Here it is ladies and gentlemen! A beer that requires no introduction as the rest of the world has already spoken. For those who don’t understand the hype, this Belgian Quadrupel informally comes with the tag of best beer in the world. These tags don’t come willy nilly either, what with a list of beer blogging sites including Beer Advocate and Ratebeer scoring it a collective 100/100, it should say something. Speaking of tags if price is a problem for you then it may be best to go halves…or even quarters with someone as this Quad comes with a hefty price tag of $65 per bottle! They certainly don’t miss you. Let’s see if the price tag matches the quality shall we?
Served in a snifter glass. Pouring an elegant chestnut hue with a three finger cappuccino crown forming on top. The head peels back slowly but maintains a thick blanket as it ebbs. Laced well. So much happening on the nose. Hallmark aromas of toffee, caramel, fig and banana bread lead out as moreish notes of fruit cake, port, clove and or nutmeg, plum and raisins add extra dimension. We love the subtle crusty bread scent too, almost has that doughy 6am fresh bakery smell to it. Gorgeous! Absolutely divine aroma. In the mouth it’s thick, creamy and silky smooth. Co2 is low and the body is medium-full. A good viscosity here and it still finds a way to effortlessly breeze down the throat. So, so complex on the palate. There’s so many flavours our taste buds have to try and isolate. The broad description includes port, fruit cake and banana bread. The intricate description contains toffee, caramelized pear, prunes, nutmeg/clove/cinnamon, plum, figs, alcohol and candi sugars. All of this on a rich, nutty malt base. Phenomenal. Let’s finish by saying that coming in to this we were of the belief that this will be as good as any other Trappist Quad. Yes, but also a resounding no. Call it the hype factor if you like but this Quad has it all plus the pin point accuracy of every aroma and flavour along the way. Although it’s hard to say which beer is the best in the world, this Quad right here deserves every accolade that’s handed to it. Worth every cent of the $65 price tag. Excellent drop.