Allagash Four

Brewed by Allagash Brewing Company
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Portland, Maine USA

Draft at the Thirsty Monk, Asheville, 6/27. So, this was a tight quad, as you would pretty much expect from Allagash. I’m not going to describe all the flavors for the 545th time on this page, suffice to say it’s a good beer and you should TRY IT.

Intensely malty and alcoholic. Sweet raisins dominate the taste. Mild flavors of yeast and nuts as well. Finishes a little too alcoholic. Full bodied and syrupy. Not an easy drinker for sure. Not my favorite for the style.

750 Bottle aged roughly 1.5 years. Cork flew up and hit the ceiling the moment the cage was untwisted, very dangerous. Pours a clear dark glowing amber with a small frothy off-white head. Aroma is quite oxidized, some raisins, toffee, honey, just a touch of alcohol. Flavor is the same, oxidized, alcohol, toffee, boozy green raisins, honey like sweetness, a touch grassy, cashews, light yeast. The body is nice, lots of fine uniform carbonation, medium/full bodied, sticky but aged. An ’okay’ quad.

Pours a deep chestnut brown. Aroma is a beautifully deep complex set of sugars and Belgian phenolics. Taste is complex burnt sugars, dates, beets, and other dark sugars/fruits. Very complex and interesting, however very bitter for a Belgian. Leaves a nice little sour tang in your mouth, as is common in many nice quads. A really nice quad, could’ve used some more age (already a year+??).

Pours a dark reddish brown with a tan head. Aroma is caramel, malt, grains, hint of sourness. Flavor is caramel, sugars, malt, hint of sourness, hops, yeasts and a little funk. Nicely integrated quad.

Brillian orange-amber, highly carbonated, ok head. Pleasant riffs of crystal malts surrounded by moderating hoppiness introduce themselves to the nose After several minutes of aeration and warming, small pulses of phenols with light cloviness arise as well. Medium-amber crystal body, with crystal candi sugar sweetness and medium hop bitterness. Alcohol is well-masked to the palate, though the gut feels the punch. Phenolic syrupiness on the finish. A vein of Belgian funk runs throughout the experience. Waves of crystal malt and phenols push on.

750 bottle- pours an opaque caramel colour with a one finger off white head and fair lacing. Nose- toffee, fruit- very sweet smelling. Taste- raisins, brown sugar spice and other dark fruits. Very creamy texture and moderate carbonation. One of the more drinkable quads I’ve had. I think this bottle has a few years on it, so didn’t notice the booze heat that others have remarked on. Quite smooth. Not the most complex quad out there, but still a solid drink.

Reviewed 5/21/2009 (Bottle batch#15): Pours a medium brown colored body, with a white head, diminishing. Clear. Strong fruity aroma, grape but not wine-y. Sweet craemy mouthfeel. Grape taste. Honey sweet taste. Carbonated, soft mouthfeel. Some hops, but very hidden.