Vic
Southampton Publick House

 

 

 

 

 

Bomber into a Weyerbacher tulip. Big thanks to Tony for sharing this one - I'm always excited to try another Southampton specialty.

A: Black body with brown highlights; 1/2" head of tan, frothy foam. Ok retention, light lace. Decent.

S: Sharp, aromatic Brett, tannins, chocolate, and straight oak. It smells like an amazingly awesome basement, and that's a compliment.

T: Wine, vanilla oak, chocolate malt, and some additional winey grape. Dry, Bretty finish. Delicate and delicious.

M: Medium body, soft carbonation. Nice.

O: Don't expect a traditional Porter at all, and you should be ok. This one is all about the wild yeast and the barrel, and I'm a fan.

Cheers!

Drank from a 22 oz./650 ml bottle purchased at the Southampton Publick House, Southampton, NY
Served in a pint glass
Thanks to my friend Matt for buying me this rare treat.

Deep, dark brown/black and quite oily in appearance. The liquid was topped by a foamy, dark tan, one finger tall head that faded to a thick, clingy ring of froth.

The nose was incredibly interesting. Super funky and tart with strong brett notes. Somewhat fruity with a distinct, lactic sourness. Surprisingly, quite red wine-like. Tart raspberry and cherry notes were noticeable. The tartness was offset by a semi-sweet maltiness. Slightly roasty. Overall, the beer smelled much more like an American wild ale than any type of porter I have tried.

The flavor profile was quite unique as well. Lots of dark, somewhat roasty malts on the front end. Rich and robust. The beer turned moderately funky and sour in the center. Like in the nose, some fruity and tart, berry-like notes were apparent. Quite vinous and slightly tannic. The finish was quite crisp, tart, dry and oaky with lingering fruit and tannins.

The mouthfeel was medium-full bodied. Smooth and creamy with a fine yet lively effervescence.

Southampton VIC is an especially intriguing beer. Aside from the fact that this is a unique rendition of a historic style, I found it remarkably tasty and complex.

Thanks for sharing this, Peter.

Pouring a dark brown with reddish brown highlights, this beer has a creamy, dense light brown head with good retention and lacing. The nose is fantastic. Mildly lactic with a fruity yeast character to go with a moderate roast, there's a woody, vanillin character as well, mildly smoky. A little cocoa is also present, along with a vinous character. The palate opens with a blend of lactic tartness and roasted malt, with moderate funk and cocoa. Moderately oaky, the tannins work well with the lactic acid. Again, a touch of smoke is present, and the fruity yeast character is rather marvelous. Medium in body with soft carbonation, this is creamy on the palate with the acid providing a nice counter to it. Mildly tart on the finish lingering vinousness, this beer is wonderful. I imagine this is what the old world porters and stock ales were like.

Drank at the Southampton Mega Tasting.

A - A brown beer that yellows a bit on the edges. Little bit of foam that left the sides of the glass clean.

S - Smells vinous, with cherries and lactic sourness. I don't like much lactic stuff in my porters.

T - A vinous taste with a touch of brett. Sour cherries and chocolate at some tartness to this, but it is a bit distracting as opposed to being good. This is interesting, but besides the tartness, there is too much wood and earthtones to this to be great.

M - Needed some more body. Tannic finish, moderate carbonation.

O - Kind of a strange beer that I don't have any need to drink again. Just not my thing, particularly with the brett thrown into a porter.

Another brew courtesy of shaebs99. Thanks man! Served in a Heady Topper glass.

A - Less carbonated than the rest of its Southampton brethren. Pours to a half-finger of tan foam that settles to a thick collar and partial cap. Opaque dark brown color.

S - Red wine, some brett funk, tart cherries, lactic sourness, and oak. Not much of the base beer is apparent.

T - The flavor is heavier in overt barrel flavors - oak, vanilla, and red wine. There's some tart cherry and lactic sourness in the periphery, and very little in the way of English Porter.

M - A touch thin, probably because it's a medium ABV brew that spent a long time in wood. Carbonation is medium and pleasant, but body is a bit watery. Finish is very dry and tannic.

D - Well - it's over-oaked and the base beer has been largely obliterated. On the flipside, the other flavors are interesting enough to carry this and make it mildly successful in my book. I always dig "period" beers too, as it frequently gives perspective as to how good we have it in the 21st century. Worth trying if you're into historic English beer styles, but probably not essential otherwise.

