Southampton Abbot 12 - Southampton Publick House

brentk56

North Carolina

2.9/5  rDev -27%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Purchased at the brewpub, but surprised to note that it was contact bottled by Sly Fox - also a lot more expensive than at retail shops :-(

Appearance: Pours a dark amber color with a head that pancakes the liquid and leaves an interesting lace pattern

Smell: Very sweet, almost perfumy, with alcohol coming through; candi sugar, powdered cocoa and a hint of acetone

Taste: Opens with loads of sweetness, that becomes cloying by mid-palate; almost like brown sugar mixed with alcohol; the sweetness persists after the swallow, although there is a vague hoppiness that tries to intercede

Mouthfeel: Medium body, with very prickly carbonation; a cocoa powder mouthfeel, with lots of warmth as well

Drinkability: Pretty disappointing overall; not sure what happened with this batch but some quality control needs to be considered before releasing it; a real shame coming from an otherwise great brewery

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2008 23:53:00 | More by brentk56

brewandbbq

New Hampshire

4.08/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours clear amber with copper hues. A half inch head of white quickly dissolved leaving behind a few dots of lacework and a ring around a placid surface.

Aromatics lead off with raisins, sweet toffee, juicy malt, grape jam, and caramel.
Hints of orange marmalade, dark rum, and vanilla follow through.

Medium bodied and quite sticky. A bit syrupy due to low carbonation.

Sweet malt and candi sugar lead off the pallet along with rum-soaked raisins, sugared caramel, and brown sugar. Some mild alcohol follows through on the throat.

Finishes with faint orangy notes, juicy malt, and more raisins.

This beer has a great nose, but the carbonation is way low for the style and the pallet is overly sweet.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2008 01:10:13 | More by brewandbbq

dsa7783

New Jersey

3.55/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

750 ML bottle purchased caged and corked for $8.95 from New Beer Distributors on Chrystie Street in Manhattan...
Impressive appearance - pours a dark burgundy, light-brown, purple hue with a gigantic foamy head that exhibited enormous staying power...
Sweet, date, prune, and thick malty aroma - very sweet with hints of figs, and dark candied sugars...
Taste strongly complemented the aroma, laden with dehydrated dark, fruits, figs, prunes, rich malts, dates, currants, raisins, caramel and vanilla nuances... The only thing detracting from the flavor was the undeniable presence of alcohol on the tongue and the super-sweet taste that was borderline cloying...
Thick, creamy mouthfeel, however drinkability took a hit due to the overbearing sweetness and powerful alcohol...
Definitely a solid American sample of a Quad, but when compared to some European versions, nothing above and beyond...

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2008 22:48:16 | More by dsa7783

NEhophead

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

1 pt 9.4 fl oz brown bottle; caged & corked.
Served in an oversized wine glass.

Rustic tea in color with notes of auburn and light maple. Carbonation-filled white head that casts a bit of foam as a result of the extremely active carbonation. Surprisingly impressive retention that barely budges.

Semi-sweet candied sugar, that is kept in check by a nutty, dry oak. Pleasant farmhouse mustiness with hints of corriander. Orange peel in a light bourbon whaft of alcohol.

Complex, flavorful sweetness up front: vanilla-laced Belgian candied-sugar amidst a range of raisin, plum, cherry, red apple. Light hints of mellow citrus: orange peel and rounded melon. Rum and curacao alcohol presence that blends very well with the vinous fruit and soft citrus flavor profile. Tough to knock a thing in terms of flavor.

Almost full bodied; smooth and lightly carbonated. Again, the mild carbonation is a bit of a pleasant surprise for the style.

