The Stoic Belgian-Styled Quad

Deschutes Brewery
Bend, OR

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3: Pretty orange-gold. White, thin head, rings the glass. Hazy.

AROMA: 3.25/4: Spicy, tropical, citrus. Passion fruit, orange blossom, sweet raisin, richly aromatic. Alcohol.

TASTE: 7.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Big, sour, tropical. White raisin, pineapple, orange, passion fruit, chamomile notes.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Whiskey aftertaste, bitter back of the throat. Whiskey sour is there, but the rest is lost.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Chewy, big-bodied. Alcohol tingle.

OVERALL: 2/3: The big body overwhelms the whiskey, relegates it to an aftertaste. If we knew what pomegranate tasted like, we'd have to say it's in there. Good, but BIG.

TOTAL: 14.5/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: Complex, like any good Belgian. I feel like there are almost too many factors at play to evaluate it fairly, but I do like the sour. Worth a shot.
Ben: Maybe they tried to do too much with this. Would be better left with the Belgian yeast profile alone; the whiskey gets lost in the tropical flavors. Big and boozy, almost too much.

Alesmith Horny Devil Ale

Alesmith Brewing Company
San Diego, California

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Highly carbonated. Thick, foamy head, tons of bubbles. Hazy gold, cloudy for a Belgian Golden.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Highly aromatic. Alcohol, cane sugar, sour. Apricot notes. Clean.

TASTE: 7.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Minimal hop flavor. Sour candy, orange sour. Champagne-like. Coriander is lost in the Belgian yeast.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Bitter finish, dry. Sour notes and alcohol linger.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Boozy alcohol warming. Tingles on the tongue, bubbles move upward into your brain.

OVERALL: 2.25/3: A Belgian Quad times two—a Belgian Octuple? On par with Duvel—at 11%, it's a very big beer. Belgian yeast is front and center.

TOTAL: 15.25/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: A good, very big Belgian Golden Ale—well-balanced for as big as it is, tasty but definitely boozy.
Ben: Sinus-clearing! A typical Belgian gold, Belgian yeast is nice and floral. If you like high ABV beers, here's one!

The Reverend Belgian-Style Quadrupel Ale

Avery Brewing Company
Boulder, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.75/3
Very pretty! Ruby red-brown (if there is such a color). Malty, cream-colored head. Clear.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Molasses, prune/raisin, fig newton. Alcohol, definitely. Sweet, bready, very little hop.

TASTE: 7.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Strong, alcohol-y. Meadowy-woody, chewy. Tons of malt, very little hop.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Again: alcohol. Roasted nut, woody. Subtle bitterness. Prune, raisin.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Big and boozy–tingly warming.

OVERALL: 2.5/3: A huge beer, pleasantly complex. Lots of dark flavors–woody, molasses, licorice, prunes, warming alcohol. Tasty.

TOTAL: 16/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: A nice, intriguing, meadowy quad. Pretty, aromatic, really complex—another nice Avery one-off.
Ben: Big, but good. Lots of complex flavors, a tad too much alcohol, but it's offset by the malty body pretty well. A good dessert beer, and we'd definitely buy it again.

Sixth Glass Quadruple Ale

Boulevard Brewing Company
Kansas City, MO

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Orange-brown color. Hazy. Thick, foamy, almond-colored head.

AROMA: 3/4
Sweet nose. Malty, pruny, some orange, lemongrass. Alcohol.

TASTE: 7.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Malty, little hop. caramel, honey, orangey and floral notes. Nutty, pruny. Complex.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Residual sweetness, alcohol warming. Very little bitterness.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Very full, rich. Lots of complex flavors. All taste buds are firing!

OVERALL: 2.25/3: A big, big, BIG beer. Alcohol is there, but it's masked, so watch out–it could come back to bite you!

TOTAL: 15.25/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Tasty, really potent. Use caution, but definitely give it a try.
Ben: Warms me to the toes on a cold day of beer brewing!