Southampton Abbot 12 - Southampton Publick House

msubulldog25

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Saturday 2/14, opened this bottle with my valentine at our favorite getaway place on the Oregon Coast. 750 ml brown bottle, caged and corked; split to a couple small tasting glasses and paired with a few aged cheeses and cured meats.

This bottle was cellared for 18-24 months (something the label recommends); thanks to the nice East Coast BA who sent this a long time ago.

A: Notably clear and bright orange, reminiscent of copper or hazelnut shell. Fizzy light tan head, lots of rising carbonation. A finger-worth of foam quickly disappears, settling to almost nothing - no lace either.

S: Very sweet, malty grain steeped in sugar; almost wort-like. Plenty of juicy fruit, syrupy raisins with a slight spice. A little tea-like.

T: Sweetness upfront, sugar-laden ripe fruit. Cinnamon apples, glazed raisins, overripe berries. A soda-like caramel flavoring, spice cake, gumdrops. Spices and a slinky bitterness, give just enough balance - but this is (or has become) an almost-too-sweet quadrupel.

M: Fizzy in the mouth, but smooth-bodied. Medium build, finishes with more sugars, but relatively clean. Alcohol well-concealed. Plenty of burps induced, carbonation a punch in the gut.

D: Alone I'd have scored a little lower...more sugary than I prefer. Paired with food, however, this quad did well. Aged gouda, Colston Bassett stilton, cured salamis and ripe pear: all performed well with this. The gouda was especially good - we actually cut it into long strips (swizzle sticks) to dredge through this beer. Wouldn't mind having another bottle for Round 2.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2009 01:51:58 | More by msubulldog25

twiggamortis420

Texas

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

Poured into a Chimay chalice a mostly clear reddish-brown color with a huge cumulonimbus-like tan head. The bottle gushed a bit, so obviously the head was 3+ fingers. Amazing retention and lacing.

Heavily sweet caramel maltiness and dark fruits - currants and raisins. Big nose, but pretty straightforward. Some hints of honey, alcohol and wheat bread...think raisin bran.

Sweet, residual sugary fruitiness (cherries and prunes), followed by a mild fine-carbonated tongue scrubbing and finishes off with a nice alcohol warming and mildly toasty bitterness. Pretty tasty quad, wish I had another to cellar for awhile.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2009 23:21:25 | More by twiggamortis420

LennyV

New York

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark mahogany into my maudite snifter from a corked and caged bottle. Small head with minimal lacing.

Smells of sweet malt and alcohol.

Taste of sweet caramel with some mild alcohol after tatse.

Feels almost full bodies with little carbonantion.

Nice smooth sipper to spend an evening with...

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2009 01:50:58 | More by LennyV

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.15/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reviewed on 8/10/08. Bottle. Gusher! The cork popped out as I was untwisting the cage. Pours a dark murky brown with a huge, thick creamy tan head. Aroma of apple, pear, dark fruits, squash and other vegetables, and light spices. Flavor is extremely sweet with a lot of squash, almost soda-like. This definitely needs some age on it because it is super super sweet. Hard to enjoy with all the sugar.
7/4/6/3/13 (3.3/5)

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2008 16:50:12 | More by LilBeerDoctor

Floydster

California

3.13/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

750 ml corked and caged bottle, split with my dad, poured into my Chimay goblet, consumed 12/12/08, reviewed from notes, color was a mix between a dark amber and medium brown, big 1 1/4 inch tan bubbly head that does not last longer than two minutes, some lacing at first, aroma is made up of sweet dark fruits, malts, alcohol, mild spices, and sugary apples, flavor was too strong for me, way too much booze and sugar, malt dominates at first and mixes in big fruity tastes as it warms, needed something to mellow it out a little bit, this could probably use some age to chill, mouthfeel was aggressive and quite sweet, too hot overall, medium body on the verge of being thick, taste did not go away, could drink more than six to eight ounces, heavy on the stomach, ABV is high and not hidden well either, glad I did not waste a ticket on it at the festival a week before, might be worth trying but do not expect much

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2008 04:22:48 | More by Floydster

Brianmerrilyn

New York

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

Yet again, ole Phil will not be confined to a few style of making beer at Southampton. Skibbo's has a library from the brewery and this was the latest beer "that I never had."

A: Caged and corked, poured into an oversized wine glass. The color was a murky amber with burnt orange accents on the side. I didn't expect the lace to remain and within seconds the small cap disolved quickly. Quads have become my new favorite style and I knew Southampton would not let me down.

S: The nose is at first a large collection of earthen soaked dried ripe dark fruit, then candied malts with caramel and strong alcohol presence, perhaps too much for me.

T: Stinging malts and yeast, the dates and figs from the fruit section, and cloves for the spice tough. Very rich quad that can get medicinal on you at times.

M: Viscous slipperyness and stingy carbonation that was lurking in the background.

