer and a must try for all lovers of BIG Belgian styled brews. After a few disappointments from Southampton, this meets expectations.

750 ml sampled thanks to moejuck in room 102 of the Hampton DLD. I’m really excited to try this one. Pours a red prune color with a thin head. Dark fruits dominate the nose raisins, plums, red grapes, brown sugar, cookie and yeast come in as well. The flavor is similar to the aroma, slightly over carbonated with a dry fruity finish. The lively fruit with a hint of spice makes this a great beer.

Bottle. Pours a deep brown colour. Sweet caramel, malty, bit spicy and hoppy aroma. Flavour of mildly roasted malt, caramel, nuts, dark fruits, spices and alcohol. Sweet roastish and spicy finish.

Deep amber, reddish colour with a small tan head. Malty, light caramel sweet aroma with vinous notes and vague hints of hops. Malty, caramel sweet flavor with dark fruit notes and a light dry and fruity finish.