Mélange à Quad Reserve
The Bruery

 

Mélange à Quad Reserve pours a very dark brown with a tiny tan head. The aroma is rich and sweet, with lots of whiskey and oak notes. The flavor is vibrant and sweet, with whiskey notes, lots of oak, and dark, dry fruit. Good feel. Overall, a very decent beer, with a fancy taste.

A: Poured into a snifter to a black beer which is topped by a dense and slightly rocky finger of tan head which fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing.
S: Smells of toffee and stewed fruits mixed with chocolate, oak, caramel, and vanilla
T: Taste is stewed fruits, oak, toffee, dark berries, vanilla, caramel, hints of anise, and some slight spice. On the finish there's more dark berries, oak, caramel, vanilla, toffee, and lingering spice.
M: This beer has a body which is on the heavier side of medium with a slightly syrupy feel. Carbonation is adequate for the style and just slightly prickly while the beer has a drying finish due to the high ABV.
O: Overall this is an incredibly complex beer. It's picked up a ton of flavors from the different barrels but they do seem to be providing most of the main flavor components while the base beer is hidden behind all that time in wood. I think this is a winner and it will be interesting to see how this one changes over time.

 

 

Dark, mahogany color. Nice, beige head. Raisins, vanilla, bourbon, and berries in the aroma. Light, winous tartness in rich, warming taste. Well masked alcohol.

 

375 ml bottle, 2025 edition, bottled 01/10/25. Served in a chalice, the beer pours a mahogany brown color with some ruby reddish tinges, and not quite an inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both decent enough. I like the aroma, the brew smells like blackberries, raisins, vanilla, cognac, red grapes and some bourbon. Taste is similar to the aroma, but with the addition of some oak, maple and earthy flavors. Mouthfeel/body is full, it's slick and a bit syrupy with a good amount of carbonation. I thought this was a good overall brew, definitely worth trying if you get the chance!