Quadraphonic
Barrel of Monks Brewing
Story by:
Editorial Dept.
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
Year-Round
Florida
United States
Judges Ratings 78
Aroma: 20 / 24
Flavor: 32 / 40
Appearance: 5 / 6
Mouthfeel: 7 / 10
Overall Impression: 14 / 20
Description
Quadraphonic is the strongest of our Abbey series and is meant to be sipped and savored. It is a dark brown ale with a complex profile. On the nose, expect malty sweetness with complex esters including some dark fruit aromas (raisin, plum, fig). The mouth feel is medium carbonation with full body, there is a rich creamy head. The flavor is rich and full, a real “mouth bomb”. Malt flavors predominate, with spicy and dark fruit notes - raisins and dark cherries with dark chocolate come to mind. It is fairly dry for the ABV, keeping it “digestible” as the Belgians would say. This is a smooth drinking beer that can be dangerous, go easy on this one!
Beverage Profile
ABV: 10.50%
IBUs:
Served at: ()
Hops:
Malts:
Judges Review
By Rodney A. Tillinghast
Judges Ratings 78
Aroma: 20 / 24 / 24
Flavor: 32 / 40 / 40
Appearance: 5 / 6 / 6
Mouthfeel: 7 / 10 / 10
Overall Impression: 14 / 20 / 20
While I appreciated the firm malty candy character of the beer, it seemingly overloads it and nothing else but that particular character of it seems to exist. It features a lovely deep red tawny appearance, with a low head suggesting its alcoholic punch. Some hints of barrel aging are perceivable, but they seem to meld into, as opposed to being separate from, its molasses/raisin sweetness. Based upon the muted Belgian overtones in the beer, it tasted more like an Old Ale to me. For its alcoholic strength, it does hide it well, but the sample leaves me with a one-dimensional candy sweetness without enough complementary flavors to make it more palatable.
Share options
Share a link that only Beer Connoisseur subscribers can access