One of the more drinkable Quadrupel's I've ever had; on account of the tamed alcohol character, reserved carbonation, and complex yet balanced flavor profile. Congrats to Southampton, this one's a success.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2008 22:55:05 | More by NEhophead

Beauregard

Maryland

2.33/5  rDev -41.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Poured a dark copper color with a nice white head. No carbonation problems here, but this bottle was consumed relatively fresh after purchasing from a reputable store. Strong aromas of caramel sugar, fruit, spicy yeast, alcohol, and perhaps a bit of finishing hops are present. The flavor is initially very sweet with an almost saccharine, diet cola taste. An alcoholic, slightly bitter, and strangely meaty/band-aid aftertaste is present.

Overall, a very strange brew, and definitely not a good representation of the style. The label indicates that it was brewed in Royersford, PA, which would mean that it's Sly Fox contract brewed, so I'm not sure how this compares to the original. However, SF did do a good job on the Brewer's Art bottles, so I'm not sure what went wrong here.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2008 01:13:54 | More by Beauregard

irishkyle21

Ontario (Canada)

4.22/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had to pour this one with a bit of vigour to create any head. What is there does not last, very little lacing and a dark ruby color.

Smells of sweet malts (almost sugar like sweet), fruits (raisins and other dark fruits). A yeasty spiciness is also noticeable.

Tastes rather sweet but nice, becomes fruitier after a few gulps and warming thanks to the 10.5% tag.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2008 05:26:34 | More by irishkyle21

Kraken

Maryland

3.65/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Split bottle with my brother. Poured from corked and caged 750ml bottle, into fin du monde chalice. Three finger off white/tan head slight lacing at best. This quad poured a slightly light root-beer color, and was most likely too cold. Bouquet of raisins, dates, slight caramel and booze. Taste almost echoes smell. Raisins and dates are very prominent, followed by caramels, booze and a syrupy sweetness that verged on overpowering. Booze and sweetness become more and more of defining characteristic with warming. Somewhat dry and sticky finish due to high abv. This would benefit from cellaring. Mildly drinkable atm.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2008 00:23:50 | More by Kraken

brdc

Wisconsin

2.83/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

Thanks pugman for this one.

Large corked and caged bottle, pured into a goblet. Deep red, but incredibly clear for the style, it is topped by a creamy, dense off-white head, with good retention and lacing.
The aroma is delicate, but pleasant, if not complex, mostly with dark fruits and a hint of yeast.
Full bodied, it is incredibly sweet and unidimensional; it is candy sweetness, then candy sweetness, and more sugar.
I like a lot of sweet and semi-sweet beers, but this one is excessively sweet. Extremely limited drinkability, and even with dessert it felt too sweet.
My first deception with southampton, which is otherwise an amazing brewery.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2008 00:42:55 | More by brdc

GClarkage

California

3.15/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

05/01/08- Received via trade with ex-member Jetsbeer.

Presentation- 2006 Vintage as stated on the cork. Caged and corked and poured into my Rochefort chalice.

Appearance- Very cola like in appearance. Deep brown with a 1/2 inch head that evaporates like magic (or cola) before your very eyes. Leaves a flat and placid liquid in front of you. Negative lace if that is possible.

Smell- Smell is fine. Bready and mild caramel booze soaked malts. Dark and fruity with some plums and date notes.

Taste- Headed downhill. Caught if just as it's on it's last legs. Good initial flavor of dark fruits and light fusel alcohol with a bready feel, but seems to finish a touch sour and taste quickly fades.

Mouthfeel- Very low carbonation level, almost flat. Leaves no real aftertaste.

Drinkability- We drain poured this as we had a couple other beers we felt would better treat our palette. I'm sure this beer is good if not great when fresh. Not sure why two years of age would have harmed this beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2008 23:54:17 | More by GClarkage

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear brown with a minimal tan head.

Nose is yeasty and bready. Perfume is there as well.

Flavor is sweet and it seems a bit too much so. Too much sugar in the mix that interferes with any other complexities making an appearance. Sure there is a touch of spice, but the level of sweetness is just dominating here and halting anything else from coming forward.

Feel is decent with a fairly full carbonation and the liquid is alright too.

