The Stoic
Deschutes Brewery

The StoicThe Stoic
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Deschutes Brewery
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
Quadrupel (Quad)
ABV:
11%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.87 | pDev: 13.44%
Reviews:
282
Ratings:
828
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 23, 2021
Added:
Aug 03, 2011
Wants:
  89
Gots:
  290
'Brewed with pomegranate with 16.5% being aged in oak wine barrels and 16.5% being aged in oak rye whiskey barrels'

20 IBU

August 2011 - Released in 22 oz. bottles and draught.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by LiquidAmber:
Photo of LiquidAmber
Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington

3.93/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a medium orange amber with a fine two finger white head with great retention. Aromatic aroma of Belgian spices, a bit of light fruit and light malt. Taste is light fruit, a hint of banana and cherry, pomegranite. Light bodied. A suggestion of the wine barrel aging, not very much oak presence. This seems less like a quadrupel and more like a Belgian strong pale ale. Nice looking and pleasant to drink, but maybe not quite for the premium series price. I am going to age one of these to see how time treats it. I has good potential.
Mar 09, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.34 by smi69 from New York

Jul 23, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by NickMunford from Wyoming

Jul 17, 2021
Photo of BBThunderbolt
Reviewed by BBThunderbolt from Kiribati

3.29/5  rDev -15%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
22 poured into 12oz tulip. Poured a dull reddish brown color with just a thin cap of head that quickly dissipated and left no lacing. The arom was a little faded, but the beer is 10 years old. Malt forward, with some wood and and fruit aspects in support. Very similar on the tongue; sweet, malty, some fruit and a tinge of alcohol. The body was full and smooth, with a semi-sweet finish. Drinkability was very good, could drink more. Overall, a nice brew, a bit past prime, but still worth grabbing if you see it.
Feb 25, 2021
 
Rated: 4.12 by JeffSK from Wisconsin

Nov 22, 2020
Photo of nklatt
Reviewed by nklatt from Minnesota

4.51/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Best by 08/04/2012 but still incredible - wish I had another bottle! Not much head but nice lace, clear amber color but some floaters in there, not much hop flavor and the alcohol is also hidden behind the sweetness which doesn’t taste artificial at all. Smooth mouthfeel. Very good after all this time.
Nov 02, 2020
 
Rated: 4.58 by jordanginsberg from Louisiana

Aug 22, 2020
Photo of Nugganooch
Reviewed by Nugganooch from California

4.08/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
From the bomber - 2015 release - Duvel Tulip glass
Consumed in Feb 2016

Dark caramel amber body with a thick and lush khaki tan head. Nice chunky lace that decorates the glass. I get lots of sherry wine like notes in the aroma. It is very fruity with caramel accents. The flavor is big fig and plum fruit with some golden fruit mixed in, vanilla, carmalized bread and some earthy wood tones. Super smooth the abv is a non factor. More light fruity etsers, more barrel and pomegranate coming more pronounced as it warms. Has a light sugary vinegar quality and more sherry like. Soft and frothy feel on the palate, little wet with some drying low bitterness

Great flavor profile. Not like any quad I have come across
Jan 15, 2020
Photo of Beginner2
Reviewed by Beginner2 from Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Interesting.
This copy from 2015.
I'm only the third review this year and I could not find The Stoic on Deschutes website, so perhaps this is no longer brewed?
Regardless, it will last a few more years; and if I find another copy, I hope to enjoy it also. This 2015 copy paired well with a creamy St. Andre on water crackers and a dry English fruit cheese on whole wheat crackers. A good quad for cheese.

I'm intrigued by The Stoic's Looks, a peachy amber is unusual for a quad. Smells are much lighter fruits (apples, pears, white grapes) than the traditional quad (dark dried fruit.) Tastes rely more on the blending of the oak aged ingredients (probably grapes and some form of whiskey in this copy) than the yeast Belgians traditionally lean on. This is an innovation, and probably an expensive one. It keeps the Stoic from becoming too sweet or alcoholic; which can happen with the traditional use of brewers sugar. In other words, the barrels provide balance.

