Unplugged Abt - New Glarus Brewing Company

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.79/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to paco1029384756 for this one a while back.

Pours a nice fluffy almost 1 finger head thick and creamy but fades semi quick over semi clear cranberry maroon reddish brown color.

NOse starts with sweet malts, candy aromas, reddish toasty candy malts, candi sugar, toffee, caramel, a bit of a fermented apple pie aroma with soured apples, lots of Belgian esters and light phenols with a bit of booze, some nutty, nice brown malts, little candy bar aroma.

Taste starts with more candy, toffee, nutty, caramel a plenty, candy bar flavors, even a little candi syrup. Then sweet malts, crystal malts, belgian brown malts, sweet toasty brown malts, quite sweet overall. Booze comes in lightly but brings some appley esters as well as light phenols, a bit of a soud apple flavor too.Dried dark fruits, fig, raisin, candied nuts, etc. finish is still fairly sweet, lots of lingering candy malts and sweeteners, mild bitterness, booze starts warming more and more.

Mouth is med bodied, some warming booze that gets tingly.

Overall meh. nothing special, lots of candy and not much else, not really even Belgian style, some esters and phenols with the booze but they don't even seem to blend well. All the characters of the beer were good, but just seemed like the flavors didn't merge as well as they could have, I don't know what it was but the beer just didn't seem as good as the profile makes it.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 12:49:37 | More by jlindros

GPHarris

Alabama

3.91/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

2010 vintage

a - poured a 1/2 finger thick bubbly, light tan head into a snifter that dissipated quickly to a thin ring and disappeared halfway through the beer. the body was a dark ruby red to purple color.
s - rum, belgian candi sugar, dark fruit aromas of plums and raisins.
t - sherry, plums, grapes, raisins with a rum burn in the finish.
m - medium and slick.
o - nice quad, not up to belgian standards but very interesting sipper.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 16:25:44 | More by GPHarris

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark red-brown with a thin finger of frothy tannish head. Fades fairly quickly.

S - Dark caramel malts, candi sugars, fig, raisins, other dark fruits, Belgian yeast, clove, spices, and a bit of booze.

T - Sweet caramel malts, Belgian candi sugars, fig, plum, raisins, other dark fruits, Belgian yeast, clove, other spices, some booze.

M - Full bodied, moderate carbonation. Smooth and a touch thick with a warming and sweet finish.

D - Very nice Quad. Great mouthfeel and overall balance. Great example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2013 04:08:13 | More by ngeunit1

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a clear dark brown color ale with a medium size foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of candi sugar and dry fruits is quite nice with light candi ester. Taste is also a good mix between some residual candi sugar, fruit ester and dry raisins and plums with big malt backbone. Body is about average with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Solid interpretation of the style without being overly sweet.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 20:20:59 | More by Phyl21ca

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.93/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

AGED REVIEW

This one has been cellared at ambient concrete poured basement temperature in Madison, WI for about a year.

Pours out a dark yet clear mahogany with garnet highlights around the edges when held up to the light. A brief fizzle of cream colored head sadly doesn't leave behind any lacing, but expecting lacing from a aged quad is somewhat foolish in my experience. Body is on the thinner side of medium, light carbonation.

Smells mostly of prunes, fig newtons, and molasses with lesser amounts of raspberry and earthy tones. Tastes of all these things and also has a red madeira / raisin bread sort of mid-sip flavor. Believe it or not, there is still a faint garnish level of clove flavor and orange peel in it, but the other spicing elements have long since vacated the premises. The finish is where a small amount of malt oxidation shows up but it is nowhere near an deal-breaking issue at this point.

Special Cellaring Commentary:

Compared to how it was fresh, the sweet dark fruit and vinous qualities have been significantly amplified and the booziness that was a bit of an issue when fresh is absolutely nullified at this point. Very rounded, rich and full of luscious fruitiness. I'm sure that a cellaring age of 8-10 months rather than a year would save a bit more of the spicing qualities, potentially eliminate the faint cardboard oxidation in the finish, and still achieve my goal of sweetening up the fruit and sanding down the sharp edges of the booziness. Admittedly, this one was not really all that boozy to begin with, but it was enough that I wanted to see what would happen with some experimental cellaring...so I did. It was certainly a worthwhile experiment in the end.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 16:44:06 | More by WastingFreetime

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle from Sammy, 12oz into a tulip. August 2010 vintage.