Overall this was not as good as I would want it to be. Perhaps it needs about 3 years of aging to help it calm down a bit, but I won't be going back for another bottle to see if that's the case. I am grateful that I didn't have to pay for this bottle. A disappointment.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2008 05:20:38 | More by RblWthACoz

lenin

New York

3.38/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

See weare138's review. I believe I'm also drinking a Sly Fox contract bottle that I've had in my cellar for a while. A somewhat unpleasant drink, cloyingly sweet. Figs, raisins, sugar. Not the sort of skilled brew I used to enjoy from Southampton. Not worth the calories.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2008 21:42:22 | More by lenin

dickieb

Rhode Island

4.18/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a dark orange brown in color with a big fizzy white head. The head works down slowly and leaves good lacing. The smell is sweet with plums raisins and some other dark fruits. Some candied sugar is rather apparent. The flavor is big and belgian with some almost overly sweet malts, raisins Belgian spices and yeast. The alcohol is apparent but not overly so. The mouthfell is thick and sticky, and this was an easy bomber to finish on my own. A good quad, the best I can remember that dosent come from Belgium.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2008 01:30:26 | More by dickieb

ejquin

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Nice adrk brown with really thick head. Head actually continues to grow as beer sits, eventually settling and leaving a nice lacing.

S: Lots of brown sugar and phenols with some acaramel and vanilla. Lot of clove as well with hints of banana. Slight alcohol perception.

T/M: This was all brown sugar sweentness with hints of clove, fades to a sharp bite with some spice and chewiness before finishing with some alcohol burn.

D: Good.

Ovr: Very nice quad. Lots of sugary sweentess balanced with some banana and clove.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2008 03:07:25 | More by ejquin

DrJay

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Corked and caged 750mL, Sly Fox bottling.
Beautiful clear burnt orange colour topped by a thick, fluffy cap of beige foam. Chunky lacing that just won't go away, great head retention. Bready, yeasty nose with banana and brown sugar notes, raisin and plum. Lots of sugary sweetness, mild raisin and dried fruit, with just a bit of bready malt and banana. Toasted marshmallow, caramelized sugar. A bit peppery towards the end with a pleasant warmth in the finish. Medium to full bodied with a decent texture overall. Lots of carbonation and a bit sticky. Pretty good with some really nice character, but seems like it would benefit from slightly higher attenuation.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2008 01:46:32 | More by DrJay

BeerLover729

New York

3.53/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Beautiful dark reddish brown brew with huge frothy head that crackles and pops till it settles down staying huge but becoming a soft rocky cap.

S: Smells of caramel and cloves with a dry lemony astringent finish (this seems to be apparent in many Southampton beers).

T: Sweet over ripened fruit; banana, raspberry; dominate the flavor profile. There is a lot of sugar left over in this beer.

M: Medium body with syrupy characteristics although it is not necessarily thick. Soft foamy carbonation that persists but stands no chance against the sweet flavor.

D: Too sweet for me to drink quickly. Perhaps if paired with the right food, maybe a cheese, this beer would go down easier but by itself on a Monday evening it becomes an event.

Notes: The strange lemon astringent aroma I smelled that I noted seems to be found in a lot of Southampton's beers. It could be due to a common yeast used in many of there beers. Anyone have any thoughts? Overall this is a good beer from a great brewery. However, I am not really into beers that could be put in the dessert category unless they are drank in the right context. I think I would like it better if it were more highly attenuated. I'd give it more than just one more try though.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2008 23:14:22 | More by BeerLover729

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.4/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

