Special Deluxe
Brouwerij Sint-Bernard (St. Bernardus)

 

A - Caramel colored beer with an off-white head that left some minor lace behind.

S - Dark fruits, lot of candied sugar, caramel, belgian yeast. Smells appropriate, if not a bit simple.

T - Tastes about like it smells. This is a pretty straight-forward and simple tasting beer. Caramel, dark fruits and brown sugar. Solid for the style, but nothing exceptional or particularly distinctive.

M - The downfall of this beer. Carbonation is way to high, almost makes the beer feel fuzzy. Quite distracting, and not good.

O - Nothing particularly memorable, it's okay, but the carbonation knocks down this beer considerably.

 

Thanks to Alex for the rare tick. Poured into Kuhnhenn tulip.

A - Pours a darker brown color, cream-colored head, thin collar.

S - Dark fruits, caramel, oak, toasted malts. Not overly sweet and just about right, in my opinion. No booze at all...I can't believe this one is 10%.

T - Not as much dark fruit as the nose, less sweet, caramel, toasted malts, no alcohol at all. As Alex said, the carbonation was too high to really enjoy, as the fizz interfered with the palate.

M - Light, too light for a Quad, too much carbonation, creamy finish.

O - The rarity of this one didn't help that it really didn't taste like a Quad, the body was too light for a Quad, and the carbonation was too high for any beer, especially a Quad. I see Alex has listed it as a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, which is what it tastes like. However, it's suppose to be a Quad. Can't recommend.

Got this from an acquaintance in Belgium. Don't know much about this beer other than that it is different from other St. Bernardus offerings and limited. Served in a Russian River tulip.

A - A finger of off-white foam settles to a thick collar, leaving behind some wispy patches, and minimal lacework. Body is an opaque caramel brown color.

S - Super fruity aroma, with plenty of candi sugar, caramel, treacle, and brown sugar as well. There's a mildly sharp phenolic Belgian yeast presence, but this is malt-focused all the way. Alcohol is very well-hidden.

T - The taste is initially difficult to evaluate, as the carbonation interferes quite a bit. Once the bubbles die down the beer is far less sweet than the aroma implies, with the flavor of fresh bread lightly glazed with honey being the dominant one. Somewhat understated, although the alcohol is again masterfully disguised.

M - Carbonation is frustratingly high and burns the palate - I'd recommend swishing one's glass a few times before drinking this beer. Otherwise it is medium-full in body, with a chewy, yeasty bread texture. No alcohol warmth whatsoever.

D - I'm not really sure what they did differently, but I prefer the standard Abt 12 and the Anniversary edition to this one. Not a bad beer by any stretch, but somewhat middling particularly with the unpleasant fizziness.