Saturnalia
OEC Brewing (Ordinem Ecentrici Coctores)

SaturnaliaSaturnalia
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From:
OEC Brewing (Ordinem Ecentrici Coctores)
 
Connecticut, United States
Style:
Belgian Quadrupel (Quad)
Ranked #90
ABV:
10.2%
Score:
90
Ranked #13,641
Avg:
4.05 | pDev: 4.69%
Ratings:
26 | reviews: 17
Status:
Active
Rated:
Aug 09, 2025
Added:
Jan 01, 2023
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
Saturnalia is our interpretation of a Belgian Trappist-style Quad. It is brewed using authentic Belgian Pilsner, Pale ale, Special B, and Cara malts. It is hopped with Loral & Styrian Golding in the boil to balance out the massive malt body. Finally the beer undergoes a warm fermentation using a classic Belgian Trappist yeast strain.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of LeRose
Reviewed by LeRose from Massachusetts

4.21/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Looks brown in the glass but more or a garnet color when held to the light. Short beige foam head falls to a few scant bubbles at the rim. Liquid coats the glass nicely.

Smells fruity - kind of red grape, dark cherry, figs, plums with a sweet bready malt. I think I smell Belgian candi sugar and a little molasses. Nice esters as it warms. A very faint peppery spice.

The taste is a nice, smooth blend. No jagged edges here. It does come on sweet but not sticky or syrupy. Dark fruits (like all of them) dark sweet and bready malts. Its fairly earthy. The toffee/molasses taste is pretty pleasant. Offset by that very light peppery finish. Not getting any bitterness to speak of and there's just a hint of alcohol but a pleasing warmth. I'm getting a tea flavor - interesting.

Feel is medium- bodied, low carbonation, sweet residue but not overly sticky.

A pretty good representation of the style. No reinventing of the wheel here, but a very good drinking beer.
Aug 09, 2025
 
Rated: 4.08 by rorjets from Connecticut

Dec 05, 2024
 
Rated: 3.55 by RochefortChris from North Carolina

Nov 28, 2024
Photo of GratefulBeerGuy
Reviewed by GratefulBeerGuy from New Hampshire

3.6/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Saturnalia

OEC Brewing (Ordinem Ecen... Belgian Quadrupel

:

The Malty sweetness is like dank Belgian Candy and maple syrup. Serious dark fruity notes ride along side with serious vigor. Dankly heady depth of sweet malt, layer after layer. The feel is not nearly as round and effervescent as an Authentic Belgian. American brewers really struggle with the depth and characteristics of Authentic Belgian styles.
Sep 29, 2024
Photo of lordofthewiens
Reviewed by lordofthewiens from New Mexico

4.1/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The beer is a medium brown color with some red highlights. Tiny tan head, no lace.
Aroma of caramel and dark fruit.
Taste of caramel, toffee, raisin. Late earthy hops.
Medium-bodied, alcohol not at all noticeable.
Aug 03, 2024
 
Rated: 3.92 by darktronica from Indiana

Apr 24, 2024
Photo of tradershmulie
Reviewed by tradershmulie from Connecticut

4.06/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Beautiful color. I love the deep golden rich honey color. Regular head.

Notes of sweetness, but not too much.

Very nice flavor. Almost too sweet, but not really. ABV extremely well hidden.

Very nice quad, and a style that is hard to find.
Mar 10, 2024
Photo of bluejacket74
Reviewed by bluejacket74 from Ohio

4.03/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
16 ounce can, no dating I was able to find on it. Thanks once again to Brutaltruth for this! Served in a Teku, the beer pours a copper/brown color with not quite an inch off-white head that stuck around a little bit. There's also a good amount of lacing. The brew smells like raisins, dark fruit, caramel, fig and brown sugar. Taste is pretty much just like the aroma, but there's the addition of some earthy, toffee and dark bready flavors. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's coating and a bit creamy with a moderate amount of carbonation. I liked this one, certainly worth a try if you get the chance to at some point!
Nov 30, 2023
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

4.09/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Murky opaque brown body with a finger of tan foam. Nose is surprisingly delicate, estery earth, toast, and prune with belgian yeast. Taste has all of that more clearly in powerfully with candi sugar and plum added. Very fruity, but in a good way. Feel is way more malty than yeasty, never thin but doesn’t last long on palate for style, clearly new world. There are things about this that I really like, but want more of it all together during the sip to truly be in the conversations with the belgian quads. That being said this is a good new world take
Oct 26, 2023
Photo of GreesyFizeek
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This one pours a darkish brown color, with a small head, and a little bit of lacing.

This smells like dark fruit, toasted bread, caramel, and some light clove.

This feels very spot on for the style. There’s a wonderful bittersweet malt character – raisin and plum, fruity esters, breadiness, and some caramel and a touch of chocolate. It almost feels “safe” – there’s nothing that makes it different from the average quadrupel – but it’s executed in a pretty spot on manner.

