Abbot 12
Southampton Publick House

Abbot 12Abbot 12
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From:
Southampton Publick House
 
New York, United States
Style:
Quadrupel (Quad)
ABV:
10.5%
Score:
89
Avg:
3.99 | pDev: 11.28%
Reviews:
152
Ratings:
261
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 07, 2022
Added:
Feb 22, 2003
Wants:
  29
Gots:
  25
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of edthehead
Reviewed by edthehead from Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Bottle pour into a taster glass.
Appearance is smoky brown, with a loose bubbly head. Nose is molasses and raisin. Taste adds caramel, toffee, and butterscotch. Mouthfeel is thin to moderate, and lightly carbonated. Some minor oxidation due to the age.
Nov 07, 2022
Photo of argock
Reviewed by argock from Virginia

4.08/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
12/23/14 on back label - I think that is the bet by date. L5789.

Leather brown with short cap of beige head with no lacing.

Aroma with figs and dates and raisins with light phenols and even lighter tobacco and medium caramel.

Flavor far surpasses the aroma with sumptuous dark fruit with figs, dates, plum, and raisin with light phenolic spiciness to keep it from being cloying. Alcohol is faint.

Feel is light for the style with medium body and light carbonation.

It really weathered 9 years at room temp well - delicious dark fruit flavors with light spicing is right up my alley.
Mar 02, 2019
Photo of WOLFGANG
Rated by WOLFGANG from South Carolina

3.93/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2011-2013 Bottle
Jun 02, 2018
Photo of Kendo
Reviewed by Kendo from New York

4.03/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Surprised to see I've never reviewed this beer before; I remember really liking it back in the days when Southampton was new and I lived at my old house (moved out of there in 2011, so we're talking quite some time ago). Anyway, this one was in the cellar for awhile, then made it to my fridge in the garage God knows how long ago (I'm guessing at least a year). Bottle says BB 12/22/14, which - assuming 5 years from bottling to the "best by" date - I'm guessing makes this bottle about 9 years old as I pour it on March 10, 2018....

A: First: I had trouble with the cork, had to use a pair of pliars to try and get it uncorked, which served to break the cork, which led me to open it with a wine opener. . . . Poured it into a Corsendonk Christmas Ale chalice and my first impression was that it had retained its carbonation nicely. Body is reddish-amber with a half-finger of khaki-colored head which is refortified nicely with that carbonation.

S: I've got the remnants of a cold, with a stuffy nose, but even so, I can smell the fruit - mainly cherries - and sweeter malt (caramel) and sugars (brown, candied). Good nose. Doesn't seem to have oxidized over all these years.

T: First impression is the fine but active carbonation. Flavor-wise, it's following the nose, with a sweet, sugary malt foundation that's followed by stone fruit (dark cherries; think booze-soaked cherries) and then a good dose of alcohol on the finish. A little too much alcohol, I think, and so I've knocked the taste score down from 4.25 to 4.00.

M: As noted above, active but fine carbonation. Call it medium in heft. Feels nice.

O: Solid. I don't think the extra age has hurt this beer at all. A nice relatively easy-drinking Quad for a cold night in March. Glad I chose to open this one tonight.
Mar 11, 2018
 
Rated: 3.84 by glf60 from Virginia

Dec 07, 2017
Photo of HalfFull
Reviewed by HalfFull from California

3.58/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Poured into a large wine glass from a cork and caged 750 ml bottle. Pour is a deep clear brown with some crimson highlights and offers a cap of tan foam with moderate retention. Hints of ethanol on the nose along with some sweet malt, cocoa, spice and yeast esters. Not much complexity for a Quad but I don't think that is the plan here. More BSDA to me. Well, until I read the back of the bottle so a Quad it is. I guess you can't argue with 'Abbot 12'. Carbonation is quick to return with a spin throughout the duration.

Taste follows the color, that being light for the 'style'. Carob like spices dominate but don't really linger. Not too sweet nor complex but pleasant and with no off flavors. Warming brings forth a fuller feel on the tongue and a spritzy finish with a good level of carbonation. Touch of chocolate and mint at times on the finish. Finish drys with warming yet never gets too chalky. Overall a decent though not too complex take on the style. Would try again.
Oct 29, 2017
 
Rated: 3.98 by AD17 from New Jersey

Mar 23, 2017
 
Rated: 4.28 by BeerMeCJS from California

Mar 06, 2017
 
Rated: 4.04 by mltobin from Connecticut

Feb 08, 2017
Photo of Bitterbill
Reviewed by Bitterbill from Wyoming

3.96/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Best before December 6th 2017

A small pop when I pulled the cork out, it pours a clear reddish brown with a finger of off white foam. Lacing is impressive


Loads of caramel malt in the smell with some dark pitted fruit that's on the subtle side. The sweet seems likely to be influenced by candi sugar, I reckon.

Tastes of caramel malt and probably a bit of oxidation. Dark fruits are a mild presence. Candi sugar here but doesn't cause any over sweetness. Alcohol is definitely there and brings oodles of warming.

Close to a syrupy mouthfeel, I really do like this Quad.
Aug 18, 2016
Photo of Immortale25
Reviewed by Immortale25 from North Carolina

4.27/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured into a Duvel tulip. Label says 12/6/2017.

A- Pours a medium brown color with a 3/4 inch off-white head that retains well before becoming a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a mostly full sheet of sheer surface foam. Resilient lacing leaves a solid ring behind.

S- Trappist-like yeast quality with some fruity esters and sweet biscuity malt. Maybe some Belgian candi sugar too. Tiny trace of oxidation.

T- The sweetness continues with pleasant dark fruit, vanilla, caramel and even some almond-like nuttiness. Has great balance between the malt, alcohol and yeast making it so dangerously easy to drink. There is certainly some oxidation detected but luckily it's for the better and complements the rest of the flavor profile.

M- Slick and slightly syrupy with medium carbonation and a fullish body.

O- Been wanting to try this for a while and so glad I dropped the money on what is clearly a vintage bottle since it has aged quite nicely (from what I can tell) and the oxidative qualities found are of the positive variety.
Jun 09, 2016
 
Rated: 3.87 by REVZEB from Illinois

Feb 07, 2016
 
Rated: 4.17 by RBorsato from Virginia

Jan 08, 2016
 
Rated: 4.02 by hozersr from Pennsylvania

Jan 01, 2016
 
Rated: 4.03 by GuitarIPA from Connecticut

Nov 22, 2015
 
Rated: 3.85 by oriolesfan4 from Maryland

Nov 14, 2015
Photo of jzeilinger
Reviewed by jzeilinger from Pennsylvania

3.84/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A - Pours a very deep amber toffee color with a thick toffee ring and gentle carbonation.

S - Dark Belgian candy sugar/toasted/burnt sugar, plumbs, prunes, mild Belgian spice. Aroma is very, very sweet.

T - Sweet toffee and caramel from start to finish with alcohol warming on the way down (though not detectable in the nose), the booziness that comes through is buried down under and a bit of an edginess to it. A little bit of bread/yeast, prunes, plumbs, figs and some coriander buried way down. After several sips the alcohol starts to diminish.

M - Thick, gentle carbonation, velvety. Coats the mouth with toasted candy sugar, plumb, and coriander.

O - A good Quad but not on par with the Belgians.
Oct 28, 2015
 
Rated: 3.91 by vfgccp from New York

Oct 11, 2015
Photo of puboflyons
Reviewed by puboflyons from New Hampshire

4.18/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
From the 750 ml. corked caged bottle with an expiration date of 12/6/2017. Sampled on September 6, 2015.

Attractive chestnut-reddish poiur under a lingering tan head. Eventually settles back but it leaves lacing as it does.

Big nose of roasted Belgian malt, Belgian candied sugar, licorice, and coriander. No alcohol for 9.9% ABV.

The body is medium and better.

The taste is a slight letdown because it is way too sweet and way too bready. Those are the characteristics that you might expect for the style but this is a bit over the top. The booze is buried and I drank the entire thing.
Sep 06, 2015
Photo of GarthDanielson
Reviewed by GarthDanielson from Virginia

4/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 750 into a snifter, the beer is a dark, muddled, ruby brown color and foamy, bubbly, white head with carbonation bubbling throughout. Aromas of apple, date, raisin, fig, and rich candi sugar. Flavors are richly sweet, heavy on the old world fruits of date, fig, and raisin, with notes of dark candi sugar, earthy tones, and apple. Very rich and full bodied, with a stone fruit and sugary aftertaste. Chewy through to the smooth, slow, sweet lingered finish. Good beer.
Sep 06, 2015
Abbot 12 from Southampton Publick House
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 261 ratings