Barrel Aged Growl Royale
Off Color Brewing

7/27/25 - (Home) (Chicago. Illinois) Bottle Notes: Purchased a single 8.5 oz bottle at Beer on the Wall store temperature on 6/17/25 for $5 less $1 store rewards discount. No bottle date, though distributed the week ended June 20, 2025. 10.0% ABV, Gravity 20 P, IBUS 28. Belgian Style Quadruple Ale blended with bourbon barrel aged imperial stout. Malts: Pils, Dark Munich, Oats, Dark Crystal. Hops: Nugget. Secret Ingredients: Dark Candi Syrup, Bourbon barrels hand selected by the fine folks at Binny's. Brewed and bottled in collaboration with Binny's Beverage Depot by Off Color Brewing, Chicago, Illinois.

Appearance: Poured the full bottle into a Chimay chalice, yielding a Tootsie Roll dark brown base, silky lacing that slides down to congregate around the rim, and a Milky Way shaped cover fed by the consistent carbonation emerging from the center. Really nice. leaves minimal soapy lacing and a light cover over most of the base, concentrated around the rim. 4.25

Aroma: Getting an Tootsie Roll aroma of chocolate and clove. Let this sit for over 15 minutes, but no bourbon until the 20 minute mark, then a little sweet and complimenting the other components. Solid. 4.0

Taste: Syrup, baker’s chocolate, chocolate chip cookie batter, and a smooth wonderful bourbon. The barrels and stout reign dominant, any quad noted in the aroma is gone. Would have liked to see a split taste flavor here like the nose yielded, but still very much enjoying what I’m tasting. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Sweet, sticky medium plus body. Faintly felt carbonation. Drinks strong, above the 10% ABV. Sweet chocolate and bourbon from my first stab 20 minutes in until finish. 3.75

Overall: More a barrel aged bourbon stout than any quad notes, perhaps I let this warm to much, but in the end, it’s and enjoyable stout, but if you are looking for nuance or even any quad flavor beyond the aroma, you may be disappointed. Dropping a quarter point from overall for this aspect of the experience. That said, would still order for fun looking for a BA Off Color BA desert stout if this ever returns. 3.75

250 ml bottle poured into a stemless wine glass shows a pitch black body, briefly supporting a 1/4" head of tight, khaki colored bubbles that recede to an edge hugging ring. Agitation produces sheets of lacing that run to the ring leaving the glass mostly clean.

Aroma is complex. One sniff provides an almost funky, near horse blanket, note. The next sniff provides a bourbon coated cocoa note. Another sniff leans a vinous, fruity influence. I'm not sure if I can't make up my mind, or whether the beer can't make up it's.

Flavors are a bit muddled, but chocolate, clove, grape must, and candy are all in there. I really wanted to like this, but I don't know what to do with it. Fine. Of course, drink it. But how do I appreciate it? Right on the label it proclaims quad, ale, bourbon barrel, imperial stout, so it is not shying away. I am going to blame myself. I trust Off Color.

Mouthfeel is slick, leans a bit thin, with a clean finish.

Overall I need to have more Belgian quads.

Brewed in collaboration with Binny's Beverage Depot.

Released 6/13/25; drank 7/22/25 @ the Yarchives.

Black/brown appearance.

A rough pour yielded a small dark tan head; nice lacing remained.

Chocolate, candle wax, plum & faint clove notes in the nose.

Medium thick mouthfeel. Plum, chocolate & clove flavors.

A nice amalgam of quad & stout; not a home run but a solid double.