My Cherry Amour
West Sixth Brewing Company

 

This has a deep burgundy hue that is well representative of a Quad. The head was served with little froth but it collared nicely.

The nose was of cherry sweetness, kind of syrupy, with a chocolate covered cherry and plum scent.

The flavor, at serving temperature, was quite horrendous. It reminded me of cherry flavored Nyquil, medicinal and sickly sweet. As with every Quad in my experience this needed time to warm, 30 minutes on my count, and this really came alive. Great cherry and plum sweetness, malty backbone, some barley and dark fruit body.

The feel is substantial, but smooth, and is better served near 60 degrees F.

This is a great attempt at a Quad, a style that is rarely attempted in America, but needs to be more pervasive in local craft culture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While the common taste of Belgian Dark Strong Ale can often entertain the palate with the taste of cherry, that character is given a boost with actual cherry additions, allowing a "fruit-beer" taste to rise; but make no mistake about it, this is a Quad!

Pouring its dark and mysteriously hazed appearance, softer russet tones of red, brown and burgundy round out its edges- perhaps the stain of cherry taking hold of its aesthetics. And off-white head builds on top, but gives way rather quickly, potentially succumbing to both the beer's alcohol and pectin fruit character.

Candied sweet with peps of spice cake, other dark fruit and a peppery spice character; the beer's scent is powerful with grace. Pulled candy and brown sugar wrap around cabernet wine and invite the taste of blackberry and plumb before the counterpart of fresh-cracked peppercorn and dried currant rounds out the aroma. But its the overtone of black cherry that leads the way with its distinct character.

Robust taste of malt does plenty of showing off- sweet with hard candies, confectioner's sweetness and maple, its residual sweetness gives the fruit flavors a plumper tone- date, fig, raisin, plumb, red grape and blackberry are subtle and rounded. But its the cherry that takes center stage with the taste of black cherry variety and enough sweetness to balance its tangy flavor. Finishing peppery and winey, cherry acidity aids in establishing a drinkable tone.

Its full bodied is cake-like and sweet early and long. Its perky carbonation is quick to recede, but its malt sweetness lingers on; balanced only by alcohol warmth, peppery spice and cherry tartness to finish.

Where its common to allow the cherry additions to disrupt the balance with excessive tartness, astringency or pectin tannin, West Sixth avoids this with their kinder hand at the cherry infusion- allowing a cherry-forward tilt but not making it a cherry beer. It reminds me of Ommegang Three Philosopher's.