Southampton Grand Cru - Southampton Publick House

BuckSpin

Maine

4.6/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Presentation: 750ml cagetop in a tulip glass

Poured loose, smooth, quick with some snap. Beautifully spiced nose, full of the spices mentioned in brewing (orange peel, coriander, anise seed), very much like a good Witbier or a spiced dry cider, but all overtop this deep, lush, sweet caramel & brown sugar aroma...just intoxicating. It grows deeper, darker, more toffee like with some air, even a peep of some sweet summer corn. There is even some lingering dark cherry whispering in the background. The head was a tight, snappin', lively & cracklin' 2 finger's worth of winter white foam that faded to a thin sheen of a island with the most delicate edge ring I think I've seen on a beer. Brassy, bright, crystal clear with a warm, orangish hue of 100 year old oak. A slow, delicate, lazy parade of sporadic bubbles rises thru it with no apparent hurry to get to the surface....hints of things to come.

Damn....where to begin? The spices are crisp, vibrant, all in unison and adding a nice (and necessary) air of levity, even some pepperiness, to the smooth as silk rich, caramelesque malts. The contrast is amazing and lush. Its almost pornographic in that regard. If you can imagine the best qualities of a world class Witbier combined with the silky malted smoothness of a superb Scotch Ale, all enveloped in that Belgian style yeast that really makes them unique, you are close to having an idea of what is going on here. This is fantastic and a sipper by choice and command. This is definitely NOT a beer to fit into one's schedule but rather one to schedule around. Remember those lazy bubbles? Take their que and don't be in a hurry.

The orange peel plays beautifully with the sweet malts, giving it a unmistakable barreled spirit quality as well as tasting like fine orange caramels. Its wet up front and grows to be semi-dry, with that initially lack of aridity providing a counterweight to all the spices.

With that semi-dryness on the palate comes the first hints of heat from the almost 10% ABV, which was nicely (and even sipping, dangerously hidden) in the background to that point. The warmth is not sharp, but rather a cool heat, a soft glow that builds slowly but never gets overwhelming or interferes with the nature progression of the beer. Growing more bittersweet with hops, it disappears, no, slowly fades away with a lingering echo of sweet orange chewies, hints of sharp spice and caramel.

Absolutely fantastic & applying for a mortgage in amazing. A tip of my glass to Southampton for crafting such a masterpiece. It would be interesting to pair this with a fully bloomed, creamy Bleu, but my gut says Brie or Cotswold. This would hold up well with anything sweet, spicy or sweet n' spicy, as well as wild game. Just a phenomenal beer and incredibly enjoyable. I cannot recommend this highly enough. A true classic.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2007 01:48:30 | More by BuckSpin

Atomicskis5

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -5.7%

04-11-2013 00:59:45 | More by Atomicskis5

Sne

New York

4.75/5  rDev +12%

03-30-2013 06:08:06 | More by Sne

Sparky44

Illinois

4/5  rDev -5.7%

03-24-2013 22:31:55 | More by Sparky44

thegerm87

Connecticut

2.5/5  rDev -41%

03-16-2013 03:13:30 | More by thegerm87

kwjd

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +6.1%

02-14-2013 04:02:15 | More by kwjd

t0rin0

California

4.5/5  rDev +6.1%

02-01-2013 04:59:15 | More by t0rin0

DmanGTR

New York

4/5  rDev -5.7%

01-30-2013 13:48:42 | More by DmanGTR

fmccormi

New York

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%

01-19-2013 18:23:06 | More by fmccormi

spycow

Illinois

4/5  rDev -5.7%

01-12-2013 01:12:00 | More by spycow

westcoastbeerlvr

California

2.75/5  rDev -35.1%

01-10-2013 22:32:44 | More by westcoastbeerlvr

orangesol

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -11.6%

01-09-2013 01:06:16 | More by orangesol

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

BB Sept 30, 2014.

No pop when the bottle opens, which was a bit of a surprise. Beer is cloudy golden, a bit of orange. Almost no head, just a bit of white.

Smell contains orange, Belgian yeast, coriander.

Taste is very good. Quite dry, some yeast and nice fruit flavours. Orange and pear. The spices come into the fore at the end, coriander in particular. I don't know exactly what star anise tastes like. but there is a strong spice flavour so it is probably there. The spices are strong but well-integrated. They do not dominate as I often find spices added to beer can do. Quite a dry finish.

Full bodied, low to moderate carbonation, a bit of booze. Quite smooth.

Overall, excellent. A really good BSPA.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 20:38:30 | More by jrenihan

Jacobob10

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a slightly hazy golden orange with a large frothy white head that quickly disappates into a small head that clings to the side of the glass. Great aroma filled with lemon, coriander, and pepper. Lots of spice in the flavor but not overpowering. A touch of heat from the alcohol is noticable, but is more warming than uninviting. Surprisingly drinkable for such a strong beer. By far the best beer I've had from Southampton to date. Would definitely buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 16:36:01 | More by Jacobob10

ncaudle

Virginia

4/5  rDev -5.7%

10-17-2012 19:09:54 | More by ncaudle

bozodogbreath

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%

10-15-2012 02:17:18 | More by bozodogbreath

cleonile2000

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%

10-07-2012 03:08:47 | More by cleonile2000

bluntedboywonder

New York

4.75/5  rDev +12%

08-24-2012 01:53:44 | More by bluntedboywonder

Dope

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle states 9501 9/30/14 (I assume "best by" date)

A: Pours a hazy, light golden-orange. Huge effervescent white head. Fades slowly, leaving an island of foam and decent streaks of lacing behind.

S: Lots of wet grass with oranges and coriander. Bready.

T: Loaded with grainy, yeasty bread. Orange and coriander are present throughout. A bit of cloves, anise and then some grass. Almost get some honey. A spicy, sort of sharp and estery finish.

M: Medium bodied, smooth.

O: An interesting and heavily spiced BSPA. Not as crisp and refreshing as a lot of BSPAs tend to be, this one is bigger, smoother and spicier. Nice balance of flavors and quite complex. I prefer mine on the lighter, crisper side but this is still quite good. Drinkability is oddly high despite the ABV. It's oddly smooth.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 03:02:04 | More by Dope

LambicKing

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%

07-10-2012 21:18:51 | More by LambicKing

JxExM

New York

4.75/5  rDev +12%

07-08-2012 21:35:03 | More by JxExM

drewone

California

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%

05-15-2012 04:43:14 | More by drewone

Greywulfken

New York

4.38/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: beautiful deep golden beer with a fluffy head that left lots of lace - sediment easily visible throughout the beer, which may be a bad thing for some, but it may be the style - didn't bother me none

S: sweet spices and caramel orange

T: the bottle says it and you can detect it: coriander, orange peel, star anise; plus candi sugar, some smoky cardamom (?) and hidden pine notes

M: soft, fuzzy, and delightful (I had it at just a notch under room temp)

O: super - better than the Beast (Avery brewing), IMO, these being my only two "grand cru" BSPAs - reminds me of a tripel but with more spices and less fruity flavors - has the same soft character and grace.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 23:46:58 | More by Greywulfken

UCLABrewN84

California

4.3/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to DrAwkward82 for sharing this one at jmgrub’s tasting.

Best by 9/30/14.

Pours a slightly murky honey orange with a foamy tan head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of grain, spices, Belgian yeast, and some slight citrus aromas. Taste is pretty much the same with the spices lingering on the finish. There is a mild spice bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer with a nice set of aromas and an even better taste.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 06:01:10 | More by UCLABrewN84

JRod1969

New York

3.75/5  rDev -11.6%

05-14-2012 04:50:15 | More by JRod1969