The Mother Of All Beers (Quadrupel)
Pizza Port Solana Beach

 

Thanks to GRG1313 for sharing this one at his tasting.

2005 vintage.

Pours a hazy reddish-orange with a foamy khaki head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, caramel, toffee, honey, and cardboard aromas. Taste is much the same with slightly sour malt, earth, honey, caramel toffee, and cardboard flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of acidity on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is an above average beer that is cool to try, but this one is super old and oxidized at this point.

Serving type: bottle.

 

 

750 mL bottle poured into a snifter. This is the 2005 bottle.

Appearance - Murky deep brown. Lightly reddish. Not much of a head. Just a khaki collar

Smell - Lots of oxidation. Dark fruits. Brown sugar. Raisins.

Taste - Lots of cardboard. Brown sugar after that. Some dark fruits. A kind of cardboard bitterness in the back end.

Mouthfeel - Heavy body. Still well carbonated. Oxidized, though.

Overall - Too oxidized at this point, but it definitely has its merits even now.

 

 

Pulled this one from one of my old notebooks from back in my San Diego days.

Poured a rich, medium brown color with a thick off white head. Aromas of raisins, cherries, dark brown sugar and plums. On the palate, this one is fairly full-bodied, thick and chewy, with dark malt, plums, candi sugar and booze. Very good.

750ml bottle shared by jeff at the stuffed sandwich

Poured a very dark chocolatey brown with maroon highlights that had a thin head and left a little lacing sticking to the glass. The aroma was really sweet smelling and malty with dark fruit yeasty tasty notes. It did however have lactic character and fruit notes like cherries and faint brown sugar. The flavor was really tasty consisting of the bready malts, swetness from the yeast and fruits like prunes maybe some raisins but had slight brown sugar toffee accents with a touch of cherries. It also seemed to have a little tartness and and some underlying hoppiness on the backend. The brew was full in body with a fair amount of carbonation which had a sweet, bready, fruity, malty, slight boozy, and silky hoppy finish. It drank pretty good and seemed to have kept up well with age. Definitely tasty and a beer to must try. I hear they occasionally have it on tap at the source.

Considering that three different bartenders recommend I try this brew at Pizza Port Carlsbad, I'm sensing they don't have it very often.

Dark brown with a light tan head. Smells like raisins/figs and sweet ... something.

The taste is shockingly sweet. Raisins/figs/plums, dark brandy drenched fruits, Belgian candi, and an almost sugary sweetness. Very good tasting beer, but be prepared for a dark fruit/sugar bomb.

Mouthfeel was thick and viscuous.

**this review is from a long time ago. I moved it to the correct listing.

750 ml bottle with a black label and yellow writing shared by cquiroga, thanks for giving me a chance to try one of Tomme's early brews, think this bottle was from 2005, consumed 3/28/09, reviewed from notes, poured into my Rader snifter

A-Color is mahogany, some darker tones, 3/4 inch creamy off white head that lasts a while, good retention, and lacing
S-Milk chocolate, wheat, sugar, vanilla, mild citrus, cake batter, soft booze, and figs
T-Starts off with dark malts, dark fruit and candied sugar in the middle, finish is slightly chewy with wheat and other malts, lingering vanilla and chocolate candy in the aftertaste, gets more rich as it warms
M-Sweet, slightly roasty, yeasty, and chewy mouthfeel, medium bodied, moderate carbonation, nice sweet lingering flavor
D-Could probably drink this bottle regardless of its strength, alcohol is hidden well, only really noticable slightly in the smell, smooth and easy to drink for its style

This was a great quad and seems to have aged very well, it was great getting to try the base beer for Cuvee de Tomme, this is truly a great beer and was the strongest that was brewed at Pizza Port prior to Angel's Share in 2006, would love to have again and heard it is on tap in the brewpub still from time to time, hope to come across it soon, recommended

Aroma is deep and rich with chocolate notes and fruit, like black cherries and plums. There are some wine-like tannic undertones. I also get a very low level alcoholic nose.

Dark black colored, but held up to the light it's more of a deep ruby. HAs a big initial head that fades to a thin persistant layer of foam.

There's lots of malty sweetness that's tempered by some Belgian oude-bruin like sourness. It puts me in the mind of Rodenbach with the lactic effect on the tongue. There's lost of cherry and other fruit flavors in with the malt too. Hop bitterness is perceptible but very subdued. Adding to the complexity is some earthy character and maybe even some woody flavors.

Has a full body but it doesn't seem huge. Carbonation level is about right. It seems creamy and definitely hides it's strength well.

Overall this a fantastic effort. It stands up very well on its own. It's also the base beer for Cuvee de Tomme that undergoes barrel aging with fruit. It was my brithday so I dug out a special bottle. This was 2005 vintage.

I was served a bottles of TMOAB at O'Brien's tonight.

Very nice champagne bottle. pours a very dark brown with some red highlights. Thin foamy tan head that settles back into the brew. Nice lacing.

Very sour fruity smells of blackberry, cherry, and plum. Malt hints of chocolate and caramel. Yeasty too.

Very smooth roasted chocolate and toffee initially, followed by a very tart fruity finish. I am not sure of the fruits I taste blackberry, and plum.

Very nice beer, a little sweet but still very nice and smooth, Not sure about the ABV but I'm sure that this will bite me in the ass later.

Cheers!

