Swinging Harry Tropical Quad - Mikkeller ApS

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.21/5  rDev +1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Shared a bottle of this with JLindros at his last whale tasting. Picked up at Hunger Mountain Co-op in VT. Reviewed from notes.

A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a slightly hazy deep brownish chestnut hue with a one finger mocha head that just doesnt really go away. Leaves absurdly thick side lacing. Never before have I seen lacing like this. The glass is awash with it. Absolutely incredible.

S - Lots of cognac, sweet malts, light belgian notes, faint papaya, no mango though.

T - Hot cognac, barrel wood, sweet malts, molasses. Those are all strong and potent, after though citra hops try to come through along with dried fruits (papaya and mango) which linger heavily. No brett though....yet! Overpowered by alcohol heat.

M - Mouthfeel is not too hot surprisingly. 11%+ is pretty crazy. Drinks awesome for an 11.4% ABV beer, mild cognac heat, good carbonation.

O - Overall this was an absolutely delicious beer. Wanted to try this one since I first saw the label. Glad I have two more bottles.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2013 01:19:48 | More by rudzud

Gobzilla

California

4.1/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: poured a dark brown in color with burgundy highlights and a finger of brown head that left a little lacing sticking to the glass.

S: very tropical fruity aroma upfront with citrus orange notes, not really too much bretty funk to speak of but did have the grand marnier liquer barrel character, the booze was really coming through with brown sugar, toffee, and molasses sweetness.

T: sweetness consisting of brown sugar, molasses, toffee with a touch of vanilla was more apparent on the palate alongside papaya mango fruit accents, good grand marmier barrel character which added some good cognac dimension but was quite boozy and slight pear notes. The bretty funk was really muted in the flavor as well.

M: the brew was medium to full in body with a good amount of carbonation which had a sweet, booozy, tropical fruity, marnier barrel, citrusy and silky finish.

O: very good beer all around except it was a little too boozy for my liking. maybe a little time might do some justice to it.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 20:17:08 | More by Gobzilla

aasher

Indiana

4.65/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

This is a must try based on the description on the label alone.

This beer pours a really soft and full bodied dark hazelnut brown in color with a very creamy, two finger light beige head. It looks fantastic. The nose has to be the most complex nose imaginable for a quad. It features candied sugar, raisins, Belgian yeast, figs, orange peel, cognac, mango, papaya, kiwi, and plum. The flavors are complex as well. There is plent of bready dark malts with the nice fruity mix of papaya, mango, orange peel, kiwi, and slight cherries. Again, the Grand Marnier complements everything very nicely. It drinks exceptionally smooth and has great flavor throughout. For being 11.4% you'd never know it. Overall this was an outstanding beer. I wasn't expecting this to be such a well polished final product so am very happy that the description could match the drinking experience. This is a must try if you have the opportunity. Great collaboration.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 04:41:01 | More by aasher

macrosmatic

Florida

4.2/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes. Poured from bomber into CCB snifter.

A: A rich brown in color, almost mahogany. A thin tan head forms, with a good amount of bubbles slowly rising to the top. Very hazy, though not quite opaque.

S: Candied fruit, molasses, brown sugar. Sweet and boozy.

T: Follows the nose – sweet maltiness, boozy, and tropical fruit, mango. But this is a weird fruitiness - while it's there it's not a bright fruity flavor. There's some apple as well, and a little yeasty esters. Finish is sweet & dry at the same time – the dryness lingers as an almost bitter sensation on the tongue.

M: Medium body, a slick mouthfeel. Boozy but not overly hot.

O: Pretty darn tasty, and it grows on me more as it warms. I'm not sure it would be worth the price, but I would drink another if it were offered.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 17:47:15 | More by macrosmatic

PeterIngemi

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Split a 750 ml poured into a duvel glass

A: pours a very nice slightly murky ruby brown with two finger of tan head, head dissapates nicley leaving a ton of sticky lacing, this is a really move lookig beer.

S: brown sugar coates rasin, oak, booze, caramel, the booze is not overwhelimg, and blend very nicley into the aroma, tropical fruit notes are evident too, very inticing nose.

T: beautiful blend of tropical fruit and quad character, loads of caramel and a bit of oak and raisin, some deffinat brown sugar notes on there as well, the oak plays a very nice role, combined with the delicious hops choices here of rounding out the sweetness... But not crushing the malt complexities or other flavors going on... Deffinatly a tropical quad.... Very nice.

