Smuttynose Gravitation (Big Beer Series) - Smuttynose Brewing Company

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Dark amber and quite cloudy. Small, but steady head. Good ring lace.

Too much of a dishwasher smell to give a fair review. But let's see if we can get past that. My I initial impression is of beer that emphasizes the malty and the Belgian yeast flavors. Strong alcohol finish.

First impression is the presence of the Belgian yeast, strong and potent. Highly carbonated, with a round, almost skim milk consistency. Very much like the traditional Belgian Pale Ale. The finish is mildly sweet with a strong alcohol presence.

Serving type: on-tap

02-04-2013 00:31:21 | More by smcolw

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Gravitation (Big Beer Series)
Smuttynose Brewing Company
Style: Quadrupel (Quad)
ABV: 12.00 %

LOOK: Clear dark brown colored brew, off white head.

SMELL: Dark fruits, Belgian ale yeast, lofty alcohol, hops.

TASTE: Raisin, fig, date notes all over the place. Malts are like a raisin ginger bread profile. Spicy alcohol, nice fruit notes, low bitterness.

FEEL: Full bodied, good level of carbonation, dark fruits in the semi dry finish.

OVERALL: The flavor of this beer is quite nice. Hits the dark fruit belgian dark flavor very nicely. A more than acceptable Quad.

Serving type: on-tap

04-22-2012 22:56:44 | More by Stinkypuss

Vonerichs

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the Oswego Taphouse.

Cloudy copper body with a respectable off-white head.

Smells heavily of raisins, dates, and toffee.

The flavor has a ton of raisin and dates. It gets a bit messy and abrasive in the middle and is boozy.

Mouthfeel is syrupy and astringent.

Overall, just ok. It's a bit rough at times.

Serving type: on-tap

01-15-2012 03:13:55 | More by Vonerichs

angelogarcia3

New York

4.88/5  rDev +34.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Smuttynose Gravitation Quadrupel is a fantastic beer with a noticeable raisin aroma. Served at Tap & Mallet of Rochester in a 8.5 oz glass had a very thin head and a deep burgundy color. On the nose the first aromas are of raisins, and molasses. At 12% ABV the first taste warns you that this is a high alcohol beer. Soon afterwards, the flavors of raisins, molasses, and a hint of honey lull you into a false sense that the alcohol is not that high. This beer in the mouth gives you a slight effervensce and syruppiness. I really love this beer!

Serving type: on-tap

11-04-2011 00:25:39 | More by angelogarcia3

drpimento

Wisconsin

3.88/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Served with a nice, tan, thick, foamy head that subsides after a bit to a ring and islands. Color is a hazy dirty copper. Aroma is malt, fruit, yeast, caramel, toffee. Flavor is massively malt/fruit sweet with a little bitterness and very little carbonic tang. Body is full, round, lush but carbonation is kinda flat. Finish is like flavor with a big alcohol warming factor.

Serving type: on-tap

10-29-2011 20:52:20 | More by drpimento

mdfb79

New York

4.1/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap tonight at Rustico in Arlington, VA at their Smuttynose Rare Beer event. Poured into a snifter. 2009 vintage.

a - Pours a deep darkreddish brown color with one inch of light tan head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of cherries, malts, bready malts, and dark fruits. Little bit tart and a little bit sour.

t - Tastes of slightly sour cherries and dark fruits, as well as light bread. Really enjoying the sour notes that have come in the taste.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation.

o - Overall a very good beer. Very tart cherry now, especially in the taste. Not sure how it is fresh, but this batch is tasting awesome. Had 2 glasses of it and would like to try it again.

Serving type: on-tap

07-28-2011 01:49:45 | More by mdfb79

Gehrig

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed on tap at the brilliant Blind Pig, on a very cold night after working a radio show.

One finger of off-white foam topped a rather cloudy reddish-amber body; moderate duration and modest lacing make this rather average, especially for a Quad. The nose is much better, rather vinous, but also with orange peel, bready malt, some dark chocolate, and dashes of ginger and pepper.

Excellent taste--full and complex without overwhelming. It's not a brash Quad, but is instead lively. Rather fruity and especially rife with grape, which adds a distinct and enjoyable sweet-and-sour dynamic. Some citrus emerges as well, with a bit of caramel and chocolate. The alcohol certainly protrudes in the second half, rendering this a bit of a sipper near the finish. Yet Gravitation is highly enjoyable, maintaining a good, steady effervescence combined with a smooth, malty texture, with more than ample flavor.

