BREWERY: Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV
STYLE: Quadrupel
ABV: 10.0%
PURCHASE: 25.4-oz. bottle, $13.99
SERVING: Said bottle, poured into St. Bernardus-branded goblet. 1/2" head in that glass from an average pour. A faster pour yielded almost an inch, but dissipation was swift in both cases.
APPEARANCE: Brown tint like dark iced tea or apple butter, a shade darker than garnet. Opaque but more translucent as it empties. Head is an off-white bordering upon beige, and sudsy. Leaves little to no lacing.
BOUQUET: Malty, with a strong dark fruit presence, namely figs, but also raisins, prunes, perhaps plum. A hint of apricot or nectarine seems to surface as well. A bit of a nutty undertone, along with spices of the gentle variety; I'd wager anise and/or cloves, most likely. Complex but expertly balanced.
PALATE: Medium body with subtle carbonation. Gets better as it warms a bit--this is the case with quads. They are ideally drunk at temperatures of 50-55 degrees, as opposed to 38-40 for your standard macrobrew. There is an alcohol presence on the palate, but it doesn't interfere with the taste, which is simply outstanding. Mouthfeel starts soft, then seems to flare up with malt tones that peak mid-palate, and only recede minimally. Finish is semi-dry, fruity (namely from figs), and lightly bitter. Bitterness turns to roastiness in the aftertaste, where an ever-so-slight hop note is found, too. Excellent balance. Savory and equally at home as a dinner companion, dessert beer, or nightcap.
MUSINGS AND METAPHORS: When a beer snob waxes philosophically about Belgian abbey beers, you can hold your own in the conversation by mentioning St. Bernardus, especially the Abt. 12, a quintessential specimen in that category. The beer world's equivalent to an Olympic gold medalist, and simply one of the very best beers this reviewer has ever had the pleasure of imbibing--so much so that no trace of profanity exists in this review!
GRADE: A+
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