So, for a long, long time, Smuttynose Star Island Single would be the beer you'd see on this page. And it still does show up in the fridge on a regular basis.
But right now it's the Southampton Abbot 12 that I can't get enough of! After cleaning out the shelves at Good Beer, I took two off of the shelves at New Beer tonight (and sampled the Mikkeller Elliot Brew, a collaboration with Struise of Belgium, which was on tap tonight).
The Abbot 12 won a Gold Medal at the 2005 Great American Beer Festival and is described by the brewery as: "A strong, dark ale with notes of raisins, figs, and caramel, and a pronounced “dark rum” character. Deceptively smooth at 10.5% alcohol, this strong ale is ideal as an after-dinner sipping brew."
This bottle listed a 9.9% abv with an original gravity of 22.5 plato, and poured out with a generous lingering tan head. The dark aged fruit aromas wafted up and brought to mind rich brown malts, mixing with some background yeast spiciness. The flavor was candi-sugar sweet, with the slightest hint of cocoa/dark chocolate, a little alcohol as it warmed brought to mind rum, sweetly blanketing the mouth with its rich, thick body. This beer reminds me of Westvleteren, and that's not a comparison made often, if at all.
This beer is the perfect accompaniment to a crisp, cool fall evening, sipped slowly along with a snack of nutty, sharp, aged Holland gouda. I think that I'm going to need a case of this beer to survive the coming winter.
This bottle listed a 9.9% abv with an original gravity of 22.5 plato, and poured out with a generous lingering tan head. The dark aged fruit aromas wafted up and brought to mind rich brown malts, mixing with some background yeast spiciness. The flavor was candi-sugar sweet, with the slightest hint of cocoa/dark chocolate, a little alcohol as it warmed brought to mind rum, sweetly blanketing the mouth with its rich, thick body. This beer reminds me of Westvleteren, and that's not a comparison made often, if at all.
This beer is the perfect accompaniment to a crisp, cool fall evening, sipped slowly along with a snack of nutty, sharp, aged Holland gouda. I think that I'm going to need a case of this beer to survive the coming winter.
Bob, great call. I had a bottle of this once and was floored. I personally think their Double White is a little overrated, but this is a phenomenal non-Belgian Belgian ale.
ReplyDeletehey jay! yeah, i've got nothing but respect for phil of southampton and his brewing abilities. the double white is a summer time staple in this house. and the abbot 12 is the cold weather equivalent.
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