Southampton Mega Tastinf!

A - Pours black, cream-colored head, no lacing or retention.

S - Brett funk, chocolate, roast, oak.

T - Lots of Brett funk, chocolate, oak, slight tart.

M - Medium, good carbonation, rich and smooth, creamy finish.

D - Not really into the Brett and porter combo. Meh.

Thanks to Rdauen75 (Rick) and thedominator (Al) for this one. Poured from a 22oz. bomber into a Southampton oversize snifter.

A: Aggressive pour yields a 1 finger coarse, light coffee head with decent retention. Beer is a dark, near opaque, reddish-brown. Lacing is thick, frothy, and layered with good stick. An attractive beer.

S: Nose is very unique. Bottle states that this was aged in wood but I'm wondering if those were wine barrels. Big, vinous nose with boldsour cherry and grape notes. Woodiness is prominent. I feel like I'm sticking my nose directly into an empty wine barrel. Char and smokiness also detectable along with some tobacco and cigar mustiness. Unique and enjoyable overall but strays far from the norm.

T: Opens smoke and charred wood. Roasted malt bitterness mixed with wet bark. Sour cherry presence is apparent but subtle at the same time. Dark bitter chocolate and cocoa powder mixed with tobacco and dried tea leaves at the end. A very unique beer that I'm really struggling to wrap my head around. Finish is spicy with a sour cherry aftertaste.

M: Medium bodied with low carbonation. Smooth and silky in the mouth with just a touch of dryness. Goes down nice and easy. Finish is accented with a lingering, filmy aftertaste.

D: A very weird, awkward, and ultimately, as I've already said, spectacularly unique beer. I'm still on the fence about this one as I'm not sure whether I love it or hate it. At least it goes down easy. Worth a try but keep an open mind with this Southampton offering.

lantern corps beer summit 2010 - day 1, oct 8/2010. Jw347 contributed this one. thanks john!

22oz bottle topped with black foil.

pours dark brown with nice red highlights showing when held to the light. a small fine light tan head forms and leaves a few spots of lace as it falls.

aroma is great. lemon. light cider vinegar. faint hints of dark chocolate and coffee. light alcohol. hint of caramel. apple. bit of toffee. white bread and cracker.

taste is great. much like the aroma, but more chocolate comes out. lemon. light cider vinegar. restrained sourness. faint coffee. light alcohol. hint of caramel and toffee. bit of apple. white bread and cracker. low bitterness level. woody and earthy.

mouthfeel is good. big body but with a fairly dry finish. just under medium carbonation level.

drinkability is good. good balance. restrained sourness. good stuff!

Thanks to the stalwart shaebs99 for another great S'hampton bottle.

Pours dark brown with ruddy highlights; dense, tan, two-fingered head fades quickly; not much lacing.

After the initial, massive barnyard smell goes, the smell is burnt straw, wet dog, crabapple, sour cherry, chalk, copper.

The taste starts off malty and sweet, then a quick tangy hit -- not citric, more like wood sorrel --, moving into a deeply funky finish, with a dry crabapple finish.

It's moderately carbonated, pretty thick, some molasses-like tackiness.

Complex enough to linger over, but quite enjoyable.

22oz bomber received in a trade with billyshears thanks!

Appearance: Pours dark brown with red folds and a 2 finger off white (same color as guiness) crown that displays good retention and lace.

Smell: A moderate cider vinegar note, some roast malt, and some brett producing a bit of funk and a bit of lemon. Understated and well crafted.

Taste: Same as nose.

Mouthfeel: Despite the nice creamy dense head, the beer is a bit flat. It does improve as it warms though.

Drinkability: Goes down easily. A good English Porter.

Tasted in fluted glass at Southampton, from 22oz bottle. Bottle says is it aged over a year in wood with Brettanomyces.

A: Very dark red, very little light came through, three fingers of fairly quick fading head, with strong carbonation.

S: Rich coffee comes to the forefront, a light funk is present in the middle, and there is a touch of oak in the back-round.

T: Roasted malts open up depth of complexity on the tongue, a touch of tart funkiness through the drink, a light malt sweetness rounds out the end.

M: Strong on the palate, a light tang from the Brett, lingers nicely after each taste.

D: Very drinkable, enjoyable on its own or with sesame tuna. I wish there was more. A wonderful version of the style.