Sound Brewery Entendez Nöel Quadrupel at 11.5% ABV (2014 Advent Calendar #24, 341ml, no bottle date or best before)
Pours clear pale to medium amber with a very short and short-lived head, minimal lacing. (3/5) Nose is apples and pears, some Belgian yeast, perfume alcohol burn. (7/10) Taste is strongly sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Medium body, low carbonation, slick sticky boozy finish. (3/5)
Well, I wouldn’t call that a quadrupel. Lots of booziness, sure, but the colour, body, and aroma are all far too light for a quad – call it a boozy triple, perhaps? While we’re on the topic, I’m the last one to complain about high ABV’s, but this one is coming across as just too hot, with a slight but distinct harshness that suggest a little more cellaring might be helpful. Not unpleasant, but lacking the polish and depth that characterizes real Belgian quads. (12/20)
6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
