Barrel aged
Reviews
Juovo
@ De Bierliefhebber3 years ago
4.5
There's no wrong time for a barrel aged Belgian Quadrupel. Nine months in Glenlivet barrels and couple years waiting in bottle should have done good things. Let's get into it.
Pours almost black, dark brown in front of light. Head is light brown, silky smooth topping, leaves nice oily mark and foam here and there. Calming view.
Aroma of dark brown caramel and dark malt with a whisky infused Belgian dark chocolate fills the room after opening the bottle. Huge raisin and overripe plum with wet rye soften well the bit boozy kick from barrel aging, though the freshening vanilla and noble hint from whisky fits like a glove for this one. Dark chocolate and molasses crown the caramel side, overripe dark berries with belgian yeast highlighting whole thing is actually balancing the complexicity. Malts are of course framework for a beer this level, dark and rough enough to punch the door in.
Taste needs some time to get on this. Raisin and plum get along dates, ripe apple and orange zest. Whisky doesn't override anything, soft dark oak with bit lampblack like coal is a new element. Dark, overripe forest berries are now more in the flow and caramelised sugar with brown suryp are petting the mind. Very dark chocolate with espresso coffee and roast beans is like a clean touch from handcraft pastry. Vanilla, yeast and twist from dark herb glaze the big picture. Malts are just huge and simply loveable, grandfather that keeps kids not doing anything stupid with just calm voice.
Aftertaste reels the whole taste and is longlasting.
Mouthfeel is oily, not as full-bodied as could be but great, there is sour kick, medium carbonated.
You like this or don't. For me this is the one I could sip and sip whole night. Some little things in the beginning made feel like there's maybe too much booze, but decantation opens the catalogue. Simply immense one.