Four Peaks Barrel Aged Belgian Black Ale

Brewed by Four Peaks Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Tempe, Arizona USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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tap at RBWG-thanks the brewery for lending this keg to us! deep brown with a small off-white head. butterscotch on the nose which is overpowering. dont think this did very well in the barrel. butterscotch and choclate on the flavors and there is nothing else. i dont think this is a very good beer however others seem to think it was great. quite one dimensional and the barrel aging covers up most of the belgian character of this beer.

Nearly black pour with a creamy tan head. Aroma of wood, yeast and ripe fruit. Flavor is slightly sweet and fruity, with some spice and wood. Very nice!

2/17/11. same big black color as before... big time aroma and flavors of balsamic, saba-like grapey fruitiness, potato starch, chocolate and lots of flowery business. there’s a little grit to the texture. it is not as good as before it went in the barrel but certainly not bad and i really enjoy the fact that these local guys are willing to try new things.7/5/5/3/14

enjoyed the weekend of RBWG 2011thanks to the brewery for providing the keg of this for us to enjoy! Pours black with a medium tan head. Aroma is coffee, roast, dark candied sugar. Flavor is sweet roast, cocoa, bitter tobacco and spicy yeast. Nice stuff.

On tap during AZRBWG. Pour is deep brown with a tan head. Aroma shows notes of light roast, chocolate, oak, plums, dates, raisins, and toasted coconut. Flavor shows the same with additional notes of vanilla, clove and light butterscotch. Overall body is moderate and soft.

A solid pour produces a one-finger thick, nicely browned stained, dark tan colored head. The beer is pretty black colored, and hints at some ruby highlights when held up to the light. The aroma mixes fruity fermentation esters with vanillin and spicy oak derived notes in my first whiff of the nose. The combination gets dangerously suggestive of a big, fruity, oak aged red wine at times. The fruit notes remind me of black, fruity plums that are on their way towards becoming prunes, freshly picked red wine grapes, and some solid dried fig notes. There is a supporting malt character to the nose, that is really only noticeable up front, as it succumbs to the fruit and oak notes towards the finish; the malt contributes some roasted notes, more toasted graininess, and perhaps a touch of caramelized malt character. The toasted grain character and the caramelized notes mix with a toasted coconut and vanillin character from the barrel. The barrel character here is actually not over the top here, and other than the nose being a bit too subtle overall, the aroma is quite well integrated and rounded.

My first sip is lightly sweet up front, and quite fruity tasting, which really accentuates the fruitiness even more. The oak here isn’t overbearing, but contributes a definite tannic edge, some toasted woodiness, fruit accentuating vanillin and perhaps a touch of spice to the finish. Again the fruit and oak combine to very strongly suggest flavors of a red wine; strikingly so even and it almost makes me think this was aged in a freshly emptied wine barrel. This sort of tastes a bit like Concord grape juice, though without the foxy grape quality. The fruitiness also suggest of prunes and fig juice. The body is fairly light, despite the sweetness, though it has a touch of viscous heft to it; it definitely has the drinkability that a stronger Belgian inspired brew requires. For a beer so dark, the malt character is actually fairly subdued; soft notes of toasty whole grain, some touches of burnt malt and a dark malt roast character towards the finish that has overtones of burnt caramel.

The most interesting thing about this beer is that it tastes so much like an oaky red wine. The beer seems a bit lackluster somehow, despite having a good suite of flavors and aromas to it; the beer really isn’t lackluster, as I am enjoying it, but it somehow lacks a presence and finesse that is required for a beer to be great. This is certainly worth trying though.

On tap at RBWG, thanks to Four Peaks
Appearance: Black with a medium sized beige head and good lacing
Aroma: Toasted malts, toffee and dark fruits
Taste: Belgian yeast, dark fruits and oak
Decent

Sample at RBWG thanks to four peaks. Pours a nice black with a light brown head. Aroma is oak, bourbon, belgian yeasts, chocolate, caramel, roast. Flavor is dark fruits, bourbon, belgian yeasts, oaky tannins and a bit of sweetness. Nice brew.

An amazing donation from some really great guys. Thanks! Dark pour. Nice saison yeast aroma with some oak and fruit. Flavor is a really nice blend of oak, light spice, fruit and yeast. Rather delicious!

On tap at the Tempe location as well as at RBWG 2011. Pours charcoal in color with a ruby tint around the edges and a creamy brown head. Smells and tastes predominatly of bourbon, cinnamon, toasted coconut, and cranberries. Additional notes of tannins, belgian yeast, and oak in the flavor. Round red grape and biscuity malt profile on the mid with a dryness on the finish. Delicious. Next to Sirius Black this is the best beer I’ve ever had from Four Peaks and maybe from Arizona. Thank you for donating a 5 gallaon keg for our Winter Gathering. Definitely above and beyond.