Alley Kat Abbey Kat Belgian Style Quad

Brewed by Alley Kat Brewing Company
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Edmonton, Canada

Serve in Trappist glass

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"Clear brown body with a fizzy cap, brew looks ok for a "Brown Ale" but for a quad it off. Aroma is nice....seems to have the proper Belgian yeast profile, cherry or possibly plumb, pepper, liquorish, some alcohol. Very sweet...almost to sweet....way to sweet. Taste is all correct for an Abbey Quad but it is of a low quality and poor execution. Just got a huge mouth full of pennies. Nuts and plum, some caramel, cloves, banana really starting to shine through. Beer seems chalky. Daaaaa......I actually don’t mind this beer nothing taste bad but nothing taste exactly right either."

Bottle [660ml] shared with garthicus & HogTownHarry -- c/o GregClow. March 21. Pours a very deep ruby, almost brown, with an average size diminishing frothy off-white head. Aroma is sugary sweet and yeasty along with some dark fruit. Flavour of dark fruit, a bit sugary sweet and with a touch of alcohol. Average bodied. Too sweet for me, just O.K.

K, for my own sake - reading otSher reviews of this beer... its pretty crappy but I will say that I do find the quad style in it. Ok colour with some sediment, dark brown beer with a thin light brown head that never lasts. The aroma is fairly spicy, molasses and brown sugar, little bit of pepper, clove and alcohol - this does improve but the overlying sweetness is pretty hard to get past especially early on and those impressions are lasting. The taste has not improved to the same level as the aroma did. Too damn sweet and a mix that has the right characters but if they aren’t put in the right amount then you run into problems. The bitterness is a bit off and the spice blend of pepper, sweet red licorice and clove don’t sit well with it. Molasses and sugar, maybe plum, dark caramel, meh. Ok mouthfeel I guess I’m bored. Little enjoyment with this one.

this.is.laughable. What an abortion of a "quad". Pours a ruby brown with a foamy wet fart of a cap. The aroma. I’m certain I didn’t wring out my 4day sweaty sock into a bag of pepper. But clearly I did. And I’m drinking it. Awesome. The taste. Seriously, it’s sugar water with more pepper. Oh, and you know the jam that gets stuck under your finger nail when you scratch your taint really hard and it feels so good your eyes roll back? that finger nail jam shouldn’t be considered a beer malting agent. Unless you want to brew a beer like this. And all this in 650ml...

Bottle shared with northropfrye at Beer Bros. Regina. This was a great Belgian ale. Fruity, rich, complex, nicely sweet, aromatic. Everything I like in a beer.

This was a great quad. Dark brown colour. Very aromatic with dark fruits, roasted malts. The flavour is true to style; you can hardly tell this was made in Canada, rather than Belgium. Fruity, masked abv, excellent all around.

UPDATED: MAR 31, 2012 (First Taste, Home, New 650mL Bottle, Lager Glass, 9.4% ABV, Chilled, 23/03/12. #19.)

Appearance (4/5): Pours a dark and hazy cola brown, with an average sized, frothy, light brown head with good retention and good lacing.
Aroma (7/10): Fruity raisin and prune with roasted caramel and clove dominate, finishing with notes of cocoa, coffee, and toffee.
Taste (7/10): Begins very fruity sweet with a little acidity, finishes slightly bitter with lingering sweetness.
Palate (4/5): Medium body, slightly oily texture, lively carbonation, and a dry, warming finish.
Overall (15/20): This is my first abbey style beer, and I found it quite pleasant. The alcohol is very well hidden, the sweetness is not overpowering, and the warming finish is very nice. One of Alley Kat’s best in my opinion.
Drinkability: 3/5. Character: 4/5. Buy Again: Yes.

Thanks to GregClow , Appearance: Cola black/brown, very thick off white head. Aroma: Yeasty, a little raspberry, wet cardboard, cereal, resin. Flavour: Blackberry, yeast, cloves, a little tart, dry with a bitter finish.

Single bottle purchased from Kensington Wine Market on 03/01/2012 in Calgary, AB. Colour: almost black with high and stubborn off-white head. Nose: plum-like fruits, some merlot wine. Swirling brings out fresh gala apple and light gingerbread. Balanced and charming. Taste: medium-high sweet, medium-light bitter, medium sour. The malt is thick and strong and everlasting. Rich cherry but becomes too rich and turns into sugar dominance. Almost too much by the end of my 650ml bottle.

Dark brown pour with large tan head. Aroma of toffee, caramel and clove. Taste is malty, caramel, brown sugar, a touch of clove and lightly hoppped finish. High carbonation but smooths out as it warms to room temp. Not all that complex but kudos to Alley Kat for bringing some local attempts at a great beer style.

Bottle. Maybe pretty fresh for style. Dark mahogany with fluffy foam. Rich malt aroma with some light molasses. Flavour is chocolate and burnt coffee. Easy to drink. Lots of spice as it warms. More dark woody chocolate. Thick palate. Maybe not as complex as the Trappists but tasty. Hard to find the big ABV.