Brown with ruby highlights, tan head with a light ring of retention. Nose of grape juice, some rum notes, raisin and a hint of chocolate. Taste has sweet plummy and grape notes, light dark bread flavours, raisin and still some mild chocolate. Smooth sweet finish, gently integrated alcohol. A good quad, not super complex but very drinkable. Quite nice all 'round.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2012 04:10:44 | More by liamt07

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a Dogfish snifter

A- pours a very dark shade of brown with a one finger tan head that fades quickly. Meh

S- the candi sugar comes through in the forefront...very sweet smelling aroma, with some dark fruit coming though as well

T- light bit of sweetness in this, mild dark fruit taste as well. Really not much else all going no here

M- body is leaning on the thick side. Lord.

O- not a huge fan...quads aren't really my favorite, but I can respect a good one. This isn't one of them.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 23:55:29 | More by bigfnjoe

beergod1

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours an Old, slightly murky Brown, with a small off white head. The smell is dark fruit, Belgian yeast, faint alcohol, and a touch of spice. The flavor starts with the dark fruit...wow, full bodied, yet smooth. Plenty of sweetness to this beer. Lots of fruit flavors such as sour cherries, bananas, plums, and There is a mild spice note to the beer, mostly clove, along with brown sugar, and caramel malts. Abv starts to show when it warms. Good brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 01:14:30 | More by beergod1

zonker17

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Listed as retired, but I just bought a 4 pack 2 weeks ago.

A - Poured a very dark clear coppery brown into a Rochefort glass. Light brown head of 1/4 inch very thin and dissapated rapidly. No lacing. Trace amount of sediment in the bottle.

S - Feight nose but good representation of the style. Spices and candied sugar.

T - At 45 degrees: not very complex but again fairly representing the style. Is there such a thing as a light ABT? At 55 degrees: subtle malt and spices arriving but not as much as I'd like.

M - Seems thin but somehow the alcohol is not overwhelming.

O - Doesn't stack up to a Belgian but still is a fair representation. Not sure I'd choose it again.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 23:53:14 | More by zonker17

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz Bottle - thanks to iguenard for this one

Appearance - Clear reddish brown colour with a small size fizzy beige coloured head. There an average amount of carbonation and there isn't much lacing. The head lasted for 2-3 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Malts, chocolate, raisins, rye, grains

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste caramel, chocolate, and malts. There is also some raisins mixed with grains, and a bit of rye. It ends with a malty dark fruit aftertaste with a hint of chocolate.

Overall - It's really amazing how masked the alcohol is in this beer. It's extremely drinkable and not cloying at all. The taste is well balanced and it's an above average beer that I'm glad I had the chance to try.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2012 15:22:01 | More by spinrsx

djmichaelk

Florida

3.43/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into a goblet. Thanks to RTrain12 for the extra!

A - Pours a somewhat murky brown, with a slim half-finger of head floating on top. No retention or lacing to speak of.

S - The requisite plums, raisins, figs, and assorted dark fruit. Bit of brown sugar. Nothing superlative, but plenty fine for the style.

T - Candi sugar, toffee, dates, figs, and lots and lots of raisin. There's a bit of smoke in the background, but not much. It's sweet but not cloying.

M - Medium-dry finish, plenty of fine bubbles. Not aggressive in general, but for the style it's a bit harsh (at least compared to the Belgian examples).

O - This is definitely one of the better American examples of the style, although the Belgians blow this out of the water. If you live in the northern mid-west, seek this out. (Although I just realized it's retired. Oops.)

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 20:53:51 | More by djmichaelk

JRdaSconnie

Wisconsin

3.38/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

P: bottle hiding in back of fridge poured 1/2 into Leinie's Perfect Beer Glass.

A: Deep brown, dark copper in light. Light tan 1/2 finger head recedes into ring. No lace. Very effervescent.

S: dark sugars, caramel malts. Light boozy smell. Raisins, sweet, fruits. No hops per style. Very nice

T: malty, Belg yeast spiciness. Dark fruits &efforts sugars. Not as intense as I had hoped.

M: prickly effervescence. Champagne like. Thin compared to others in Abt/Quad style. Clean on tongue. Not much alcohol warmth. Would like heavier feel out of a slow sipper like this.

O: started out liking more then got boring by end of bottle. I would like better with more residual sugars/higher F.G. Very attenuated. Would like to hide one for a couple years and sample again. Glad I tried it.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 23:59:08 | More by JRdaSconnie

nataku00

California

3.38/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle poured into a tulip glass. Beer pours a hazy dark brown, with some lighter brown highlights at the edge of the glass. Initial half a finger of tan colored head dissipates quickly to a thin collar and a few patches of bubbles. Plenty of carbonation streaming up from the bottom of the glass.