Terrific Quad, Gravitation is packed with flavor and enough complexity to impress. Well worth a go, it more than holds its own as a fine representative of the style. One of the best offerings from Smuttynose.

Serving type: on-tap

02-09-2011 07:31:51 | More by Gehrig

weeare138

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +22.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Goodnight Irene's...
Appears a hazy opaque dark russett with a small white head. Scattered bits of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of brown sugar, prunes, figs, vanilla, ripe bananas, caramel, raisins, and merlot wine.
Taste is of the aromas with flavorful punches of caramel, ripe fruit, plums, raisin bread, and a fortified wine. This one is seriously the beer equivalent of a port. Great stuff.
Mouthfeel is full bodied, sticky, juicy, sugary, and syrup like in the swallow. A bit of booze found in this one. I could only imagine what an aged sample would complex in 5, 10, even 15 years. Grandiose!

Serving type: on-tap

09-03-2010 21:14:58 | More by weeare138

glid02

Georgia

4/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Leon's Full Service in Atlanta.

Pours a slightly hazy dark brown color with a half-finger tan head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells of dark malts with good amounts of sugar-coated dark fruits - raisins, prunes, and figs. Also present are hints of toasted malts with even lighter hints of grainy cocoa powder.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Sweet dark malt flavors with hints of grainy toastiness kick things and are joined quickly by large amounts of dark fruit flavors - raisins, prunes, and figs, as in the aroma. Near the end of the sip very slight hints of chocolate flavors work their way into things before fading out into a moderately bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with grainy carbonation.

Drinkability is also good. I finished my glass without any problems and could have another.

Overall this isn't quite up there with the big boys as far as the style goes but it's a solid take. Worth a shot.

Serving type: on-tap

08-04-2010 00:24:53 | More by glid02

TommyW

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Deep purples and brown body with no head present.

S- Faint dark fruit aroma, not much else there.

T- Dark fruit and brown sugar balanced nicely with lots of medicinal flavors and yeast notes. Dry finish with a touch of lingering sweetness.

M- Medium to full body with a almost syrupy feel.

D- The appearance and nose were a little off for me, but the taste was really impressive; very well balanced and enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

07-03-2010 03:02:28 | More by TommyW

jpro

South Carolina

3.45/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On tap at dd Peckers -

Wow, this brew looks pretty nice in the glass: deep mahogany with a light tan / off-white head. Looks pretty delicious -

Aroma was not quite as full as I was expecting. Some light touches of sweet malts, raisiny, figs, sweet!

Taste was very complex, but from what I could glean: dark fruits, black cherry, raisins; finish was molasses and maybe a touch of maple syrup in the long-lasting, sweet finish.

Mouthfeel was pretty full-bodied, mouth coating and sweet (see maple syrup finish above!)

Probably not something to drink a lot of in one sitting, but definitely a nice and interesting change of pace. Very pleasing -

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2009 04:55:27 | More by jpro

mltobin

Connecticut

3.6/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served on-tap at Monster B`s in Stamford, Connecticut.

The color is a dark red and brown mix with a one finger head.
The smell is sugary, with some different spices, like cinnamon.
Taste is brown sugar, malts, raisins. Mouthfeel is rich with a lot of flavors on my palate, abv does show itself on the aftertaste, this is a sipper. This is a good beer overall, glad that I tried it.

Serving type: on-tap

05-30-2009 01:01:04 | More by mltobin

talkinghatrack

New Jersey

3.6/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On draft at Ginger Man, from notes.

a - This one arrived right after a discussion of how my group generally liked strong belgians but the really dark ones tend to lead to hangovers. And go figure - this one is pitch black! No head.

s - light raisin with some light alcohol.

t - honey, molasses, raisin. Very sweet. Some coffee bitterness.

d - ABV only hits at the end. Good masking overall but a heavy beer to session. Kinda harsh on the finish until you adjust to it.

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2009 18:45:11 | More by talkinghatrack

bonbini26

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap @ the Ginger Man 4-10-09

A: dark ruby red/brown color, a little cloudy with a small white head and intermediate lacing

S: Sweet, sugary, raisin with some belgian yeast

T: Dominated by sweet, sugary burnt raisins, with a spicy Belgian yeast at the end with other spices such as licorice and clove

M: Smooth and rich, very nicely balanced

D: Pretty easy drinking given the alcohol content, I think I actually like this one better than Dogfish Rasion D'etre

Serving type: on-tap

04-10-2009 20:24:31 | More by bonbini26

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

3.95/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Max's today.

