Urthel Samaranth | De Leyerth Brouwerijen (Urthel)

4.04/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

3.94/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear copper apparance for this certainly big quadrupel. It's definitely less complex than darker versions of quadrupels. It's a lot on the nuts, has a vinous astringent way of presenting itself. Its semi-dry character makes this estery forward ale a nice offering and a beer you can drink down easily even with the high ABV

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4.52/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

3.9/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4.11/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

4.06/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Burgundy colour with some haze and a fluffy head of foam. It sinks quite fast, but the retention is nice and the surface stays covered. Full nose of dates, cinnamon, caramel and hops. The taste follows the smell, though with some added spices like cardamon and pepper. The alcohol is present, which is no surprise at 11.5 abv, but i'm amazed how subtle it blends with the other flavours. It drinks very smoothly and gives a pleasant alcohol warmth. Nice winter stuff.

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3.53/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

4.67/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

P- what is a murky burgundy red with a fin off-white bubbly head.
S- smells like heaven! Loads of dark fruit raisins dates cherries. Tons of melted caramel and Belgian yeast.
T- Taste follows the nose. Tastes like heaven. Fruits are candied. Slight alcohol and hop burn.
M- goes down like Silk. Medium to full-bodied quad. Nice warming from the alcohol. This is a great winter beer.

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4.25/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.15/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

3.95/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

4.5/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.24/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A - Pours a chestnut, raison burgundy color with a thick, ivory colored lacing ring.

S - Plums, raisons, toffee, dark Belgian candy sugar, cherry. Nice dark fruit aroma.

T - Follows the nose: raisons, plums, dates, cherries, some dark toasted Belgian candy sugar sweetness, toffee, and some minimal traces of alcohol (but overall well hidden). No alcohol heat permeating on the way down.

M - Big and full bodied, silky smooth texture.

O - This is a fine Quad.

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3.5/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

4.05/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

330ml bottle poured into a chalice.

Hazy dark brown in color with a little amber tinge, the pour forms up thick foamy tan head with good retention, it slowly subsides to everlasting bubble sheet on the surface along with plenty of sticky lacing patch on the glass-side.

Prune, plum, cherry, dark grape, and dried dark fruits combine into mellow fruitiness affair. Solid malt aroma with a sweet breadiness and caramelized sweetness remind me of fruit cake when combines with the aforementioned ester from yeast. Others than that, there are also sugar, spice, and slight chocolate.

Deep fruity ester covers whole the taste buds, it reminds me of dark fruits, cherry, dark grape, prune, and plum. Thereafter, significant bready sweetness from malt takes over the palate together with a caramel, honey, vanilla, chocolate, and sugar. That is very sweet overall. Anyway, there is some peppery and spice to counterbalance in the middle where same time hop also provides a wee bitterness to fight against that sweet taste. Alcohol is hidden at first but gradually exposes from the middle until reach its peak at the finish with a dry boozy sweetness.

Rather full body with velvety smooth mouthfeel from its soft effervescence that nicely sweeps all over the palate, finish is dry and with some residual sugary sweet.

Complex as Quad standard while same time tasty, hefty, and intense as Quad standard too, it develops on the palate and grows on me sip by sip. No doubt this is a great brew and perfect for sipping in any special occasion.

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4.31/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.24/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

5/5  rDev +23.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

3.75/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

4.38/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

3.35/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Color: brown burgundy, with a slight haze. Beige head, high, average life.
The aroma mainly dark fruit, a touch of roasted, delicate liqueur, nuts, fresh-baked bread.
Taste: dark fruit, roasted plums, light roasted nuts, parched crust of bread.
Gentian "burnt", dry, short but intense.

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4.16/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

In reading through some of the reviews, I'm guessing this yeast and other undetermined variables make this beer somewhat unpredictable.
That's OK, that is part of the charm of Belgians... particularly their Quads (which I usually like... a lot in winter.)
One aspect makes this an average Quad: its sweetness doesn't really get controlled until the very end... after I sipped the last of the ale, the bitterness came out. By then, it was too late.
I enjoyed this and recommend it to Quad lovers, but this one is not balanced enough to be a champ.

Samaranth is listed among the "1001" and deserves to be there. Its got all the quirks Flemish brewers (but actually is contract-brewed by the Dutch Trappists at La Trappe.)

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