4th Year Beer
Revolution Brewing

4th Year Beer4th Year Beer
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From:
Revolution Brewing
 
Illinois, United States
Style:
Quadrupel (Quad)
ABV:
11.5%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.82 | pDev: 13.87%
Reviews:
18
Ratings:
123
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 10, 2017
Added:
Feb 09, 2014
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  19
Our 4th Year Beer, or “Quadruple," is inspired by the traditional Trappist strong ales produced in the abbey breweries of Belgium. Brewed with Pilsner, Munich, and Caramunich malts, the resulting beer has a deep chestnut hue. Rich flavors and aromas of fresh bread, dark fruits, honey and brown sugar are up front with the Belgian yeast strain contributing a punch of spice and fruity esters wafting up with every sip.

German Magnum and Cascade hops impart an earthy, spicy hop character. Hops are definitely not the star of the show here - just enough bitterness and flavor to ensure balance in the finished product. Dextrose and dark Belgian candi sugar boost the sugar concentration and impart a dried fruit character to this huge ale. Chamomile flowers to add to the complex aromas we have already imparted.

We are serving this beer in a 10 oz. tulip not only for presentation purposes, but more so for the sensory evaluation potential. Such a complex beer as this needs to be swirled and then have the shape of the glass allow you to take in all the wonderful aromas that are released.

32 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by zappoman:
Photo of zappoman
Reviewed by zappoman from Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75
Appearance: Admittedly, my pour was not very hard, however there was no head. What little amount of carbonation that brought itself to the surface dissipated as quickly as it appeared. This could just be my experience, however. The color is fun to look at as it is ruby-hued and dark.

Smell: Dark fruit (namely plum and fig. The "dark fruit" smell always reminds me of figs and plums). The smell was ester-oriented as opposed to phenolic, while also containing the candi sugar aroma. After smelling this for like 3 minutes straight, I do detect a chocolatey aroma. Very sweet smelling, is what I am getting at.

Taste: Spicy, malty, sweet (candi sugar), and hints of grape/wine. As it warms up, I get the earthy tones that are from the hops, according to the menu description. I also taste some grassiness. I had this when it released and I like that I am now getting the spicy tones and a more pronounced bread-like malt flavor as opposed to just sweetness. That could be attributed to a change in palate or the fact that I have had this bottle for a few months, now.

At the finish, there is a lot of warmth from the alcohol. One thing this beer does especially well is hide the alcohol. I also am hit with another bout of spice at the finish.

Mouthfeel: This is thick. The beer switches from sticky and syrupy to grainy as I move it from my mouth. This is, by far, my favorite part about the beer.

This was a great beer for the price. I paid 10 bucks for each of my bottles, at the brewery, and I am glad to have purchased a few. It seems to be holding up well after a few months. I wonder if this will hold up for another year?
May 03, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.5 by teamwiggum from Wisconsin

Jul 10, 2017
 
Rated: 3.13 by FBarber from Illinois

Jun 04, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by MarkyMOD from Colorado

Dec 31, 2016
 
Rated: 4.52 by duceswild from Heard & McDonald Islands

Dec 07, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by kylehay2004 from Illinois

Aug 05, 2015
 
Rated: 3.71 by prototypic from Ohio

Aug 01, 2015
Photo of zeff80
Reviewed by zeff80 from Missouri

3.71/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
On draft. Poured a dark, dark brown color with a medium-sized, off-white head of foam. It smelled of toffee, dried fruit and caramel. Malty and sweet with some spice and cherry.
Jul 26, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by aussiebeer from Illinois

Jun 19, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by imperialking from Illinois

Jun 15, 2015
 
Rated: 3.78 by jshusc from South Carolina

Jun 09, 2015
 
Rated: 3.27 by jmdellafave from New Jersey

May 03, 2015
 
Rated: 3.54 by mklisz from New Hampshire

May 01, 2015
 
Rated: 3.85 by WadeBridgman from Illinois

Feb 25, 2015
 
Rated: 3.95 by vande from Illinois

Feb 24, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by KJ2013 from Pennsylvania

Jan 25, 2015
Photo of Barnoloid
Reviewed by Barnoloid from Illinois

4.11/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
The overwhelming feel here is sugar, dates and stone fruits. Very deep and rich raisiny feel with a sugary and syrupy mouthfeel. Little spice on the backend.
Jan 05, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by mattsucks from Ohio

Dec 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Kurmaraja from California

Nov 12, 2014
Photo of DavoleBomb
Reviewed by DavoleBomb from Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%
Poured into a snifter.

3.25 A: Clear mahogany brown color. Didn't get much of a head to form, just a thin light brown wisp.

3.5 S: Smells more like a barleywine than a quad. Dense sweet maltiness. Huge raisin overlying brown sugar. The chamomile is faint compared to the raisin. Plum and a touch of peppery spice.

3.5 T: The taste is quite sweet and malty as well. Big on the raisin again with lots of booze. Rum raisin cake comes to mind. Brown sugar, plum, molasses, caramel. Again the chamomile gets lost in the other flavors.

3.5 M: Big, thick heavy body. This is the kind of body I like on stouts, but not so much on quads. Good amount of carbonation, but lacking the spritziness I like from Belgian styles. Creamy and smooth with a boozy afterburn.

3.5 D: It's not bad, but it's far removed from the typical quad. Give it a try.
Oct 14, 2014
4th Year Beer from Revolution Brewing
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 123 ratings