Abbey Normal Quad
BJ's Restaurants & Brewery

From the "beer in a bag" (!??!!) from the brewery in a snifter.
This bladder of brew pours a dark brown mahogany with a
red tinge and a decent head of off white foam that subsides to
a thick ring, thin dusty layer, and sports some light lacing.
Nose of dark brown sugars, dark fruits, and light vinous notes.
Flavors follow but far exceed with dark raisin bread, fig, date,
brown/Belgian candy sugar, and faint herbal notes. Nice
mouth feel; medium body, smooth, light carbonation,
lightly warming, and finishing moderately dry with some
wine like notes as well as faint cherries.

Overall, a solid little brew from a decent brewery
that I have not reviewed much from before.

Bought from tri-county location in Cincinnati which
also has some very good pizza.

Cheers

 

 

Served on tap in a tulip glass

Appearance – The beer is hazy brown red color with a one finger head of fizzy white foam. The head fades super fast leaving just a tiny trace of lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell – The aroma of the brew is heaviest of dark fruit aromas with lots of raisin, plum, and cherry along with some smells of spice. The spice is bit of black pepper and some clove along with other aromas of some candied sugar as well as a toasted malt smell. Along with a little bit of a warming alcohol taste, one is left with a nice warming and robust aroma overall.

Taste – The taste begins with a lightly toasted bready taste mixed with tons of dark fruits of plum and cherry. Along with these tastes coms some lighter raisin tastes as well as some candied sugar and a bit of yeastiness. The sweeter candied sugar and cherry tastes grow stronger as the tastes moves forward with them getting rather potent toward the end. Some other flavors of a light spice of clove and coriander also come to the tongue and are joined by a bit of yeast. Toward the end some boozy tastes join the taste and with all the increase in the sweet and a little bit of hay one is left with a rather fruity and warming taste to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is medium to slightly thinner for a quad with a carbonation level that is rather average. A little higher carbonation level may have been slightly better, but in all reality the feel was quite nice and made for a very easy sipping and warming brew.

Overall – A nice and robust quad with lots of dark fruit and a nice level of spice, alcohol, and just enough malt to keep it balanced. A very flavorful and well crafted quad.