This is medium bodied, with no real booziness to it.

I love OEC’s dedication to making old school styles well.
Sep 06, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by paulish from New York

Aug 12, 2023
Photo of Brutaltruth
Reviewed by Brutaltruth from Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From the 12 oz can in a snifter. This solid quad pours a medium amber tinged brown with a
nice head of khaki foam that settles to a thick ring, thin dusty layer, and sports some faint
lacing. Nose of candy sugar, toffee, fig, date, brown sugars, and notes of spice cake. Flavors
pack it in with toffee, fig, date, candy sugar, biscuit, dark breaded malts, dark cherry, and subtle
phenol notes. Mouth feel is medium, medium light carbonation, smooth, lightly warming,
and finishing moderately dry. Overall, a solid quad made right in America.

Cheers
Aug 05, 2023
Photo of Rug
Reviewed by Rug from Massachusetts

4.06/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
OEC brewing a Quad just makes so much sense, but I’m shocked it’s taken them until now to do so. Or at least that I’ve been aware of. I’m also surprised that this is a rather no frills approach to the style, something they don’t always go for. Let’s crack it open and see what it’s all about

Pours a cloudy brownish orange with a finger of light beige head that fades to a ring and leaves minimal lacing

The nose is just wonderful, full of esters and balanced. I’m picking up on aromas of red grape skin, molasses, brown sugar, caramel, black pepper, candi sugar, black cherry, fruit cake, and light vanilla

It’s a little more malt-driven in taste, but it’s still quite good. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting dark bread, brown sugar, raisin, fruit cake, black cherry, toffee, black pepper, candi sugar, and light tobacco. The swallow brings notes of candi sugar, dark toast, fig, molasses, black chery, brown sugar, black tea, sticky caramel, and vanilla

A medium full body pairs with moderate carbonation, resulting in a smooth beer. Finishes a tad stixky but nothing that hurts the drinkability

It’s not anything amazing for the style or a reinvention, but it’s still damn good overall. Glad I have a 4 pack
Aug 04, 2023
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

3.89/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
No can date
Pours a frothy foamy slight creamy 2+ finger tan head with good retention, a bit of lacing, semi clear dark mahogany to slightly auburn color

Nose sweet brown sugar, biscuity toffee, nutty, dark brown Belgian candi sugar, very sweet smelling, some candied dark fruit, fig date raisin like, a little perfumey alcohol, malt-derived fruity esters, a bit of toasted biscuit malt and bread crust

Taste brings more of everything, quite malty up front, toasted biscuity malt with a hint of chocolate, lots of dark Belgian candi sugar, nutty toffee, biscuity, more dark fruits, a bit of candied cherry but mostly fig date, a little plum even adding to the malt-derived esters, quite fruity in general, caramel apple, light perfumey smooth alcohol, sticky sweet finish

Mouth is fuller bod, syrupy sweet, lower carb, light smooth alcohol, sticky sweet

Overall not bad, a bit too sweet overall and more designed for American palate than a real Belgian quad, but otherwise not bad
Jul 09, 2023
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I had this on draft 5/22/23 @ the Hopleaf.

Opaque brown/purple/orange appearance.

Small khaki head; decent lace.

Plum, leather, mild honey & faint caramel notes in the nose.

Medium thick mouthfeel.

Dry leather, plum & mild caramel flavors up front; candle wax & booze heat notes on the finish.

It's no embarrassment to the style; I'd have another!
May 30, 2023
 
Rated: 3.96 by Sound_Explorer from Washington

May 14, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by BeardedWalrus from North Carolina

May 04, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by Abstractspirit from Rhode Island

May 02, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by mattmarka1 from Minnesota

Mar 06, 2023
Photo of jrc1093
Reviewed by jrc1093 from Connecticut

4.09/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
No canning date (released on 12/9/2022); consumed on 2/28/2023

Pours a ruddy, translucent cherry red-burnt orange body topped with three fingers of rich, fluffy, off-beige foam; good head retention leaves a slight layer of cap, moderate, frothy collar, and a modest array of soapy, webby lacing spread around the walls of the glass.

Aromas open to resounding brown sugar and waves of macerated raisins, while a subdued caramel undertone compliments tones of honeyed toffee and touches of dark cherry evolve as the bouquet extends.

Taste offers brown/candi sugar with a subtle dried apricot lingering, leaving a lightly smoked toffee and caramel note over the mid-palate as brown bread and undertones of Belgian yeast spice spread through the finish.

Mouthfeel brings a body on the fuller end of medium and a full, fluffy carbonation, settling to a rounded, airy prickle over the mid-palate before easing to persistently dry textures underscoring a creamy build through the back end.

Intermittent pronunciation of caramel and fruity yeast imbued with a foundational Belgian candi sugar influence defines this rich yet approachable stateside take on the Belgian Quadrupel; another solid addition to the OEC ale portfolio.
Mar 01, 2023