Smuttynose Gravitation

I've been looking forward to reviewing this Belgian beast ever since I picked it up at Julio's in Westborough, MA. Gravitation is part of Smuttynose Brewery's big beer series, which can be found here.

Appearance: The color is a very deep red, almost brown, that is opaque, cloudy, and very little in terms of carbonation rising. There is a thin layer of lacy head, but just enough to coat the surface. Looks pretty menacing, like Chimay Grande Reserve (blue).

Smell: Citrus, fruity, and sweet with some hints of caramel. There's some raisin, apricot, and something else I just can't put my finger on. The scent is pretty bold but inviting.

Taste: Caramel and toasted malts with a spicy finish. Very sweet, sort of like licorice, so much so that it overpowers almost any fruit or citrus flavors. You expect quads to be on the sweet side, but this seems a little much.

Mouthfeel: Pretty smooth, medium bodied, coats the palate and little carbonation. It does leave quite an alcoholic kick on the aftertaste that takes a few sips to get used to.

Drinkability: I definitely wouldn't drink more than a bomber in a night because of the sweetness and the whopping 12% abv. There is no exact bottling date shown, but there is a notch in the label saying this beer was bottle-conditioned in 2010, so it must be relatively fresh. I wonder how this beer would age to see if the sweetness would mellow out just a bit. There's nothing wrong with the beer, I just wasn't overly impressed. 7.5/10

Glass type: Duvel tulip glass
Serving type: Bottle, 22 oz.

Ommegang Three Philosophers

My final review of the weekend. These bombers are putting a hurting on me, but it's been a hell of a ride. I wish I could drink like I did in college, but then I would be sucking down Natty Light and lighting up the pong table with Jimmy the Face. Young Gunz for life! Ok, enough of that, on to the review.

Appearance: A great dark brown color with that signature lacey finger deep head of most Belgians, it retains its head pretty well, taking quite a bit for it to disappear, couldn't see a damn thing through if I tried, without the head and the carbonation rising, you would almost mistake it for a stout

Smell: Fruity hops, mainly cherry, which is no surprise since the bottle touts that 2% of the beer is ale with added cherries, the one drawback being that no malts come through the smell because of the cherries, but that could just be my sensitivities

Taste: Wow, not what I was expecting at all, only the slightest hint of cherry with the oakey malts playing a huge role in the taste, the cherry and other fruits leave a great finish though

Mouthfeel: Well carbonated all the way down, heavy body leaves a full presence in your mouth, in between light and chewy

Drinkability: This beer definitely makes its presence felt at 9.8% abv. A good nightcap for me, but I definitely would not have more than one or two of these. I know you shouldn't make direct comparisions between two different styles of beer (although they are both Belgian, this is a Quadrupel and the Chimay is a Trappist Dubbel), but you can definitely notice the difference of styles. The Three Phils is aggressive in both feel and taste with distinct parts while the Chimay is more subtle and lets the ingredients play with each other. However, I do recommend this beer and will probably buy it again. It's hard for the American breweries to truly do it like the Belgians, but this puts up a fight. I give it a 8/10.

Serving type: Bottle
Glass type: Duvel Snifter