First off I love the cork and caged bottles I'm glad Phil and Brian are working together to get these beers out my way. Bottle of this brew was split with fellow BAs jasonm and jcdiflorio awhile back up at Bocktown. High ceilings beware as we uncaged this bottle the cork literally shot at least 15 feet into the air, I'm glad we missed the lights. That would have been an expensive quad. Appears a dark deep semi clouded mahogany with large fine bubbled head formed thick, it dwindles slowly and settles with a chunky texture with fine Belgian lacing gracing the sides of our chalices. Aromatics contain tart pungent fruit notes of vinous origin with raisin, plum, and sweet tart berry jam notes flowing with ease. All complemented by a touch of brash anise and decadent vanilla icing notes as well. Flavor is dessert sweet in the forefront of the palate with a flowing barrage honey and Belgian candi sugar. Balanced by tart trickling plum and a mild glaze of alcohol just searing the palate. Complex with multiple dimensions not sticky sweet with spice additions of clove and peppery notes coming out from the yeast utilized here. Mouthfeel is succulent with effervescent slightly prickly carbonation as it settles after the big pour a creamy effect takes over as it warms up a bit leaving just a touch of residual sugars bringing out some stickiness. Drinkability drink some more now but has so much promise to become amazing with some sleep in the cellar. A great complex quadrupel worthy of the hype and accolades Southampton is known for. Much better than some of the upstate NY bottled offerings we see in the Burgh.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2008 15:48:16 | More by WVbeergeek

RonfromJersey

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Dark red with hints of orange body. Much carbonation. Topped by a dense two fingers of just-off-white foam. Good lacing.

Aroma is rich with ripe dark fruits, particularly plum. Hints of nuts. Bits of bread and candy.

Taste begins with a moment of candy sweetness. Followed by a burst of spice and yeast. Fruit abounds. Pleasant warming alcohol.

Lively but smooth and full mouthfeel. Surprisingly easy drinkability.

If you like big belgians, put this on your shopping list.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2008 04:51:13 | More by RonfromJersey

adamdotson

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

wow. Thanks to Spence at Southampton for this treat. This was bottled at Southampton so it's probably a bit different thn most folks are tasting these days. We tasted this after it had been aging for about 20 months. The context was in a blind quad tasting featuring this beer, westy 12, rochefort 10, & St. Bernardus 60th Anniversary. The blind winner...Southampton. With Westvleteren coming in at second. Hard to believe?
At first glance there was nothing particularly special about it. Moderate head retention. Moderate clarity. Copperish brown with beige head that disapated fairly quickly.
My nose however felt differently. Beautifully rich, sweet maltiness, balanced by heavy apple esters. Complex array of smells including caramel, bananas, and pears, and general fruityness. Not as bready as some other quads i've enjoyed. Very distinctive, but subtle smoke aroma, which drew my nose deeper into the Westmalle glass I was sampling from.
Flava was mighty complex. Wow. This has some of the heaviest apple esters I've tasted in this style. Apple cinnamon oatmeal comes to mind. Some pears coming through again in the flavor. Balanced lingering finish, with alcohol well hidden. This beer is dangerously drinkable. Glad to say we have two more bottles of this aging!

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2007 19:14:34 | More by adamdotson

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is the Sly Fox contract bottling...
Appears a crimson toned red with a small, off-white head that quickly fizzles away into nothing. There were no traces of lacing around the glass.
Smell is of sweet brown sugar, cola, with notes of raisins, and plums.
Taste is of the same aromas with a bit of an overbearing sweetness, vanilla, a touch of cocoa, and molasses.
Mouthfeel is medium-full bodied with a sweetness that reminds me a bit of the Sly Fox's corked and caged Ichor. It even has the same lack of CO2 like the Ichor. What's the deal with that? Is it just a Quad problem?

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2007 21:22:04 | More by weeare138

BlindPig

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Really thick light tan/off white head on a crystal clear deep ruby body.
S- Light toffee, clove, grassy hops, sweet caramel, breads, yeast, chocolate, and dark fruits.
T- Clove, pepper, hint of banana. dark fruits, grass hops, chocolate, alcohol that just tickles the tongue, breads, and some other kind of "brighter" spice that I can't pinpoint all blended together nicley to make a nice complex flavor. Alcohol is a little hot at end with clove, toffee, and a pretty big bitterness left behind for the aftertaste.
M- Medium body with high carbonation.
D- This is a good quad. It reminds me most of the St. Bernys 12. A little hot but still a very nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2007 21:40:53 | More by BlindPig

Wasatch

Utah

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks goes out to NutBrown for this brew.

