Saxy Machismo
Haw River Farmhouse Ales

This is really a pretty delightful little experiment. The smoked malt, and the chile peppers in particular, strike out in a new direction from the typical quad formula that American breweries tend to go way oversweet on or else totally screw up on the yeast and malt profiles. This hits the right notes as a classic Belgian quad, but then it layers on some additional flavors that are totally new but also very complementary.

A friend of mine picked up a can from the brewery 12-17-22. No canning date; consumed 7-9-23.

Beer gushed open as the yeast is still fermenting. Not able to get a proper pour but a little head was generated.

Nose is very nice, dark fruit forward, just like how the Belgians come across.

Taste is a large malt base in which the hot peppers impart a touch of smoke and heat. Some of the heat maybe attributable to the barrel aging. Getting strong notes of figs, raisons, and currants with each sip. Finishes fruity but very nicely balanced.

Mouthfeel is light bodied with each sip being very smooth.

Overall this is a really good Belgian Quad and the adjuncts are skillfully woven in. Not that i found this to be very hot but beware that if hot peppers are not your thang you should avoid this brew.

 

Very dark opaque brown with a tan cap. Smell has nice quad malts with big dark fruit and lighter toasted caramel tones, bourbon and yeast go well as a supporting pair, but the peppers are just kind of there too. The full malts and yeast with tons of dark fruit and a touch of caramel backed by soft barrel again is really pleasant before the hot pepper finish destroys happiness. Not offensive but disappointing, giving what it had going. Feel is smooth with rising yeast, pepper heat is moderate on backend, actually well balanced with barrel again being a framer of the body

 

 

 

19.2 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 10/25/2019(says 2020 for some reason). Pours hazy nearly opaque ruby red/brown color with a 1 finger dense and rocky light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big raisin, cherry, plum, prune, fig, date, apricot, red apple, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, and brown bread; with lighter notes of coconut, licorice, wood smoke, chili pepper, habanero, herbal, grass, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Minimal booze in the aromas and it warms. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/bready malts, sugars, fruity yeast, bourbon barrels, and light pepper/smoke notes; with big strength. Taste of huge raisin, cherry, plum, prune, fig, date, apricot, red apple, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, and brown bread; with lighter notes of coconut, licorice, wood smoke, chili pepper, habanero, herbal, grass, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Mild herbal, grassy, peppery bitterness; and bourbon/oak/pepper spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of raisin, cherry, plum, prune, fig, date, apricot, red apple, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, brown bread, licorice, wood smoke, pepper, herbal, grass, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malts, sugars, fruity yeast, bourbon barrels, and light pepper/smoke flavors; with a solid malt/bitter/spiciness, and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitter/spicy/tannins. Medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, cream/silky/velvety, and lightly slick/sticky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Mild increasing warmth of 12.2%, lingering pepper heat, and barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic barrel aged quad! All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malts, sugars, fruity yeast, bourbon barrels, and light pepper/smoke flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV; fantastic soft/silky feel. This was actually quite surprising, I wouldn’t have minded if they put more peppers in it, more of a mellow background touch. Perfectly balanced rich malts, sugars, fruity yeast, and bourbon barrel presence/integration; with mild pepper/smoke notes. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and outstanding spot on style example. Really grew on me through the glass!

.5l can from Tavour. Dark brown pour wuth ruby highlights, thin beige head. Aroma is boozy, sweet. Taste is pit fruit, Belgian yeast, raisins. The flavor is straight up quad and not ad boozy as the aroma. A little bit of warmth rises at the finish.

 

 

 

2017 Vintage, Share 9/27/18 Pretty in the glass. Flavors a bit muted, but nice warming from peppers. ABV well masqued.

On tap at the taproom. If you want the power of a quad, go for it. You’ll let be it. But I like their Ruby Tones even better.

A: Pours an opaque yet still clear deep mahogany brown in color with light to moderate amounts of active visible carbonation rising from the bottom of the glass and slightly heavier than moderate amounts of deep garnet red highlights. The beer has a finger tall foamy dark tan head that slowly reduces to medium to large sized patch of thin film covering about 35% of the surface of the beer and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of dark fruits (figs + raisins) along with moderate aromas of slightly smoked malts, chocolate malts, spicy peppers, and bourbon barrels with toasted oak + vanilla.

T: Upfront there are moderate flavors of roasted, dark, and smoked malts with moderate amounts of dark fruit (fig + raisin) sweetness. There are moderate flavors of chocolate malts, bourbon, toasted oak, and vanilla. Finally there are just shy of moderate flavors of lightly spicy chili peppers which lingers through the finish along with the sweetness.

M: Slightly heavier than medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth with a moderate amount of alcohol warming.

O: Definitely an interesting beer with the combination of dark fruit quad flavors, chili peppers, and bourbon barrels. Alcohol is fairly well hidden and it was easy to finish the glass of this one.

A: The beer is very hazy dark brown in color and has some traces of of dark red near the edges of the glass when it is held up to the light. It poured with wispy light beige lacing on the surface and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of bourbon are preset in the nose.
T: Like the smell, the taste has flavors of bourbon along with light notes of chili peppers, the latter of which stands out in the finish.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation. There is a bit of warmth from the alcohol in the finish.
O: The taste of this beer has an interesting mix of bourbon and chili peppers. The beer does a good job at masking just about all of its alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

 

 

 

Overall a very nice base quad that has played nicely with the barrel. Many quads don't seem to. The nice rich, sweet malts and estery, dark fruits are accentuated with a soft vanilla, oaky note with just a hint of bourbon that quickly dissipates and taken over first by the nice smoky flavor of guajillo peppers but then a touch of heat and habenaro and vegetal flavors that take this from potentially being excellent to very good. Would have liked this more I think without peppers.