Pours an opaque, hazy dark amber color that is topped by a frothy, creamy tan to light brown colored head. The aroma is incredibly rich and malty, it jumps out at me as I am pouring this beer. There are notes of concentrated toffee, sweet chocolate, fruity notes of concentrated fig, slightly burnt raisin, brown sugar, and hints of bourbon and oak. The beer has quite a complex aroma, there is a lot going on and it is hard to pick out everything that is floating past my nose.

The beer is quite rich on the palate, yet still not all that sweet for its richness. The finish has a light roast character to it combined with a solid dark chocolate note, both of which linger for quite some time. This beer is quite malty in the taste as well, notes of toasted malt, rich toffee, lots of caramel malt, and definite notes of brown sugar. This beer is so rich and malty, yet is not sweet at all, really quite a paradox in some ways, yet in the end not at all. The combination of rich malt character and hints of roast notes give this beer a slight acidity, and even a bit of saltiness (perhaps in combination a bit of that elusive umami taste). Savory is perhaps the best way to describe this beer, it is rich, palate clinging and full of flavorful complexity; more akin to a rich stew than to a rich desert.

Deepest, darkest, stygian, fully opaque, with a considrable, cocoa-tannish head. Frightening? No, invitening...

Aroma is deep, rich, sweet, molasses, nuts, dark fruit, ...a touch woody, as well, ...delightful spices, ...sublime...

Full attack on the mouth, a sweet, caramel-y, nearly treacly, but utterly sumptuous...cheeries speak up, prunes take a turn, a taste of carob. A wondrous ride in the mouth, a tour through sensational tastes.

Fullest of bodies, long, fruity, thick, rich finish.
Dangittidang this is goodness!
Yum, yummity, yum, yum!
Oh, delish!

750ml bottle obtained via trade with LuckySevens82. Thanks for the opportunity...

Poured into a Rapscallion glass, formed 1 1/2" of dense light brown head over the deep burgundy brew. Head lasts well due to continuous bubbling, with the heaviest foam lacing I have ever seen, as in measurable thickness! Aroma is fruity spiced Belgian malts, with alcohol notes. Taste is similar to the nose, but with dark fruits coming more to the forefront, and much more alcohol character present. Age would probably smooth this out a bit. Mouthfeel and drinkability are both excellent, esp for the style. Wish I had more of this one.

Deep brown color. Minimal head and lacing. Deep and mysterious.

Aroma of spices, yeast, and cherries. Very sweet and enticing. Smells like a bakery at 5 a.m.

Very balanced flavor. Slightly sour, slightyl sweet. And a little tart too. And a slight hop aftertaste as well. A wonderful balancing act of a compendium of rich and diverse flavors.

Caramel and hops proliferate in the aftertaste, with a dose of brown sugar.

Not the mother of all beers for me, but that's because I'm the brother of another mother. One love baby.

750ml. Poured into large red wine glasses.

My beer buddy and I are both hopheads and haven't really delved into Belgians, but when we tasted this at PizzaPort, we couldn't leave without buying a bottle each.

Pours a deep orange brown with a rich layer of foam that settles into a nice thin pillow. Mild haziness increases as we get to the last pour, but the sediment doesn't mar the taste. The nose is incredible. Strongly of caramel and raisin, there is also dark fruit and the sting of significant alcohol. The aroma is just so strong it's amazing. Usually Belgians bewilder me when it comes to taste. Too sweet or sugary, too much banana, etc. This nectar has been the first to hit me as being perfect -- candi sugar is present but not overwhelming. Chewy but not cloying. Raisins are delightful. Hint of roasted flavor, but not like in a porter. Not really chocolatey either. They say they use roasted wheat, and I just don't know how to describe it except to say that I kept sipping and sipping... It's soooo smooth, and the finish is contained -- not syrupy, so you can keep going.

Overall: Best belgian-style I (as a hophead) have had

Bottle courtesy of PMR. Thanks Patrick.
Pours a dark mahogany and caramel brown and maroon. Big, broad fluffed up tan head that maintains some stickiness throughout.
Aroma of some nuts, chocolate, dark fruity fig and date tones and just a hint of yeasty banana or mango.
Flavors of chocolate malt and dark fruits really shine with a hint of cassis and some deep dark earthy tones, almost peaty in nature.
Spiciness creeps up as the beer warms and adds just another very interesting dimension.
Mouthfeel is very full-bodied yet highly drinkable and easy going. Really has a depth and silkiness to it. Alcohol is just enough to make your senses aware of it. Spiciness just cuts the sweetness to make it an incredible drinking experience.
Drinkability is about as good as it gets. If this is the base for Cuvee de Tomme then I better fly my ass to SoCal and find some of that there stuff. Truly awesome.

Pours a very dark brown, virtually opaque, with a thin, even dark tan head. Good lace down the glass.

Aroma is dark and malty with significant fruity notes -- slightly tart cherry and raisin stand out. Quite a strong yeast character, as well, though this will likely mellow with age.

The flavor is marked by a nice Belgian dark malt character. Candi sugar is evident at the front and back end, and combines with a bit of alcohol at the finish to leave a pleasant tingle on the tongue.
More dark fruity characters emerge mid-palate – plum and slightly tart fruits that last to the finish. Pretty sweet, overall, with not quite enough roasty character to balance.

The plentiful and even carbonation helps cut the sweetness a bit, though, and prevents the beer from becoming cloying. Altogether, a reasonably drinkable beer, though you can definitely feel and taste the alcohol! Probably one to cellar for a while.