The beer pours a dark brown color with good head retentiona and lacing. On the nose, I get quite a bit brown suggar and molasses, with a hint of vanilla and underlying spice. On the palate, this beer is pretty rich and sweet, with chocolate, cherry, vanilla and a touch of coffee. Mouthfeel is rich, long, soft and creamy. Alcohol is pretty well disguised, though you can tell it's up there a bit. However, the excessive sweetness hurt this beer's drinkability just a bit.

Still, all things considered, this is a pretty tasty beer from Smuttynose. Not bad at all.

Serving type: on-tap

03-22-2009 18:49:59 | More by johnmichaelsen

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.5/5  rDev +23.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On-tap 2/27/09 at Track 84 in Warwick, RI, served in a tulip glass.

A: The beer is a deep dark brown color, with a short off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of roasted malts, dark fruit, Belgian yeast and a touch of hops.

T: The taste is malty very nicely balanced with sweet flavors of dark fruit, brown sugar and Belgian yeast. There's a mild but complementary hops presence and a touch of smokiness. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and very smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Very tasty, goes down quite easily, not too filling, good kick, very good representation of style, this is an excellent strong and flavorful Belgian beer to drink for a whole evening and yet another great beer in the Smuttynose Big Beer Series.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2009 21:07:10 | More by TheManiacalOne

auxiliary

Rhode Island

3.83/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

appearance - Brownish color with a small head.

smell - Some caramel and alcohol smells here.

taste - Some caramel and brown sugar, followed by some bitterness.

mouthfeel - Medium-full body.

drinkability - Not bad beer, worth a try, didn't wow me in any way.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2009 03:47:18 | More by auxiliary

Jwale73

Rhode Island

3.85/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had this at Track 84. Served in a tulip ($4 pour). Appearance was similar to grape cola, with a quarter inch off-white head that dissipated into a thin, fairly consistent slick. Nose was dark fruit - fairly subdued. Taste revealed dark fruit and cocoa. Mouthfeel was medium-bodied and very effervescent, which placed it a little off-style in my opinion. This is a very flavorful quad. Perhaps lacking in some of the complexity associated with the style, but I applaud Smuttynose for the fact that they consistently put out great offerings. Well worth your time.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2009 15:45:43 | More by Jwale73

Hojaminbag

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This sucker only has a small head that disappears immediately and doesn't leave behind much (if any lacing). The body is a mahoganey hue with tints of ruby and amber in the light. At first I really didn't think I was served the correct beer because of the head, but after sampling it I knew that no mistake was made.

Smell is pretty sweet. Lots of dark fruit going on here: raisins, plum, some cherry, maybe even some grape. All backed up by a slight biscuity aroma.

Not surprisingly, this is definitely on the sweet side of quads. The dark fruit once again dominates with accents of raisin, plum and cherry. There is also a sweetness that tastes like candied sugar to me. The biscuity malt that backed up the sweetness in the smell is stronger in the flavor, which is a good thing because it helps balance out the flavor nicely. Sweet, but not a bad quad.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium to low carbonation. Nothing exceptional, but once again, not bad.

Pretty good drinkability. Overall, a decent beer that I could see being better in about 6 months.

Serving type: on-tap

02-08-2009 15:59:40 | More by Hojaminbag

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.36/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

2013. Poured in a tulip, the beer is an opaque, bright, orange-amber coloring with a thin, frothy, big bubbled, off-white head that settles into a filmy coating. Aromas of booze, toffee, and biscuit, with some rich berry and old world fruit highlights. Flavors are bold and rich, with a date and raisin sweetness that overpowers most of the spicing. Only hints of all spice sneak through, and barely. The booze overpowers all of the flavors, and deadens some of the palate. Slick and smooth in mouth, the beer comes off a bit muddled, both with flavors and feel. The aftertaste is richly sweet and slightly warming, with a smooth, mid-lingering finish. Not bad.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 21:49:39 | More by GarthDanielson

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.75/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from bottle into a snifter

Appearance – Pours a brownish amber color with a small cream colored head. The head fades relatively quickly to leave a light level of lace on the sides of the glass

Smell – The aroma of the brew is heaviest of a toasted grain and malty smell with a good dose of darker fruits of raisin, fig and plum. Along with these aromas are notes of yeast and candied sugars and a moderate amount of orange and clove, which all all are mixed with a boozy smell produce a sweet and warming aroma overall.

