La Trappe Quadrupel

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

Draft at TJ’s: Aroma of yeast, dark ripe fruits, light cherry, spices, and medicine. Poured copper/brown in color with a small, off-white head that greatly diminished but lasted throughout. Clear. Not sparkling. Good lacing. Flavor is lightly sweet. Tastes of medicine, yeast, light bubblegum, allspice, spices, malts, and wood. Medium body. Dry, mineral texture. Average carbonation. Sweet, medicine, and wood finish.

Golden Orange, with a big white head. Grainy, "beery" aroma. Crisp aand hoppy at the start, but a thick, "bread in a glass" finish. Ends up clean, though, with very little after taste.

I happened to have a Westy 12 today as well as drinking this, and I think this compared favorably, though not completely. The biggest differences were: the palate wasn’t as soft (it was more fizzy than frothy), the flavor was sweeter, with more obvious sugars less balanced by hops, and a marginal gap of flavor complexity. Still, there was a fair amount of stuff to like here, including the broad malt profile, the Belgian sugars, the alcoholic bite on the palate, and the generally attractive beer in your glass. Life is good.

Had this in the smaller bottle at Old Chicago. $8 for this little treasure, but it was so worth it. An incredible pour, very deep rich which gives way to a deep ruby color with a huge creamy head. I mean as soon as you open the bottle and begin to pour, the aroma fills the room, with a fragrant floral aroma that is likened to walking into a flower shop that is right next door to a bakery and maybe a produce department for the fresh fruit aromas. The taste is like a very very good brandy, or scotch. The burn is their but quickly fades in a texture on your tongue that is very exciting. An incredible mouthfeel, with flavors that are too long to list. Extremely complex and lively. One of my new favorites.

Bottle from Spechs; Webster, TX; nose of spiceess, caramel, sweetness, and vanilla; Lightly hazed dark amber with a small tan head; flavor of spices, alcohol, caramel, and yeastiness. Good quad!

[2000-2001] Re-rate: I was VERY unfair to this beer in my original rating. I had a bit of a head cold, so that may have had something to do with it. This beer has a beautiful head and a dark amber color, with an aroma rich with fruits of all kinds. It has a very full body with a malty and sweet flavor. I still taste a lot of fruit and chocolate in this one, but I find it more pleasant this time. The alcohol content is very well masked. Original rate: 3 - The aroma of this beer is dominated by fruit (raisins, apples) and alcohol, which is also what is most present in the flavor. The alcohol presense swells gradually in your mouth, until your tongue receives a burning/cleansing sensation that I expect more from wine than from beer. There are some subtle notes present, though. Chocolate being the one I notice the most. It’s pretty good, I guess.

I actually think its a little light for a quadruple. But I don’t really mind that. The aroma is sweet and fruity with some spice. There is brown sugar, coriander, bananas, and yeast. The palate is a little thin. There is a nice malt aftertaste but the alcohol is not well hidden in this one. Also I detect a metallic element but overall it has a nice taste.

(Draught at Monk’s Café, Stockholm, 17 Nov) Dark amber colour with small, brief head. Fruity, spicy nose with notes of dried apricots and underlying sweetness. Slightly closed. Fruity and spicy taste with dried fruit and apricots. Full body, rather sweet, with a spicy finish. Alcohol and sweetness shining through a tad too much. Nice though, and very warming.