No. 40 Belgian Quad
The Freehouse

definitely an intense beer, a bourbon barrel aged quad type with cherry and orange in it, sort of modeled on the old fashioned, and i think its a pretty good approximation of that really. hazy red stained brown in the glass, not quite the high rising head i am looking for in a belgian style, but lively enough. aroma is really powerful, strong belgian yeast esters and whiskey hotness right away. when i attenuate to that, i get bitter orange peel dried and concentrated, and a tart cherry complexion as well, maybe a little medinical but rightly proportioned. the flavor is quite good but also really bold, with more of the cherry and orange than i could smell, making it seem somewhat lighter than it is before a huge wash of sweet caramelized abbey type malt comes on, sweet with notes of honey and maple, bready and baked and warming and hearty, and lastly the bourbon, which adds sugar and heat for me, a bit of vanilla to bring back up the belgian yeast, and a little spice that does the same thing and works great with the orange, like bitters might do in the cocktail. fun stuff, hot and sweet though, not sure how much of this i could drink, and it felt like a lot on a hangover, but its one of the more inspired beers i have had from these guys so far!