M: creamy with a medium to heavy body and medium carbonation, this brew is beautful rounded and very drinkable for the abv.

O: this is a really great brew, the barrel aging is done spectacularly, again deffinatly a tropical fruit quad which IMO. Works very very well, really impressed with this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2012 02:33:06 | More by PeterIngemi

AlexFields

Tennessee

4.28/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours a reddish dark brown, cloudy and complex, big brownish head.

Smells super sweet, cognac barrel is very noticeable, lots of complex sweet fruit, sugar. Smells awesome.

Taste is pretty similar! Complex blend of very sweet flavors, lots of tropical fruit, grape and lovely cognac character, this is extremely sweet but damn tasty.

Booze is pretty noticeable, but nice creamy and very rich mouthfeel, good carbonation, really nice overall.

I love this beer!

8.8/10

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 02:11:53 | More by AlexFields

Thehuntmaster

South Africa

4.38/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle 11,4% Abv.
Served lightly chilled in an oversized wine glass.
Best Before: 18/04/2016

I had two bottles of this - one was smashed in transit and this one leaked pretty badly. I hope the beer hasn't been to badly affected by the leaking.

Appearance: Swinging Harry appears dark brown in the glass, but a back light shows it to be a deep red, with beautiful golden edges. A rough pour yields a good sized, creamy, off white head. The head lasts fairly well and leaves some patchy lace, while a swirl coats the glass in light alcohol legs.

Smell: Wow, the paw-paw and mango are immediately noted along with the Grand Marnier. I can't say I can smell the brett or the hops though. The underlying quad notes are fairly restrained to start with, but grow as the beer warms.
Notes include: Dried Paw-paw, dried mango, caramel malt, grand marnier, toasted brown bread, dark fruits (raisins, plums, figs and a little cherry) and a touch of oak. As the beer hits room temperature there is a little sweet, fruity hop character noted.

Taste: Mmmm, this is absolutely delicious - as with the nose, the paw-paw and mango are very well noted. The Grand Marnier is also present along with a hint of hop character in the finish. Other notes include: Dark fruits (figs, plums, raisins and cherries), caramel malt and toasted brown bread. There is some booze noted in flavour, but it is not unpleasant.

Mouthfeel: I think the leaking has actually improved the mouthfeel. I usually find quads over carbonated, but this one is just about perfect - medium-low level and fantastically smooth. The body is almost full and lightly sticky.

Overall: Thankfully I don't think the leaking has affected this one too badly, I just wish I could have had a full bottle!

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 09:48:31 | More by Thehuntmaster

brotherloco

California

4.38/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml capped bottle. Served in a tulip.

Pours a cloudy birch beer brown with two fingers of tan foam. Tight bubbles. Settles to creamy ring. Moderate bits of lacing left in the glass.

Aroma of tropical fruit, although more musty than bright, blends with sweet malt. Perfumy floral notes. Some funky yeast. Some dry oak barrel notes.

Flavor is very sweet at the start, blossoms through the middle with tartness on the side of the tongue, tropical fruity notes with a bit of sourness, ends with light roasted malts, some sugar, orange cognac, and mild bitterness. A bit of toasty oak/coconut that I assume comes from the barrel. Although I got some funky yeast in the nose, I'm not really getting any in the flavor, it must be subtle. Overall I can't believe this is an 11.4% beer, but I suppose the sweetness is masking that. Only a slight hint of alcohol in the finish.

Medium-full bodied with moderate and very soft carbonation. Luscious feel.

If you don't like sweet beers, you probably won't like this. However, I think it is in control and I love the blend of flavors. The label is also one of the coolest ever.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 04:44:10 | More by brotherloco

Jsenay

Texas

4.03/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served from the bottle into Duvel tulip

A - Deep brown with loads of carbonation and a heavy creamy lacing.

S - Smells of mangoes, raisins, warming alcohol, sweet dark stone fruits. Very enticing smell.

T - The alcohol comes through very strongly. Loads of flavor. Sweet fruit, thick molasses, plums.

M - Smooth with a dry fruity finish. The carbonation really helps to bring out all of the fruit flavors on this one.

O - A very nice collaboration between Mikkeller and Cigar City. One of the coolest labels I have seen as well. Reminds me of Atari's pitfall. The only thing throwing off the balance is that it's a bit high on the alcohol flavor which really drys the mouth out but, overall really nice.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2012 04:12:23 | More by Jsenay