Southampton Grand Cru

pours foggy golden rapid bubbles (high carbonation). Apple slight raisin, pear, decent hop bite with delicous malty flavour. I would drefinetly recomend

Acquired at Whole Foods NYC on a recent east coast trip, 750ml cork-caged bottle, contents poured into a Duvel tulip. Appearance is a murky light orange hue, head is a large layer of big foamy bubbles that gradually erode down. Smell is sugary sweet malts with a range of spices and fruits including bananas, cloves, licorice, coriander, light peach syrup, figs/raisins, berries, some belgian yeast lurks throughout. Taste too is a range of fruits and spices, initially dominated by light orange, bananas, peaches, and berries, some darker fruits and spices (coriander, cinnamon) pop up midway, the anise is light throughout and the finish is syrupy sweet. Mouthfeel is medium/full-bodied, thick chewy texture borders on syrupy sweet, carbonation is moderate. Drinkability is moderate, this is truly one of the most flavorful beers I have had in a long time, the thick texture and hefty alcohol content limit the drinkability, and this is best enjoyed slowly during a lazy Sunday (at least for me).

Bottle. Pours a nice copper color with a small off-white head. Aroma is sweet fruity orange, coriander, yeast, and some honey and spice notes. Malty sweet flavor with orange peel, light caramel, fruit, raisins and spices with a pleasant bitterness

Clear honey orange pour with a quick-vanishing head. Sweet aroma of oranges and pretty heavy malt. A decent amount of candied seville oranges shine through, which is kind of becoming a staple of some Southampton brews I find. Nice, big, juicy flavors, but pretty sweet and just a thin mouthfeel. Some creaminess could really help this beer. More pleasant nuances begin to unfold toward the bottom of the bottle, as is custom with Southampton. Delightful floral notes play with the candied orange. Kind of reminiscent of the Cuvee des Fleurs when the yeast mixes in. Possbily a great one to cellar.

Bottle, aged over 1 year. Pours a medium-dark golden orange color, mostly clear, but with some very fine floating particulate. The head dissipates so quickly, I could barely get a glimpse of its tan hue. What’s left is a completely smooth, syrupy looking body that leaves thick, sugary legging on the glass after a swirl. The aroma is massively sweet and boozy, heavy of golden raisons, candied orange peels, Cointreau, citrus blossom honey, and just a touch of coriander for bitterness. As sweet as it smells, the flavor just takes it up level to borderline liquid candy status. Golden raisons pureed with honey comes to mind. Spicy, floral hops attempt to balance things out, but wind up getting crushed by the saccharine intensity. Thick and sugary in the mouth, with little carbonation, it almost drinks like a low ABV mead. This one is over the top sweet, even after a year of cellaring. I’m not a fan.