Southampton Grand Cru

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

2005 Bottle. Pours out a nice orange color with no head to speak of. Aroma is of sweet fruit with some notes of citrus. The taste is very nice. Nice mouthfeel and very drinkable for the high content. Taste is complex with some sweet apple, coriander and some citrus on the finish. Overal a great brew

750 cork & wire. 2006 bottle, the new ones Southampton makes out of the Sly Fox facility in PA. Consumed very fresh. Pours an orange-ish copper color, pretty clear beer with a small head. Aroma is strong - a strong sweetness with a floral background. Mouthfeel is perfect. Flavor is also sweet and floral, slight citric/coriander feel - not as present as the label makes you think. Mouthfeel is great, perfect for this beer; heavy body, real pillow-y feel. Carbonation is felt right at the back of the throat. Leaves a citric sting with a floral sweetness aftertaste.

Vertical of 2005 Publick House bottling (pictured) and 2006 Sly Fox bottled versions. The ’05 has some very sweet cardboard and some cork aspects. While the SH yeast is turning just a bit sour. But overall still aging very nicely. Lots of marmalade-like syrupy flavors. Some fruit and a bread-y, grainy finish. The yeast is keeping things cool and the spices are still lightly there. The ’06 is doing great thought. Much thicker, lively maltiness in there with spices still kicking strong. Taste is doughy yeast, lots of the anise and the other spices. Not showing any negative signs of age. Very impressive version of the beer coming from a Sly Fox. I would say I prefer the ’06 contracted version but so many things are uneven. Limitations: green bottle for the Publick House version, spent more time on store self before I got it, and obviously there is a year difference on the bottles.

Final thoughts: definitely get the Sly Fox version and feel free to age it, it changes in a good way. The 05 Publick House while still good should maybe not sit around any longer (but again my bottle was not optimal).

2005 bottle in trade from Rastacouere. Worked up a good thirst trying to get the cork out. I succeeded and poured the hazy golden ale, which had a very thin white head, into a Chimay glass.There was a fruity citrus aroma. The flavor was exactly as described - sweet and fruity with a more bitter grapefruit, orange and coriander finish. I would prefer a bit less citrus flavor, but I still enjoyed this finely crafted and unique brew.

Bottle 2004 shared at Noogfest Pours with a fading creamy white head over a muted gold body. Creamy vanilla mango aroma. Starts sweet with a tartness that develops and intensifies towards the finish. Nice. Spritzy not overly sweet.

Nice strong aroma of citrus fruits and light yeast. A nice hazy orange/gold mix. A strong citrus taste, followed by the light yeast and even lighter alcohol. Just the slightest bit fizzy for me but damn good.

Sampled at Noogfest-2. Thanks to SpringLicker. Pours a straw-orange, clear color with a big bubbled head. Lightly sour lemon aroma with bitter orange peals. Thought it was a bit odd really. The flavor was lightly sour and sweet at the same time. Citrus peal with grapefruit and lemon were the predominant flavors. Creamy full body. A bit too much dominance of the citrus for me. I actually wonder if I am rating the correct brew??

This Belgian Strong ale pours an orange gold color from a 750ml bottle. Small sized white foamy head. Aroma is fruity, citrusy and sweet. A medium to full bodied Strong Ale. Malts are fruity and sweet. Citrusy and floral. Bright yeasts. Lively carbonation. Touch of an alcohol bite. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and dry. Aftertaste is slightly sweet,

Very hazy reddish orange (copper?) color w/ a nice white head & some good lacing. Aroma is almost lightly lambic/flemish full of sour cherries hints of plum, a good amount of spice (allspice?, pepper?) w/ some good sweet pieces. Palate is full, well coated and lightly creamy. Flavor is very good sweeter than I expected w/ some sugarz and a good tart cherry w/ some godo spice still. A great complex brew.