I just got back from my 5 month project for work in Istanbul. Things have been so hectic these past months that I haven't had a chance to log back on here.
Mr. Wookie,
I'm glad you had a chance to review the Ten-Fidy. I ran down to my favorite beer distributor in Manhattan this past weekend to pick up another pack, along with a few other one's I'm excited to try (Stone 12th Anniversary, Rogue Double Dead Guy, and Stone Vertical Series 08 to name a few). I'll have to throw those reviews up as I sample.
Also, I never got around to posting my review of the Westvleteren 12 from my trip to Poperinge, Belgium. I wrote the review the day of so it should still be accurate. For anyone who's a beer lover, I highly recommend making the trek out to Poperinge. It's a really quaint and fun town. We stayed at a family owned inn that had a great brew pub downstairs serving about 90 Belgian beers or so. Barkeep kept the place open until we were ready to call it a night. The next morning we rented bikes to explore the countryside and make the trek to the Trappist abbey. The bike ride took us past a bunch of amazing farmhouses and the smell of sweet hops permeated the air from all of the hop fields we rode through. Anyone interested in pics, PM me and I can give you my Picasa link.
Anyway, the review:
The pour: Beer served from bottle, poured into a chalice glass. Head is probably a finger deep but less than the 8. Color is a dark black/brown, not much transparency either. Plenty of legging with this beer too, the 11% ABV doesn't hurt with that one.
The smell: The first smell is fruit. Definitely fruit. It ends with a smell of a subtle sweet molasses. The second deeper sniff gives a little detail on the fruit, general consensus is raisins with the same molasses ending.
The taste: Mouthfeel is relatively thick, definitely no watery thinness on this one. The first taste definitely confirms raisins, but there really is some other fruit bit to this that I can't define. The big key was the aftertaste. I don't think I've ever had a quadruple finish with such a smooth aftertaste as this. It's deceptive, a bit dry, and just has you eager to take the next sip.
Overall: It's funny. I've got a pretty strong palette for stouts and IPAs but am such a rookie when it comes to Belgian quadruples like this. It's like I know I'm in the presence of something very special, but just can't fully appreciate it until I try some more Belgians and come back to this one. Needless to say, quite the experience and something very unique that I am sure to revisit again when the time is right.