Southampton Grand Cru

Brewed by Southampton Publick House
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Southampton, New York USA

Very nice pepper nose. The extra flavor (anise really makes a nice finish).. Very nice beer over all.

Bottle. Pours orange with an off white head. Aroma is sweet fruit, orange, peach, and yeast. Medium body, overcarbonated. Flavor is lightly tart fruit, alcohol, and a hint of spice. Not bad but I was expecting way better.

Godt krydret, masser af orange, ret stille, meget sød, ganske stærk - måske vente nogle år?

As reviewed on 12/12/06. 750ml corked and caged bottle from "Southampton bottling, Royersford, Pa". Pours hazy gold with orangy hues, and a dense, creamy, half-inch head of off-white. Some pretty decent lacework reveals itself as the head falls to partial coverage on the surface. Aromatics are something to behold. Almost pungent in quantity, but not overbearing. Citrus-laden and spicy, with notes of orange zest, white pepper, grape bubblegum, coriander, and Grand Marnier. The nose finishes warming and inviting, with lingering fruit. Body is lightish and effervescent, a bit spritzy and lively. Great for the style. Pallet is extremely fruity, with spicing playing a supporting role. Bitterness is firm, and nods to some heavy-handed hop additions at the beginning of the boil. Orangy and lightly boozy, with some bright, coriander citrus notes, and plenty of clovey phenols. Plenty of alcoholic warmth, but no heat, underneath some very light malt character. Finishes spicey and a bit sharp on the tongue, with a nice rounded honey note. I don’t know if these contract brewed bottles are bottle conditioned or pasturized, but I’ll bet that a year or two in the cellar would up the numbers even more. Revisit-vintage 2006 Pours orangy gold with a massive four-inch head of airy sponge. Retention is of a several minute duration, with plenty of smears and webbing of lace. Aromatics are much more subdued, but plenty of saison-like earthyness, dried grass, orange marmalade, and pepper-studded honey. Mouthfeel is medium, sticky, and a notch below lively. Orange blossom honey, grape jam, Grand Marnier, and juicy citrus on the pallet. A substantial, drying bitterness fades as the glass goes. Warming and still sweetish. Finishes with some lingering, slick honey, tropical citrus, and a hint of lemon zest. Wowza, two years and improving on what was already a remarkable beer. I’ll have to bury the next one.

750ml bottle. nose is buttery and yeast. Butterscotch flavor, might be overly sweet. Spicy and vivacious, also creamy at the same time. Well crafted, but the flavor is not my thing.. nice alcohol content.

750 ml bottle. Doesn’t seem to have any dates, but the top of the cork is pretty grungy. Aromas of the lighter stone fruits, with a bit of honey or candi. Clear amber color with a multifinger beige head. Near full bodied with creamy carbonation. Flavors are multiple. Citrus peel, likely coriander, but I think the candi is hiding the liquorice. All kinds of fruit like peaches, apricots and plums. Nothing really dark. There’s some hot spice in the finish, and then there’s some heat down the throat. It has a really good feel, almost sensuous (should be sensual per Animal House).

75cL bottle, one of the Sly Fox bottles. Not sure if the cork had a date on it and any chance of checking it has disappeared as my faithful pile of fur just destroyed it. Perhaps the cork said something about his mother. Hell if I know. Anyway, pours.. good, I think, hell I was just happy there was head space in a Sly Fox bottled 75cL! Yay Sly Fox! Fairly soapy aroma, not in the dish soap kind of smell, more like scented soaps that you buy at the beach that are shaped like little sea shell that you buy and never use, they just sit there in a basket and slowly grow that white powdery stuff until someone finally has enough and throws them away. What the fuck was I talking about? Oh yeah, beer. Tastes kinda syrupy to me. And a bit too spicy for me. But then again maybe I’m just some ranting asshole with a keyboard. Who knows.

Bottle. High fluffy but lasting off-white head. Clear cobber body. Fruity and yet spicy aroma. Complex fruity and good flavor with spicy notes plus a touch of alcohol, not too much though. Dry and long relatively sweet aftertaste. Low carbonation.