Qualified - Red Wine Barrel-Aged
Taxman Brewing Co.

Welcome to the CANtinuing saga of New Beers From @jkblr Sunday (Week 755)! My ferMentor, @therealbeerfly , once CANdmonished me to NEVER call a brewery my "favorite" - current, rotating, past or otherwise, but I gotta give big ups & major props to Taxman B.C. for everything that they do. I have an insatiable, ravening appetite for their CANs & it helps to have a trader who underCANds this desire.

From the CAN: "belgian-style quadrupel ale aged in red wine barrels"; "Unlock the Vault, our barrel series committed to the careful, prolonged conditioning and blending of barrel-aged ales. For those qualified, try our Qualified quadrupel aged in select red wine barrels. This dark ale features Belgian specialty malts with rich, deep notes of dark fruit & caramel paired with red wine barrel notes. Enjoy immediately or store under lock and key."; "Declare Yourself"; "The Vault Barrel Series"; "Belgian Inspired[;] American Crafted"; "IBU[:] 20".

Man, what a wild ride I have taken today with Taxman B.C., thanks to @jkblr ! This is my last from them, but not my last from him. I sCANd by my assertion that Taxman B.C. is currently my fave U.S. brewery. Not a clinker in the lot thus far, four beers in today. These guys simply seem to get it. I now want to make a trip out to INDIN to see what's what. Hmm.

Well, here goes nothing! I beCAN with a Crack! of the vent followed by the slowest, gentlest C-Line Glug that I CAN muster. Why? I am so far over my head with this one that I want to treat it with the gentlest kid gloves possible. I once stewarded for Marnie Old, a renowned sommelier & she advised me to "stick to beer, kid." 8=O Even Sam Calagione chuckled at that one! Okay, since my wine knowledge might be lacking, let's stick to my strengths. I was insCANtly surprised when I got a spritz across my fingertips! Who would have expected them to make this a brimful CAN?!? It puffed forth to create just over a finger of dense, foamy, rocky, deep-tan/light-brown head with good retention, leaving a load of lacing in its wake. 8=O I'm not worthy! Nose smelled of both a dark Belgian Ale with its intense raisin-y mustiness & some red wine that I know that I have been exposed to at some point. I CAN recognize red wine when I smell it, at least! The tannins added a leathery layer to the smell & I was getting excited to have my first sip. Color was Brown to Dark Brown (SRM = > 22, < 27) with NE-quality clarity & ruby highlights! 8=O Mouthfeel was ... solid: medium-to-full without a lot of carbonation, but a solid presence on my tongue. Wow. The taste was really interesting - loads of grape-y, red wine vinousness with a very Belgian beer-like mustiness followed by a fusel alcohol burn just to keep me on my toes.

Man, this was NO playin' around. I wanted to weep, thanks to my feelings of unworthiness. I CAN get by with tarts & sours, but I beCAN to feel truly unworthy of this one. It was just so vinous that I had no vocabulary to acCANpony it. It now ocCANurs to me that I have not been sending my fair share in these trades & for that, I CANpologize. There may be CANother sneak-attack box in the offing.

This was somewhere between pulling the last of the grapes off of the arbor for jellies/preserves & going up into the attic to gather old newspapers for recycling. 8=O Between my late-paternal grandfather & his late-neighbor, I have done both. I refuse to believe that this was CANcord grape wine, but it had that intense, undeniable grape-iness throughout. CANversely, thinking of this as a Belgian Quad was also problematic. In terms of its color, it was spot-on, but the adjunctive aging was (slightly) off-putting. Finish was dry, vinous, slightly sour, but undoubtedly one of the most memorable beers that I have ever had. YMMV.

12oz canned 1/8/19 (3 months ago) poured into a snifter at fridge temp 10% ABV 20 IBU. The beer pours bright medium brown in color with khaki head. The head recedes to a thin ring. The aroma is faint red wine, dark fruit, candi sugar and caramel. The taste is semisweet caramel with the red wine woven in. There are notes of plum, candi sugar, raisin and rich malt. The finish is mostly dry with only a touch of bitterness for balance. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with above average carbonation. No alcohol presence in the aroma or taste. Overall, very good. I think the base Qualified is ok, but every special version I've tried has been great. Recommended.

 

 

Poured from 12oz can into a tulip.

Appearance: rich, dark red-brown hue with a little bit of murk and a finger of pillowy tan foam atop. I like the look quite a lot.

Smell: sweet and richly malty with a good tobacco and raisin aroma. There's a fair amount of boozines in the works as well, but overall it's a nicely enticing aroma.

Taste: rich malt paired with a slightly phenolic Belgian yeast character. Those notes of raisin, tobacco, plum and dark cherries that were present in the aroma come through quite well in the flavor. The finish is a little bit boozy, almost barleywine-like, but still this is one good beer.

Mouthfeel: medium-rich body with a decent carbonation and creaminess. Not quite as rich as I look for in a quad, but not bad.

Overall: I like this beer quite a lot. Perhaps a bit boozy, and I don't get a ton of the red wine, but it really works well.

Received as “Mystery Beer” in NBS BIF #7 from @Beer_Economicus – Thanks Darwin!
12 oz can dated on bottom “02/29/18”. Stored at 48 degrees and served at 48 degrees in a hand-washed and dried Jester King snifter. And I see it’s time to recalibrate the reefer.
Appearance – 4.
Body – Dark brown, opaque. When held to the light, a slight reddish tint is noticeable around the edges.
Head – Large (Maximum 4.5 cm, controlled center pour), tan, dense, good retention, diminishing to a three mm ring and a thin complete layer with a few rocks. Head retraction leaves two partial wide bands of tiny to small bubbles.
Lacing – Partial rings of open curtains.
First pour – Medium brown, clear.
Aroma – 4 - Dark fruit with a vinous undertone.
Flavor –4 - Initially a dark fruitiness with, following the nose, a vinous quality. Sticky sweet except for the carbonation and vinous qualities. No malt of hops flavors, no alcohol, no diacetyl, no dimethylsulfide.
Palate – 4 - Medium, almost creamy, lively carbonation.
Impression and summation – 4 – Overall a very decent canned quad, something I never thought I’d be saying. The vinous notes offset the sweetness well, and the lively carbonation also helps to cut the nearly cloying sweetness. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised.