11.2 oz bottle, 2007 vintage.
I’ve had this a couple of times before, now time for a formal review.
Pour gives a rich, dark brown body with a mocha, coffee colored head that is fairly dense at first look. The head disappears fairly quickly (unsurprisingly considering the ABV) but does leave a nice collar and some spotty, creamy film on the surface of the body.
The aroma and the taste do have some of the sherry, Madeira and fig/raisin notes that one is looking for in a Quad, BUT the spice is quite strong and it starts to subtract from the richness of the beer/style. There’s more acidity than I want in the style, and it takes the beer down a touch in my estimation. Some licorice bitterness that I don’t need and more acidity in the aftertaste. Mmmm…lacks the smoothness I want in a Quad. Sorry.
Some creaminess in the body, but again the spice seems to add to the thinner nature of the beer and it is quite harsh. Alcohol is present but at the same time as well hidden as one can expect for 10.00% and for the style. Burns a little but that’s not a huge problem for me.
For me this beer lacks the depth and quality of many Quads. I want a REALLY strong sherry note, some intense cream and a lack of edgy acidity. I don’t dislike the beer but there are very many Quads that I would choose over it if I was looking to stay within the style. This is acidic, especially for the style and the introduction of some spicy pepper notes takes me away from where I need to be in the style.