A respectable porter - opaque with thin white lacing - coffee-ish aroma - coffee in the flavor as well, some chocolate, a hint of spice and a touch of hops - finish is a little thin - not southampton's best, but quite good.

2002 bottle. Has a pale gold color, with some hazy orange tinges, had a huge foamy white head, plenty of lacing. Aroma of mild hay, some sharper leather/sweet fruit notes. An older, stronger peach/alcohol aroma is apparent as well. Begins with a good amount of malt, quite wet on the palate but flavor dries out towards finish with some mild astringency. Very dry biscuity nuances, and a whole lot of carbonation add a peppery element, that, when mixed with the drier, moderately bitter hops, reminds me slightly of a rusty, earthy flavor. Body is a solid medium, a little bit of thinning as it warms.

2004 bottle My second sampling of 2 different vintages of a Southampton bottle (the other being the Grand Cru). And it makes for a good experience. Appearance is a five for me off the bat. Tons of white foamy head and lacing, rich copper-amber color. In fact, that’s what I recall the 2002 being like, not sure why I only gave it a 4 then. Aroma is full of dough, biscuits and more yeast than I recall. Hops are apparent in the nose and the flavor, giving a good balance but an odd feel for a biere de garde, overall. Peppermint, green hops, sweet cherries and wheat bread. Gets dry and biscuity with a strange musty yeast, on the end. Medium to medium-full body, no alcohol apparency. I’ll up the appearance a point, I’m satisfied with the rest.

2005 bottle Fortunately, I didnt find this to have had an off-year, as so many from this brewery had in 2005. Same great appearance, spectacular lacing, retention, etc...Muted fruits in the nose, with light caramel, dry yeast and almond/vanilla notes. That trademark cellar flavor that I find this one employs so well to authenticate this style. Apples, cherry blossoms, vanilla, and a very strong balance, with engaging carbonation. Definitely a bit too sweet yet, however, and I’m sure in a couple years, the yeast will have had time to really elaborate on things in the flavor. Dry, almond paste and honey-covered red apples in the finish, with a light acidity. Some alcohol apparent.

2006 bottle Now contracted out of Sly Fox, but to me, it seems every bit as good. Great appearance, Sly Fox knows how to bottle. Sweet honey, nuts and lightly tart yeast in the nose, very sticky, with lots of fluffiness from the yeast and a bit of alcohol perfuminess. Sweet, very malty flavor seems a little bit more pale (not as heavily caramel and bready as I recall) but every bit as rich and chewy. The bottle was very fresh and still needs time to condition. Another great vintage, this beer seems immune from the downward slide SHPH has been on lately.

2002 Bottle #461 of 500:
Very dark brown colour with ruby highlights. Thin large-bubbled tan head. Super-sweet aroma of caramel, pit fruits, caster sugar and slightly chocolate. Other aroma of hops, figs, and green grapes. Full-bodied; Astringent opening followed by a mellow maltiness mixed with the afformentioned fruits. Sort of shallow for a barley wine, but initally comlex. Aftertaste dwindles and only shows some minute sweetness and an alcoholic warming. Dryed palate and left warm and bittered. Overall, this beer is pretty good, but could use a little work. This bottle easily has a year on it, and it most likely wont improve much with more time. A good attempt, but not worthy of its brothers-Grand Cru, Biere De Garde, etc. I bought this twelve ounce bottle at Beers of the World in Rochester, New York and sampled it as #713 in the year.

This is a beautiful beer - perfectly clear golden, with a hint of red - some of the most impressive lace work I've seen in a while - very yeasty aroma, some cellared qualities, orange peel - creamy, yeasty flavor, almost doughy - lemon rind, medium malt presense - hops make an appearance in the finish, touch of dryness - Southampton makes much better, but this is still a very good beer.

This is a pretty mediocre beer by Southampton's standards - interesting yeastiness - bready flavors - slight smokiness - mild and easy drinking, but uneventful in all respects.

This is much like their dry stout, though not as sweet, I suspect from the bit of sea salt they add, which is quite noticable in the flavor, esp. in its dry finish - some chocolate notes and roastiness like many stouts - full mouthfeel, and even a touch of fruitiness in the finish (plums, perhaps) - a great all-around stout from a great all-around brewpub.

Slightly hazy darker golden colour with a dense larger-bubbled head. Musty aroma of sweet grapes, mushrooms and farmhouse 'freshness'. Light-bodied; Very subtle grapeyness with some interesting faint earthy flavours. Aftertaste actually very subtle and only showing a bit of the grapeyness. Overall, alright, but to be honest-I was expecting more! I bought this 75 cL bottle at Beers of the World in Rochester, New York and brought it to Knoxville, Tennessee for Haddon90 (Phil) and myself to sample on 28-September-2003.

(draught) Dark amber; light fluffy white head. Slight bitterish hoppy nose spiking on a very malty basesmell - quite aromatic. Very malty in the best way, roasted flakes, grain, wholemeal. Very well-bodied, slick mouthfeel. Good beer - little Alt-y. Let's say I keep preferring Z. Uerige Sticke.