Very light aroma, some sweet dark fruit, plum and cherry, brown sugar sweetness.

Taking a sip, fresh dark fruit, plum and cherry though light, some spiciness from yeast and fruity esters. Brown sugar and bready malt mid tongue. Finishes medium with some light residual fruity sweetness.

Medium body with plenty of zesty carbonation that is typical of the style. Cleans off your tongue nicely for the next sip, and not be heavy as the high abv is completely hidden.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 03:14:24 | More by nataku00

xpdrinker

Florida

2.05/5  rDev -47.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

12oz bottle, trade extra from @shawnbgp - thanks!

A - Pours a clear, dark reddish brown. No head or lacing whatsoever.

S - Nothing. Nothing. Nothing at all. Seriously?

T - Barely carbonated apple juice, dark grapes.

M - Super light, low carbonation.

O - What the hell is this?

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 05:37:54 | More by xpdrinker

pmarlowe

California

4.2/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle to tulip glass.

A: Pours a clear reddish amber color with some light khaki head which recedes to a ring. Some nice tiny champagne-like bubbles. Decent retention and almost no lacing.

S: Malty raisin, sweet brown sugar, spiced rum, apple, and caramel undertones.

T: Amberish malt, rum and caramel, dark fruit and spice, followed by a little acidity and finishing off-dry with some candi sugar.

M: Light, smooth carbonation. Fantastic, lively, champagne-like mouthfeel. Perhaps lacks some of the heft of other Belgians, but not necessarily for the worse. Alcohol is not at all noticeable, and not particularly warming either.

O: Solid Belgian-style ale, on the lighter side but still maintaining nice complexity.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 03:14:17 | More by pmarlowe

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

2.95/5  rDev -24%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Brown color liquid, looks nice, leaves a good 1/2" head, and has decent retention and lacing. Aroma was very wine like, much of which is probably the very noticeable.

Lots of raisin and plum sweetness, tons of alcohol taste in this. Tons of brown sugary sweetness. I really don't have much more to say about this, a little bit of chocolate, but the alcohol and the sugary sweetness were a complete distraction and didn't really allow myself to contemplate any of the nuance or good flavors in this. Frankly, I know abt ain't my style, so I'm probably rating it higher than my actual experience was, but New Glarus makes so much good stuff, it kinda evened out an otherwise not as great as usual NG experience.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 01:29:02 | More by Beerandraiderfan

ahq514

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12 oz bottle into St Bernardus chalice.

Pours a dark amber color. Few, but big bubbles rise to the surface and there is almost no head. Appears to have low carbonation.

The aroma on this beer is dominated by the yeast. Big and strong whiffs of dark fruits (raisins and plums) and a very light spiciness. There is also a rum-like alcohol aroma. There is also a decent malt presence, but less so than some of the popular Belgian quads I've had.

Taste is exactly what I expected from the aroma. The balance of malt and yeast influenced flavors tips a little bit more towards the malt than in the aroma, but still seems to be dominated by those dark fruits. There is also a good amount of warming alcohol that can be felt still a couple minutes after taking a sip; slightly reminds me of rum and coke (the alcohol part). Touch of brown sugar too.

Medium to full body and low carbonation. A nice sipper, alcohol can be felt.

An enjoyable quad, but lacked some complexity that I've experienced and enjoyed in other quads. Still quite delicious and another solid offering from New Glarus.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 03:32:44 | More by ahq514

hippityhops85

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz foiled bottle into my St. Bernardus goblet. BIG thanks to kawilliams81 for the assist!

Pours an hazy purplish brown. Very little head on the pour and what was there quickly dissipates into nothing. What I'd expect from a good Quad.

The nose doesn't really have a lot going on. Definitely dark fruits, little bit of cinnamon or another holiday spice? Not really sure but whatever it is, it's muted.

The taste, on the other hand, is fantastic! Tons of dark fruits melded with a really nice Belgian aroma. If you put this in front of my blind, I'd probably say it was a Belgian. Impressive.

The mouthfeel is medium with little carbonation. I would have liked to have seen just a little more carbonation to really brighten this brew but I'm not complaining.

Overall, I love this beer. New Glarus is somewhat of an enigma to me here in PA so I'm always stoked to try anything new from them and they have been nothing but impressive thus far.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 00:23:03 | More by hippityhops85

kawilliams81

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a La Choffe tulip.

A- pours a dark amber, 2 finger light tan head.