While I have had 12 from them, Deschutes is one of the few first generation crafters (started in the 1980s) not to have been bought or having gotten hooked via a Big distribution network. Deschutes will open an east cost production facility in a couple of years (also late by five years.) So apparently, Deschutes takes its time. And The Stoic does, too. Glad I found it (Eureka!)
Nov 24, 2019
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2015 vintage; drank 10/15/15 on draft @ Fischman's.

Murky orange appearance.

Minimal khaki head; minimal lace.

Cinnamon, apple cider & faint orange citrus notes in the nose.

Medium thick mouthfeel.

Apple cider flavor up front; cinnamon bite on the finish. No booze heat.

Simple but very refreshing. I'd have another.
Oct 23, 2019
Photo of GarrettB
Reviewed by GarrettB from Colorado

4.09/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
September 19th, 2015 - Deschutes executes another delicious beer in the Stoic. This peach flesh colored beer smells like peach juice, juicy and gently sweet. And the flavor is aligned with the other two notes: exquisite peach flavors and a bright fizziness, spiced with a touch of ginger. The alcohol appears in the aftertaste but not sooner, letting the spectrum of peach notes to stretch out.
Oct 07, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by Guinnsslvr from Illinois

May 19, 2019
 
Rated: 4.1 by Oh_Dark_Star from Washington

May 03, 2019
 
Rated: 4.27 by BeardedWalrus from North Carolina

Feb 21, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by Kurmaraja from California

Dec 03, 2018
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

4.02/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Finally got around to trying this one. Unique quad from the blending, could see how this one would be polarizing as it is not what one thinks of flavor wise as traditional. The feel is brighter, but not necessarily lighter. Little astringent in the booze, but works well enough in my opinion. Taste is golden raisin with oak barrel, some light funk, caramel malts, apple, pear, sugared oranges, booze, and belgian yeast. Nice complexity there. Smell is booze heavy with some lingering oak, nectarine and golden raisin, but falls apart a little at end. Would have again, but really is a different cat
Nov 05, 2018
Photo of siskiyoucellar
Reviewed by siskiyoucellar from Oregon

4.24/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
A 2015 that’s been in my cellar for three years. Nice orange-brown color, fairly cloudy with a good bit of sediment (not surprising). Aroma is a bit understated but nicely complex with winey, stewed fruit and vanilla notes. Taste is where this beer really comes alive: rich and complex, beautifully mellowed by a little aging, it’s everything a good quad should be. Strong sour wine tones, golden candied fruit, a touch of white pepper and much, much more. Feel is light and vineous. Overall an excellent American quad that has aged beautifully.
Sep 25, 2018
 
Rated: 3.8 by JerryHelper from Arizona

Sep 23, 2018
 
Rated: 3.54 by sweetbrew82 from California

Aug 12, 2018
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

3.77/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
tried to crack this a few times, never actually did. finally stripped the wax and time to drink it. Best by 8/04/2012,/ so plenty of age on this.

Pours a surprising decent sized head, but bubbly fizzy head that fades quickly, faint lacing, very hazy sediment laden bright orange-red color

Nose is interesting, probably not what it should, be lots of esters, apple cider, pear, loads of that aged soft malt effect but a little continued attenuation in the bottle yeast thing and a bit of oxidation, some wine barrel and vinous wine notes, some toasted oak but not really whiskey, caramel, nougat, rye spice, loads of sweet malt and alittle tart acidic fruity wine like note, really wish I could try it fresh too

Taste similar to the nose, loads of sweet malts, candy all over, caramel, candi sugar, icing, a bit of aged soft older malt, with plenty more fruit as well, apple cider, pear, some dates and figs, nice fruity esters, but mixed with interesting baking spice phenol notes, possibly spices from barrels as well as there is some vinous wine and wine barrel, but also a little acidic winey fruit flavor, hint of cardboard oxidation, vanilla and toasted buttery oak, no whiskey, some warming alcohol presence and a little tingly as it warms, butterscotch coming a bit later, sticky sweet finish, a little drier with more tingly alcohol, all of the flavors combined seem to linger

Mouth is fuller bod, plenty of alcohol tingle and warmth, light but decent carb

Overall interesting, def wish I had it fresh to compare, some quad characters in there, a little oxidation and plenty of age, nice fruits, decent barrel but missing a lot unfortunately, still enjoyable sipper
Aug 05, 2018
The Stoic from Deschutes Brewery
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 828 ratings