D: A farily good quad that has a rich fruity complexity. I had a hard time finishing because of the ABV and the growing tartness towards the end. More on the bitterside but something I will pull for again.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2008 02:31:01 | More by Brianmerrilyn

kmeves

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a light hazed brown body with a huge frothy off white head a plenty of lacing. Aroma is very sweet with raisin, candi sugar, caramel, grape and plum. Flavor is raisin, plum, caramel, light nutty, honey and some grass. Long sweet finish with just a slight alcohol burn. Full body, very sticky texture.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2008 18:05:23 | More by kmeves

t0rin0

California

4.03/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This bottle comes to me courtesy of halfP1NT. I was saving this for a tasting but I was told last wednesday that someone was already bringing one of these. So here we go.

I knew something was going to happen when I saw how deformed the cork was. Sure enough it goes flying out at about half the speed of sound and up comes the foam. Pours a a beautiful red/brown, crystal clear, lots of tall offwhite head, amazing retention and lacing. Not quite a 5 because of the garbage at the bottom.

Very malty, yeasty, and slightly spicey aroma. A little boozy and thats the only reason it doesn't get a 5. Also, some dark cherry and plum aroma.

Alcohol is quite strong in the flavor. Despite that its still a great flavor. I could see how another year would do wonders for this beer. Sweet malt, more plum, a touch of fig, fair amount of booze, and some bitterness (don't know if thats hops or alcohol).

Medium/heavy body, lots of CO2 (slightly too much), very smooth but a sipper. Goes great with this tri tip that I've got.

I know what I'll be loading up on when I go to EBF 2009.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2008 05:03:42 | More by t0rin0

dnichols

Washington

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

I poured a caged and capped 750 ml bottle into a chalice.

A: It poured a hazy, dark. and mahagony body with a tall and dense light tan head. There was little lacing but there was a layer of bubble that gave the beer a nice tan cover long into the experience. It was a dang good lookin' beer in the glass.

S: It had a rich caramel sugar and dark ripe fruit aroma with hints of alcohol.

T: If it looks like a quad, smells like a quad and tastes like a quad...it must be a quad. The subdued rich and sweet caramel and plum flavor covered the front of my tongue. As the drink progressed I detected hints of tart dark fruits, black liquorish, pepper and coriander.

M: It is a full bodied beer with a warm and subtly sweet presence on the tongue. It has light carbonation and finishes warm and clean.

D: It is a fine and solid quad that stands tall among its style brewed in the new world. I like and intend to keep it in my stash for special times.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2008 00:15:04 | More by dnichols

pvsob

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Pours a light brown/cola color with a two inch off-white head that lasts forever and leaves great lacing.

S- Sweet, sugary malts and some dark fruits. Personally, I'm picking up more apple and grape aromas than anything else. Some spicy yeast, alcohol, and a faint musty smell are present as well.

T- Lots of malt and spice is what I'm mainly picking up. A somewhat cloying sweetness and noticeable alcohol flavor also show up.

M- Medium to full; very sticky with little carbonation.

D- A decent interpretation of a Belgian Quad, but a little too sweet for me. The taste and mouthfeel of this beer takes the drinkability down some. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2008 02:18:45 | More by pvsob

treyrab

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had this at a recent beer tasting and split it with jac5084. Poured it into a chalice...

A: Very surprised at the clarity of this beer. It was completely translucent with a nice dark amber red color. The head is a nice two finger head but does not last that long, nor does it lace.

S: Smells right up there with the best Quads around. Plums, raisins, figs, and sweet grapes. Bananas and clove also shoot out from the yeast.

T: Wow, incredibly sweet with almost no hop profile. Tastes as if there is some honey in there also. The dark fruits are more like puree and the clove profiles is amazing. The bottom line though, is this beer is incredibly sweet.

Overall, this was an absolutely amazing beer. It is a great representation of the style and one I would love to have again.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2008 21:33:29 | More by treyrab

rkuhnel

California

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

Bottle from Andy in NY via a trade. After removing the cage and prying out the firmly seated cork, this poured a deep red to amber color with virtually no head. Nose of sweet caramel malts and ripe fruit. Very greasy mouthfeel more like port wine than beer. Flavor is quite sweet, with raisins. Finish is long, sweet and full of malts. Kind of a sipping beer, but was as good at the finish as at the end. Overall very nice.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2008 22:50:48 | More by rkuhnel

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

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

Thanks to JoeCeez for sharing this one.

A - Auburn with nice highlights when held to the light and a strange fizzy, cola like light tan head that leaves a good amount of foam behind.

S - Sweet candi sugar, spicy yeast, dark fruits of plum and raisin that create a nice earthy aroma and remind me of a wonderful Mole sauce I had recently at Fronterra Grill. Brown sugar, caramel and maybe even a touch of banana.

T - Candy like sweetness of brown sugar mixed with candi sugar. Some spicy yeast follows and then mellows into an earthy, dark fruit treat of plums, figs and raisins.

M - Medium body with high carbonation but not fizzy in the mouth. Some alcohol warming and hotness.

D - On the sweet side but somehow it works in this beer. Not as complex as others I have had but there is something very tasty about this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2008 23:09:38 | More by brewcrew76

thequeen711

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This is a crisp dark brown beer. Taste is interesting, hints of walnuts and brown sugar...roasty characteristics. Very sweet nose, due to the hints of brown sugar. Surprisingly clean finish! Would do this beer again. Just the fact that the taste is roasty is fulfilling, and Southampton has quite a few good brews in its lineup, please add this one!

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2008 22:55:21 | More by thequeen711

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