750ml
Caged/Corked

Poured into a chalice a nice ruby red color, nice carbonation, huge two-finger creamy tan head, lots and lots of nice sticky lacing follows. The nose is malty, yeasty, kinda sweet, good touch of figs, raisins, plums, and some caramel. The taste is sweet up front then the yeast hit next, with malts, and the dark fruits. The alcohol is alittle present, this is a complex brew. Full body. Very drinkable, highly recommended, another great brew from Southampton.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2007 00:33:53 | More by Wasatch

RedHaze

Nebraska

3.2/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

750ml bottle, courtesy of fugazme.

Pours a dark and hazy rusty brown with a dense two finger head that fades very slowly to a quarter inch cap that never fades. The foam leaves behind a thick sheeting of lace.

Smell; mildly chalky yeast up front, then a bunch of dark fruits come through with raisins, dates and figs. Some sweetness and alcohol are present in the aroma as well.

Taste; as with the aroma, a chalky yeastiness comes through initially and I actually had a bit of a hard time picking out any other flavors until it started to warm up. Once it did though, raisins, dates and surprisingly a little orange. Molasses and toffee give this a fairly strong sweetness that's almost a little to much for me, but the alcohol is never noticeable aside from the warming sensation that it gives.

Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with a high level of carbonation that comes of as little biting, and due to that and the sweetness the drinkability is only ok for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2007 01:56:15 | More by RedHaze

jjayjaye

New York

4.03/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear dark amber color with mahogany hues and a gynormous ice cream float-like light tan head. Visibly effervescent, leaving impressive lacing patterns in its wake. The initial uncorked smell came across a little sour to me, not sure what that was about, but that soon subsided. The aroma is primarily an earthy Belgian yeast, vanilla and dark fruits. Not sure, but I imagine that vanilla characteristic is part of the 10.5% ABV; nicely done. Those bountiful tiny bubbles really lend a creaminess to the mouth feel. Full flavored and bubbly, the sweet dark fig fruit taste is complemented by a tangy almond kick. This one is coming across like one my favorite Belgian Strong Dark Ales instead of a Quad. I'm having a REALLY HARD TIME spanking it for being 'beyond' style. The last quad that i had was in your face alcohol...i hope that when i get to Westvleteren 12 that it presents me with a happy medium or I'll really be bumbed. This is on my Favorties list...regardless of how I scored it.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2007 00:18:56 | More by jjayjaye

gpcollen1

Connecticut

4.3/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark autumn brown into my St Bernardus glass. Head rises mightily on each our, slowly settling over time. Aromas are rich and dark, with lots of sweetness and dark roasted malts on the nose. Taste follows this quite a bit. Very sweet on the tongue and on the palate afterwards. Tastes of half dried raisins and thick warmed molasses. The carbonation on this one is crisp on the tongue but not too much overall. A very thick and creamy brew.

Not what I remember this being like at all for some reason. This one is very sweet, yet somehow I like it. It appears to lever against the alcohol b/c that is masked to an extent. Interested to see what will happen to this over time...

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2007 01:50:50 | More by gpcollen1

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Sampled from a bottle contract brewed at Sly Fox. This one's a little odd/off. It tastes a good deal like wort straight from a lauer tun. There is a nice spicy hops note that finishes the beer, but the flavor, while not unpleasant, isn't very quad-like. Considering the high-cost on this beer, I'd say avoid.

UPDATE: Had this again and it's much better. Big, big juicy prun and raisins with complimenting cocoa and caramel. Like an authentic quad, but a little richer.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2007 15:05:16 | More by tempest