Taste – The taste begins with a big lightly toasted malt flavor and a good showing of lighter sweet flavors of raisin, plum and cherry along with a rather strong flavor of a sweet tangerine. As the flavor advances notes of some buttery toffee, yeast, as well as some flavors of alcohol start creeping their way into the taste profile. The yeast bring with it some flavors of spice as well as a banana flavor bringing the more characteristic Belgian character to the brew. The maltiness fades slightly more toward the end (but still overall remains rather strong) with the boozy flavor becoming more intense and taking on an almost rum like flavor.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is thick and creamy with a carbonation level that is on the slightly lower to average side. The combination of thick and creamy body as well as lower carbonation suit this big, sweet, malty and boy brew quite well.

Overall – Quite a potently sweet and big beer. Rather tasty, but nothing too exceptional.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 02:05:52 | More by Darkmagus82

Flounder57

Massachusetts

3.84/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

22 oz bottle was poured into a large Duvel snifter.

Appearance: This beer poured a one finger head that reduced to a thin layer. It is a reddish brown haze with slow moving bubbles coming up through the glass. Spotty lacing on the glass as the beer was drank.

Smell: spicy yeast, malty, bready, raisins, plums, dates, and figs. Can't wait to try it out.

Taste: Really sweet and malty. All the dark fruits above with some bready notes and spiciness.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, tingly hop bitterness, full bodied, low to medium carbonation, warm boozy alcohol, and a little chewy.

Overall: A nice American take on a quad. Very comparable to those Belgian versions and look forward to more of this in the future. Might have to get another to store for a few years.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 00:14:09 | More by Flounder57

C20Percent

Virginia

3.78/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Bottle conditioned in 2011

A: Pours a caramel color amber with a little slightly bubbly tan colored head. Beer poured creamy. Not see thru at all. Can't really tell if it's bubbly or not. Not much complexity other than the nice color. Decent appearance overall.

S: Toffee malts. Dark fruits. Slightly yeasty. Maple syrup. Really nice. Smells nice an Old Ale. Digging it.

T: Toffee, buttery. Very warm. Some breadiness. Some dark fruits -- raisins or cherries. Pretty good flavor. Again, alcohol is very warm, and that is the finish. Flavors are all up front. But, overall pretty good.

M: Heavy body. Creamy. Little bit of a bite -- cutting the mouth a bit. Medium carbonation. Just okay.

O: The alcohol is not very well managed. This is a big, warming beer. The aromas are great. The flavors are good up front, but the finish is biting. But, overall, a pretty good beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 19:33:25 | More by C20Percent

deeznuts420

Pennsylvania

1.84/5  rDev -49.5%
look: 2 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

another american quad that falls short on all levels. the appearance was very light colored for a quad. looked like a watered down barleywine brownish red with no head at all. smell was very sweet cherry like that i knew right away was gonna be cloyingly sweet with some booze. taste and mouthfeel was cloyingly sweet, cherry like alittle raisiny and thin mouthfeel. the only thing i find good about this beer was the high alcohol. sort of a weak ass troegs mad elf

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 11:15:11 | More by deeznuts420

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.86/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pulled out my Westy glass for this.

One of the lighter quads that I've seen. Light chestnut amber with good clarity. A few small particles sit at the bottom of the glass. I almost mistook them for bubbles. Thin ring of foam is all that's visible. No boasting carbonation or lacy after-effect.

Tinny Maraschino cherry, clover honey, treacle, mushroom-like umami, tea, some caramel sugar candy sweetness. Hints of plum and clove. Maybe just the slightest brush-up of cinnamon, or cinnamon apple? Not bad.

More of that thin cherry flavor paired with honey. Very reminiscent of Troegs Mad Elf and Weyerbacher Quad. Not quite as brandied as the latter. More complex than the former. Candi sugar, clove, raisin, cinnamon apple, red tea, caramel, white chocolate, and a nice dose of alcohol. Missing, for me, are the unctuous dark fruits and bready malts. Only mildly phenolic. I would describe the yeast performance as 'unplugged'; quieter, but tasteful. Provides more and more complexity as it warms. Still an oddball.

I would have expected a lot more stickiness. Not to say the beer was particularly sweet, but only a light smack of tack. Upfront, there's a prickle from the carbonation, but it smooths out in the body. Feels almost oily. Carbonation keeps working hard, a bit amplified for the style. An exciting beer, in feel. Dance-y.

This quad is very approachable. Not your standard bouquet or flavor profile, but still unmistakably Belgian in influence and complex and portly. I'd like to try this side-by-side with Weyerbacher's to see which one I like better. This one's a lot easier-going, in a good way.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 04:06:53 | More by thecheapies