Urthel Samaranth

Brouwerij De Leyerth
Brewed at De Koningshoeven (Bavaria - Netherlands)
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Ruiselede, Belgium

Pours a cloudy amber with a small white head. Smells of cinnamon and dark fruits, and yeast. Very sweet taste, very malty as well. Alot of candy sugar, leaves a big sweet taste on the palate and on the lips. Big mouthfeel, pretty thick. Doesnt seem heavy enough to be labeled a quad in my opinion, a nice dubbel would be a better label in my opinion. Nice brew though.

Sampled from a 330ml bottle. (compared to the Koninghoeven Quad) Similar muddy amber hue. Same creamy head. More of a yeasty barnyard nose. Good bready nose. Smooth with a touch more burn. Sharper. More fruity, but edged. Nice dark fruit notes. Hint of toffee. Acidic citrus note. Bigger than the previous, but prefered the other.

Pours slightly hazy, funky amber tinged brown with a two finger head that fades slowly to a thick cap. As the head settles it leaves behind a thin webbing that only sticks to the glass for a few seconds. Smell; tone of dark fruits and sweet caramel and brown sugar malts. There’s a slightly dusty yeaty presence, as well as some spices. Taste; there’s a big hit of alcohol and sugar at first. Some dark fruits, with plums and raisins come out, along with some caramel and brown sugar, but the alcohol and overly sweet sugar never really fade. Between the alcohol presence and the overwhelming sweetness, this has to be my least favorite quad to date. Mouthfeel is full bodied and syrupy/sticky, and the drinkability is only so-so.

Bottle into Urthel tulip, Hop Leaf (Chicago). Advertised as a quadruple, but not at all like the St. Bernardus or Westy 12 that define the style. Perhaps reminiscent of Rochefort. Smells more like a barley wine or a Samichlaus-esque dopplebock more than anything: portish, golden raisins, brown sugar, maybe some deep plum and chocolate. Pours with a medium head that doesn’t do much. Sweet and overripe in the mouth, with a bit of an off-kilter grain note in the finish which reminded me of something rotten (I don’t know why, but I didn’t like it very much). Smooth in feel. Some spiciness and yeasty notes in the finish as well. I didn’t particularly enjoy it, but it has some things going for it.

urthel quadrium..apricot puree body with medium off-white head..aroma of bread and yeast, lemon, and rubber cement..flavor of lemon, spice, yeast, toast, and the same distinct rubber cement...not bad considering this was a bit old or tainted

Gold/copper. Small, frothy, off white head. Graham crackers, grains, light colored dried fruits, rich bready malt. Smoewhere between a quad and a farmhouse. Full body, balanced carbonation. Solid.

Urthel Quadrium Ale. Ruddy orange-red, sediment-laden body, thick cream head. Earthy, dusty aroma with spicy esters, butterscotch, and rubbery phenols. Unfortunately, the flavor profile, too, is tainted by burnt rubber, burying the toasts, spicy breads, and dusty esters. Fairly complex but tainted.

"Leyerth Breweries, Flanders." Dirty blonde pour raises a mere half-inch dense head that leave leopard spot lacing. Fruit-forward esters: bubblegum wrapper, bitter apple, crackerjack caramel, candied lemon and apricot, sultanas. Some oily/minerally phenols as well, plus a touch of earthy/peppery/barnyard brett. The flavor is almost too slippery for words... sour cherry, spicy and floral, dust, almost-pineapple. Sounds like brettanomyces clausenii, perhaps? Merest spectre of nutty malt that one really has to search for. Body is light yet creamy, and sharply carbonated. Cidery aftertaste. Strange and complex, but not a beer I would pay money for again.