La Trappe Quadrupel

Brewed by De Koningshoeven (Bavaria - Netherlands)
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Tilburg, Netherlands

Huge head. Deep orange, slightly murky, yet inviting. Aroma is sweet bread, dark fruit. Obviously sweet but reasonably balanced. Fruity up front with a hint of banana, then raisins; finish is bitter licorice, pleasant and lasting. Smooth mouthfeel and delicate taste. Low spiciness but decent depth nonetheless. 10% alcohol adds warmth without spoiling the flavours. A very drinkable, gentle, if not too subtle or complex specimen of the genre.

30cl, from De Hopduvel Gent, complex brew, yet heavy, balanced, hazy, good head, very good Trappist

750ml bottle poured into a tulip glass. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get a head on this ale. The body was a beautiful reddish-brown. The alcohol was warming and pleasant and went well with the sweetness of fruits and spices. I agree that this was more barleywine-like than I expected.

Found somewhere in Odessa, Ukraine. A real gentle giant: fruity, malty, caramelly, sweet and very intense all the way. Alcohol is persistent but it is so warming and delicate. Nice.

.33L bottle, small pale coffee coloured head, deep dark orange colour which is a touch hazy, malty aroma with notes of dates, figs, brown sugar, vanila pod and some fruits, fruity sweetness with some banana and dates presence, also some light caramel, alcoholic presence but not overpowering and turning suprisingly and pleasantly sour, syrupy texture and coating your mouth. A pleasure.

330ml bottle into eponymous branded Trappist glass. The beer pours a translucent dark brown with a dark red hue and a medium lingering tan head that provides excellent lacing. Complex aromas of caramel, burnt brown sugar, figs, plums, vanilla bean, cherry-flavoured cough syrup, alcohol and warming peppery spices. Tastes not as sweet as the nose would suggest with a rich full body and a syrupy mouthfeel. Certainly plenty going on here to keep you occupied. A pleasure to drink - the slower the better.

750 ml. bottle. Pours a exuberant off white head, minimal lacing, over a clear, amber (SRM 13-15) body......nose heavy with fruity esters including plum,dried cherry, bit of Belgian funk, toffee, caramel.....taste is sweet initially and throughout, with balancing dried fruits including cherry, raisin, bit of pepper, finishing slightly dry and with mild hop bitterness....mouth feel is medium, body surprisingly light, carbonation medium. This is a nice example of the style, fruity esters dominate, alcohol is obvious, sweetness is slightly subdued, hop balance is used with a light hand. The BJCP has called this more "Barley Wine" in style, I can’t get to there from here.

12 oz bottle served in a tulip glass. Pour looks brownish, but when held up, is really deep amber. Four thick fingers of wet, light tan river foam set atop of this brew. Nose is not overbearing at all, it’s mostly Belgian yeast and some light spice. Taste is quite pleasing. The yeast is prevalent, with the spices dancing around your tongue as the finish turns into a warming sensation in the chest. There is also something sweet that surfaces about 30 seconds after the swallow … not really sure, but I think it is candied sugar. Although most of the categories won’t get the highest of marks, I really enjoyed this one. Great companion to a chilly evening!