Southampton Abbot 12

From a 750 aquired in a trade with EDA, thanks Mike! Small tight beaded tan head, retention is short lived with little lace left behind, though a thin cover hangs atop this mahogeny colored brew till the end. Nose is dense, dark and fruity with a touch of chocolate, caramel and coffee. Body is med/full, oily on the palate. Medium sweet malts, dark fruits, caramel with hints of molasses, kero and some brown sugar, light roastiness and coffee notes also. An overall spiceyness goes along for the ride to make things even more intersting. Finish is sweet and long, a real joy to experience. Been waitin for this one for awhile and well worth it!Thanks Mike! You F&%*#n rock bro!

750 bottle loving brought home in Ernest’s back pack, swaddled in dirty clothes. Beer is a very hazy very dark-ash brown with a large, mostly diminishing, white, frothy head. First impression is that it’s missing some of the oompf of it’s Quad kin, but it’s still quite nice. Aroma is malty with moderate notes of roasted grain, toasted nuts, cookie and caramel; Hoppy with a light herbal note; Yeasty with a moderate note of sticky-wet bread dough (this is a signature aroma in the SH’s brews, for me.); Miscellaneous notes include moderate alcohol, raisin/prune, a light note of cola, trace note of cinnamon. The flavor is moderately-to-heavily sweet, moderately bitter with a long, nearly hot, lightly bittersweet, lightly acidic finish. The body is medium-to-full, the texture is velvety and the carbonation is a bit less than lively. A nice souviner.

2006 bottle. Poured into a Westmalle glass. Pour is beautiful with a really dark brown color, no clarity and slightly translucent. The head is amazing, pours 1/2 inch thick than turns into a thick lacing that sits on the beer. The smell is present, that belgain sweetness. The body is lighter than the other top rated Abts. Has the beautifully simple and completely enjoyable Belgian sweetness and some oatmeal. Personally, I dont feel the alcohol.8/4/8/3/16.

Rerate: same vintage. Originally, I was a bit disappointed with this beer but as I hoped time has really improved this. I poped open the bottle at BCTC. The sweetness has died down a bit and in the flavor this grainy buckwheat flavor has emerged which is really nice.

750ml. bottle 2006. thanks to Mullman I believe. Cloudy, light brown color with a small beige head. Aroma of fresh baked bread, dark dried fruits and some spice. Flavor was moderately sweet on first sip, with fresh pumpernickel bread, raisins, pepper and caramel. Dries a bit on the finish with a strong alcohol presence. Not as complex as the better Belgian quads, but hey, what is. Then again, who knows how good this beer will get with some time under it’s belt.

2006 bottle. Cloudy brown, with a tan head. Aromas are dark fruit, spices, malt, and a bit of wood. Flavors are spices, malt, dark fruit, wood, brown sugar, and alcohol. Dryer than expected.

Sampled at the JimMack ’06 Invitational. 2006 750ml from the pub. cloudy chesnut color, tan foamy head. aroma is bready malt, raisin, a little woody too. flavor is heavy bready malt, some spice and alchol like a single malt whiskey. more of the heat in the aftertaste. one to hold onto if you can!

750 ml newer 2006 bottle sampled at Jimmacks place. Huge thanks to Mullman for bringing this over- I have been wanted to try this for a while now. Pours a medium brown with a thin lasting off white head and some lace. Aroma is spicy, lgihtly phenolic, with some herbal hops and fruity esters. Herbal hops combine well with teh caramel and toasted malts making it very similar in taste to a westy or rochefort, except overall- the alcohol is still apparent in the SH. A bit hot in the end, and not quite as smooth as it could be, but I really think that this beer will age very well. Id like to give this one at least 1 year before I try it again.

2006 vintage sample at about a year and a half old. Deep brown beer with a thick creamy tan head. Lovely sweet aroma of toast, dried fruit, plums and light orange peel as well. A hint of ginger, heavy clove, anise, and sweet brown sugar. Lightly rummy with a hint of molasses. Lots of spicy yeast and a great bready maltiness. Sweet, but it has dried out significantly in the last year, greatly improving the beer. There is a lightly peppery character and a lovely minty finish on the back. As it warms, the breadiness kicks in adding a silky smooth body on top of the great layers of fruit and spice. Great balance and very tasty.

2006 vintage sampled at the brewpub. Dark brown/orange beer with a thick yellow head. Aroma of dark malt, rye bread, toast, molasses, dark buckwheat honey and a light floral character lingering throughout the whole sweet mass. Flavour is quite sweet and complex, but not terribly harmonious. Sweet toast, strong molasses and brown sugar notes that seem to clash more than these types of flavours should. A bit of burnt sugar. Alcohol is well hidden but it will take awhile for all of this stuff to blend together and balance. I’ll have to try this in a year or two. As it warms some more balance appears in the malts. It is definitely sweet enough and lacks the hotness that I’ve found in a lot of SPH big brews, bit it still need some time to become great. 8 4 6 3 14