Harpoon Leviathan Belgian Quad

Brewed by Harpoon Brewery
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Boston, Massachusetts USA

12oz bottle, dark amber color, with an off-beige head, yeasty, fruity, raisiny, pruney juice nose with a sweet toasted, carmelized, grainy malt,toffee accent, with some alcoholic effluvia, and a hint of sulfuric smokiness, with some mild spiciness aromas follow through on a full-bodied palate with a sweet warmth yeasty, malty, fruity character of dates, raisins, plums, ripe apples, with some toasted, caramlized malt, toffee, prune, apple juice flavors, with a hint of nutmeg, coriander spiciness, leading towards a warming, fruity, plummy, brandyish finish.

Heavy, funky Belgian yeast, strong grape. Like a wine but with heavy Brett yeasts. Rich stone fruites, dates, mild black licorice; diggin’ the aroma a lot. The head drops quickly, but leaves a sloshy film on top. Nice, icy lace. Dark ruby red, with tons of sediment. The flavor is sweet, dark grapes and black berries. Funky, astringent yeasts that nearly take the breath away. Metallic and with a hint of Band-Aid plastic. Ashy and brutally thick. Makes it hard to sip. The flavors are just a little off for me. Not bad but harsh, and not altogether pleasant. A challenge.

Bouteille de 12 oz, acheté le 9 juillet 2009 au Charles Street Liquors à Boston.Rubie foncée brumeuse, petit collet. Arome d’orge sucré licoreux, des petits fruits un peu chocolaté. Goût d’orge malté un peu sucré, fruits mures, sensation de vapeur d’alcool dans la bouche avec un arrière-gout d,alcool un peu amère. Puissant mais bien buvable!

Bottle thanks to Cletus. Pours with a tan head over a murky amber red body. Moderate lace, but some alcohol legs. Aroma of fusel, banana, chocolate, rotting orange rind, pruno (prison hooch), plums and brown sugar. Taste is rich and creamy with brown sugar, cognac brandy, rich buttery toffee, cherry blossom, pear, plum and dates. Very complex, deep, rich and immediately warming. Strong alcohol flavor, but the burn works out nicely. There is a bit more bitterness than I think is appropriate for the style, and the rubbing alcohol is definitely there. Full bodied, and creamy. Very warming, with lingering fusel and bitterness. A very good beer for Harpoon, a nice quad!

12oz Bottle. Thanks Sean! Lost rating. This beer dissapeared from my rates. Werid. Aroma is a lightly juicy and raisin inflected plum sauce. Cold and light. A bit of yeast. Pours a murky red-brown, with a fairly off-white ring of head. Flavor is plummy and sugary. A heavy sweetness followed by a blast of alcohol that sets off some balance. A generic yeast and candi sugar flavor bespeckled by a few touches of cream, sherry, spiced fruit, and age. Reasonable, but nothing to get whooped up about.

body is hazy brown-amber, slightly ruddy and golden at edges. head is thick foamy burnt sienna. aroma is toffee malt, plums, fresh orange peel, raisins, white rum. flavor starts banana, raisins, plums, earthy dry caramel/toffee malt, then yeasty, some "151" rum, bitter hops, light spice, and astringent.

Aroma is of lightly burnt caramel with a slight metallic note. Flavor is more of the caramel with hints of caramelized pears. High ABV evident in the lingering warmth in the chest. Not a bad beer, but not one I will be drinking again.

Enjoyed from a 12oz bottle in a whiskey snifter. The beer pours the characteristic deep brown, with a nice off-white head. Notes of caramelized sugar, toasted raisons, German malts, and a touch of spice come through in the nose - excellent. The palate initially seems to replicate the nose, showing rich and complex malt flavors, complimented by a perfect carbonation level and a certain amount of depth added by the alcohol, which is just slightly detectable. The finish leaves long-lasting flavors of malt and dark fruits on the palate. Overall, this is a great example of a Quad/Belgian Strong Dark, and easily the best Harpoon beer I’ve sampled. Well done.