Holy Hand Grenade
Forked River Brewing Company
- From:
- Forked River Brewing Company
- Ontario, Canada
- Style:
- Belgian Quadrupel (Quad)
- ABV:
- 11.1%
- Score:
- +6 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 3.88 | pDev: 3.09%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 2
- Status:
- Inactive
- Rated:
- Oct 01, 2016
- Added:
- Aug 27, 2014
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
Fermented with traditional Trappist yeast and in-house made Belgian-style candi syrup make this beer as authentic as possible on this side of the pond. Aroma is complex with fruity esters and touch of spice. Flavour is full of dark fruit, primarily fig, and subtle clove spice. Bottle-conditioned and ready for a prime spot in your beer/wine cellar for aging.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)
3.81/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.81/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
500 mL bottle picked up at the brewery last September; served slightly chilled.
Pours a translucent burgundy-brown colour, generating only a half cm of loose, soapy, yellow-tinged head. It fades rapidly, leaving behind a thin collar and little in the way of lace. This quad doesn't really look the part, but the aroma is a little more along the lines of what I was expecting - lots of dark fruit and rich malt intensity. Fig, date and raisin give the nose a distinctly fruitcake-y vibe, while hints of banana, caramelized sugar and chocolate blend in nicely. A touch of licorice and herbs in there too; the ethanol is noticeable, but not in an off-putting way.
A good approximation of the real thing. Very malt-forward flavour profile - caramelized sugar is a continuous presence throughout, while flavours of Medjool date, cherry, plum, candy corn and fig compete for your taste buds' attention. Chocolate and nutty suggestions of almond come through by mid-sip, leading up to to a well-rounded finish with subdued herb and Belgian yeast notes. Boozy-sweet aftertaste; as was the case on the nose, the alcohol contributes rather than distracts. Medium-full in body, and good weight in the mouth, with moderate carbonation levels that seem a little on the light side for this style. Treat this one like a mixed drink, because the abv will catch up with you quickly.
Final Grade: 3.81, a B+. While Forked River's Holy Hand Grenade doesn't quite match up favourably with the world's top quads, I'd still deem it as being a well-made, fairly impressive strong, dark ale. At just north of 11%, it packs a serious punch, making the 500 mL bottle a barely-reasonable individual serving size, ideally split with a partner. It's a serviceable domestic quad that I'm glad to have tried - I'll hold onto the second bottle for at least another year to see if it improves, and I plan to try its red wine barrel-soured variant (Catharsis) very soon for comparative purposes. Give it a look.
Jan 23, 2016Pours a translucent burgundy-brown colour, generating only a half cm of loose, soapy, yellow-tinged head. It fades rapidly, leaving behind a thin collar and little in the way of lace. This quad doesn't really look the part, but the aroma is a little more along the lines of what I was expecting - lots of dark fruit and rich malt intensity. Fig, date and raisin give the nose a distinctly fruitcake-y vibe, while hints of banana, caramelized sugar and chocolate blend in nicely. A touch of licorice and herbs in there too; the ethanol is noticeable, but not in an off-putting way.
A good approximation of the real thing. Very malt-forward flavour profile - caramelized sugar is a continuous presence throughout, while flavours of Medjool date, cherry, plum, candy corn and fig compete for your taste buds' attention. Chocolate and nutty suggestions of almond come through by mid-sip, leading up to to a well-rounded finish with subdued herb and Belgian yeast notes. Boozy-sweet aftertaste; as was the case on the nose, the alcohol contributes rather than distracts. Medium-full in body, and good weight in the mouth, with moderate carbonation levels that seem a little on the light side for this style. Treat this one like a mixed drink, because the abv will catch up with you quickly.
Final Grade: 3.81, a B+. While Forked River's Holy Hand Grenade doesn't quite match up favourably with the world's top quads, I'd still deem it as being a well-made, fairly impressive strong, dark ale. At just north of 11%, it packs a serious punch, making the 500 mL bottle a barely-reasonable individual serving size, ideally split with a partner. It's a serviceable domestic quad that I'm glad to have tried - I'll hold onto the second bottle for at least another year to see if it improves, and I plan to try its red wine barrel-soured variant (Catharsis) very soon for comparative purposes. Give it a look.
Reviewed by MasterSki from Canada (ON)
4.06/5 rDev +4.6%
4.06/5 rDev +4.6%
Bottle picked up at the brewery. Served in a snifter.
A - Pours with a finger-plus of tan foam that settles to a thin collar and a few wisps. Minimal lacing. Dark brown body with a decent clarity to it.
S - First impression is a nice mix of dark fruits, touch of milk chocolate, and a heavy dose of candi syrup. The Belgian yeast is surprisingly understand and only really asserts as the beer warms up. Surprisingly good for a North American quad actually.
T - The taste loses some of the depth, and is quite heavy on the candi syrup, with less yeast spice. Some rich milk chocolate, plum, and a mildly jammy finish. Nice, but lacking in subtlety compared to its Belgian brethren.
M - Full body, with a nice velvety soft texture. Carbonation is more active than their barleywine, but that's stylistically appropriate, as I often find Belgian quads to be a bit zestier. A bit of warming, but nothing excessive for the listed ABV.
D - All in all, a nice beer. The only dud I've had from these guys is their rye ale, and that may have been due to freshness. Split the bottle with my father-in-law and it was no problem to down my 250ml portion. Would like to see this in a red wine barrel.
Sep 06, 2014A - Pours with a finger-plus of tan foam that settles to a thin collar and a few wisps. Minimal lacing. Dark brown body with a decent clarity to it.
S - First impression is a nice mix of dark fruits, touch of milk chocolate, and a heavy dose of candi syrup. The Belgian yeast is surprisingly understand and only really asserts as the beer warms up. Surprisingly good for a North American quad actually.
T - The taste loses some of the depth, and is quite heavy on the candi syrup, with less yeast spice. Some rich milk chocolate, plum, and a mildly jammy finish. Nice, but lacking in subtlety compared to its Belgian brethren.
M - Full body, with a nice velvety soft texture. Carbonation is more active than their barleywine, but that's stylistically appropriate, as I often find Belgian quads to be a bit zestier. A bit of warming, but nothing excessive for the listed ABV.
D - All in all, a nice beer. The only dud I've had from these guys is their rye ale, and that may have been due to freshness. Split the bottle with my father-in-law and it was no problem to down my 250ml portion. Would like to see this in a red wine barrel.
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