New Glarus Unplugged Belgian Quadruple

Formerly brewed at New Glarus Brewing Company
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
New Glarus, Wisconsin USA

Serve in Trappist glass

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it is what it is ...............isnt that the best way to describe all beer?......thats what my buddy JediMindTricks tells me...........this is the way to rate beer.......it is what it is.........report this to the admins, sillyboy.

UPDATED: AUG 23, 2008 Interesting is the best way I would describe this one. Aroma of oak and fruit. Pours a peach mohogany with a fading head. Not what I was hoping for, but exceeded my expectation in another path. Its fizzy, sour, oaky (similar to the enigma) and finishes smooth.

Amber golden color with an off white head that doesn’t get too big but it stays around for quite a while. I really like the aroma. Sour notes almost like a sour ale, some bourbon notes, a little vanilla. Taste is quite different from the nose, some good spices, nutmeg, coriander, also some caramel, and vanilla. Also some yeast funky notes that I like. Very good and it masks the alcohol pretty damn well. I would expect nothing less from New Glarus.

Pours an awesome reddish amber color with a white head that maintains a ring around the glass, but no lacing. Appearance is awesome, but I require a better head for a higher rating. Smell consists of nutmeg, allspice and some sour, yeast funk. Taste starts out with plenty of spice with a little bit of funk in there as well. I was thinking there would be more bourbon flavors in this, as it was aged in bourbon barrels, but turns out the bourbon was hardly noticeable. Finishes with some oak and some sourness. The sour tastes are not brutal, they just seem to add some nice complexities to the beer and seem to be balanced nicely with a bit of sweetness. Mouthfeel felt full bodied, but finished a bit dry, carbonation was soft, but still noticeable. This was another good offering from New Glarus and I get the feeling this one will age very well. Additional info: If you are expecting a beer similar to St. Bernardus, you will not get what you expected. This is, however, a damn solid beer that I will be aging as well as enjoying plenty right now. Alcohol has got to be high as this bottle is kicking my ass, but there is no alcohol burn or tastes when drinking.

Bottles from captaincougar, robertsreality. Pours copper with a thin white ring and some sustained carbonation. Smells of perfume, roses, some nice wildness (guess that’s the Brett), and sweet malt. Tastes of caramel, chewy toffee, and earthy with some brown sugar. This seems to be going the La Trappe route and does it well. Some hints of cherries and even touches of lemon and oak emerges as this beer warms. Mouthfeel on this is lemony and earthy. Finish is sweet with some lasting spiciness. Alcohol is not detectable on this one, making it dangerously drinkable. I think this might be the first American example to emulate La Trappe Quad as well as this does. Excellent!

UPDATED: MAR 1, 2007 Maybe it’s my pro-bourbon bias, but it was love at first whiff for me on this one. The initial smell is nuts & vanilla, dried fruit and ever so slightly redolent of bacon. The texture is rich and heavy, one of the densest feeling ales in the mouth I’ve ever had, almost like a dessert wine. It’s perhaps a tad sweeter than I’d like, but it’s not cloying or out of balance. It transforms into a sour fruit finish and hands for a long time. This is another winner in the unplugged series, maybe the best yet.

Bottle. Belgian candi sugar, fruity nose. Some allspice. Hazy, reddish copper body. Large, yellowish off-white head. Lasting. Plumes of carbonation rise from the bottom of the glass. Excellent lace. Sweet and alcoholic. Belgian character, although an American bent is fairly evident. Well made. Plenty of flavor. Very tasty, not cloying. This is not an extraordinary example of the style, but it is an excellent beer in its own right.

Bottle from James--thanks! Oh my, this is good. Amber with a bright reddish tint and a thin but lasting off-white head. Nose tells me bourbon, oak, brett, sour cherries, and some vanilla. An earthy/woody/herbal characteristic to it as well. Less bourbon/wood on the palate. A bit more vanilla; some tea notes, nice brett. Sweet notes of brown sugar. Still tart... strong but no burn. Very balanced, if lacking a huge degree of complexity. Great long finish. I really like this beer.

Dark amber orange color with a tall canvas colored head when poured into my Triple Karmeliet glass. Decent lacing. Dusty dry malt aromas with hints of cherries, light oak and a crisp Brett component. The more I sniff the more I like. Not overly complex, but subtleties exist with some cortland apples and light cloves. Quite smooth and slightly oily on the palate. It is quite amazing how the temperature changes the character of this one. At a local beer tasting it was served ice cold and was light, nearly fluffy and thin. Now warmer it is full and warming. I have to give it a 5 just because of the transformations this one can go through. Pale malt goodness start. Hints of lavender, mace and strong vanilla. This is one to set by the fire with. Light oak in the linger with a touch of single malt scotch dancing about. The stomach is starting to warm, but the throat and mouth only have a mild tingle. Likely a touch to sweet and malty for some, but for me, a self confessed malthead (with hophead tendencies), this is another awesome brew New Glarus. I’ll be stocking up on this one.

Wow, this smells great! Cherries, oak, vanilla, red wine vinegar and cream with a hint of earthiness. Taste is dark fruits, malty, sea salt, and alcohol followed by a rush of alcohol, tartness, and tannins that clear everything up making this into an 11% session beer. Such an immense amount of depth to every part of this beer, but easy to drink; it is the hallmark of a truly great beer. The barrels that gave this beer life also graced the lives of the Bourbon Barrel Bock, those were some great barrels!