22 oz bottle thanks to Penney who brought this one back from The Foodery in Philly, PA, USA.
Mid brown body that sits nicely in the Brasserie de Abbaye des Rocs chalice with a lovely, frothy light tan head. Some lace.
Nose is surprisingly neutral to me (even with warming) and gives only the slightest hints of sweet malt, a touch of alcohol and some sharp carbonation (yes, carbonation in the nose!)
Taste start to reveal more of the dark fruit, BUT the taste remains quite distinctly “unsweet”. A definite authenticity about the fruit, by that I mean it seems natural and NOT artificially sweetened. n that respect it seems quite different to a Belgian-grown version of the style. Also the alcohol is missing, in as much as it seems less boozy than many Quads.
The finish is very interesting to me. It gives a bitter note that is often missing in the sweeter, Belgian originals. For a moment it feels like almost a hoppy edge (which i feel would be out of place), but it pulls back from that particular edge and comes crashing in with the plum skins. Tannin and light, natural bitterness are very prominent which is an interesting touch. Almost a sweet and sour ending, but ultimately a pleasing, bitter dry edge.
A lovely beer, BUT be warned, the sweetness and the alcohol ARE muted for a typical Quadrupel. The good news is that those attributes are replaced with some authentic, bitterness from the dark fruit which seems like it emanates from the skins.