S- roasted malts, faint whiff of dark fruits

T- roasted malts, some smoked malt, slightest taste of vanilla

M- medium body, medium carbonation, dry finish

O- not my favorite style but a good beer none the less. Very simple beer could be a little more complex.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 03:59:50 | More by kawilliams81

mdaschaf

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a very deep ruby color with a small, off-white head on top. Not much retention, leaving behind a nice ring of foam and some thin, but sticky lacing.

S: Nice aroma of dark fruit, candied sugar, and some caramel. Very straight forward and inviting.

T: Not as flavorful as the aroma led on, but some caramelized sugar, some raisin and fig. Slight bready malt presence and a little bit of spice.

M: A little light for style, but makes it quite a bit more drinkable. Having no problem with it at all. Moderate carbonation, rather smooth.

O: A pretty good quad, especially for a US made one. Could drink this one without a problem.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2011 01:43:19 | More by mdaschaf

draheim

Washington

3.55/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz bottle (no dates or codes, but ca. late 2010 - thanks to whoever sent this to me, I forget now) poured into a chalice.

Crystal-clear mahogany color w/ no sediment @ the bottom. Unusual for a quad as these typically require a careful pour due to sediment...

Aroma is mostly plums and prunes, generic dark fruit. A very subtle sugary sweetness, that's about it.

Taste is clean, crisp dark caramel malt and candi sugar. Really simple, not much complexity here. Mouthfeel is a little sharp and dry. I think something is lacking in the yeast here. It doesn't taste bad by any means, it just doesn't have much depth.

Overall this is a pretty thin, simple quad. I'm relatively underwhelmed.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2011 05:52:41 | More by draheim

GradyS1

California

3.93/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a nice dark brown, two finger head off of a large pour that quickly subsides. Not much left after a minute or two
Lots of malt and Belgian sugar candy directly up front, dark fruit such as fig and purple grapes, spice in the finish
Really enjoying the taste of this brew, malts upfront and Belgian sugar candy in the back, picking up alot of purple grape flavor, artificial but goes well with this beer
Carbonation hits upfront, medium body and dry in the finish, would expect more smoothness out of such a big beer

Not bad, with an interesting twist on the style, sweeter than most

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 21:59:55 | More by GradyS1

nsmartell

Wisconsin

3.93/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I enjoyed this beer from the comfort of my own living room. From the 12oz bottle into a tulip glass.

Appearance: Pours very dark at first glance, but is actually a dark mahogany color almost like a whisky or cognac. Nice think tan head that looks like a classic Guinness look. The head sticks around for quite some time.

Smell: Smells of sweet malts, candi sugar, raisins, and yeast. The longer this sits in my glass, the more the alcohol comes through.

Taste: Just as the smell suggests, with the candied sugars and sweet malts leading the way. The taste has certainly mellowed from when I opened my first one shortly after this was released.

Mouthfeel: Medium to thick-bodied with a good, low amount of carbonation. This coats the mouth and throat and ends very dry.

Drinkability: Due to the high alcohol content and dry finish, not very drinkable. However, I enjoyed drinking this beer and am looking forward to seeing how my last bottle holds up.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2011 04:30:50 | More by nsmartell

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

3.88/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Auburn to brown in color and pretty clear, fairly small head and so-so lacing but not bad looking.

Many dark fruits come forth in the smell, raisins, plums, figs, dates, great light brown sugar too.

Taste follows the nose in all the fruity and sweet aspects, with an almost candy like malt presence and a very slight drying at the finish.

Body is kind of light for a quad but still enjoyable. Very easy to drink, sweet fruity aftertaste.

Overall it's a very easy to drink quad and it's got some of the great fruit goodness that I adore from New Glarus, one of America's finest breweries.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2011 23:58:01 | More by AlCaponeJunior

jera1350

Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Forgot to put up my review when I had this fresh, but aged a few as well.

Amberish brown color with a short foamy head that leaves a bit of lacing.

Rum, raisin and candi sugar in the nose. Detecting a bit of alcohol.

Fresh, the taste is extremely boozy. Like a rum on the rocks almost. With several months of age, this beer really loses much of it's taste and character and becomes a muted skeleton of it's original self. When fresh, it does add notes of rum raisin and is quite sweet on the palate.

Very dry and quite smooth. Not a whole lot of carbonation though.

I wish I could have had a middle ground in this beer. When fresh it was way too hot and when aged, it just dropped off. I guess I would have preferred it fresh, but it just wasn't very drinkable at that point.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2011 00:19:07 | More by jera1350