Venus - Belgian-Style Quadrupel
Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

Great quad from the Midnight Sun heydays. Great rich malt, dark fruits, not much barrel left in this one - maybe past its prime, but still worth seeking out. Hope to see it again.

 

 

 

 

 

Shared with JLindros at his Birthday whale tasting last month. Reviewed from notes.

A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a clearish mahogany hue with a nice quarter inch tan head that faded to leave light wisps.

S - Nose pops quite nicely. Good licorice, chocolate, fennel, sambuca, faint faint barrels and raisins. Hardly any ABV on the nose.

T - Wow, okay. For a very an old quad the taste does not quite match the nose but its still pretty tasty. Good darker malts, light caramel, light barrel notes, sugars, dark fruits like raisins, very faint vinous notes and light sambuca.

M - Mouthfeel is relatively surprising. Very nice carbonation here yet still creamy on the finish with some warm booze feel to it.

O - Overall I was very impressed by this beer. Been waiting quite some time to crack this and thought it quite nice to start the whale tasting off with this.

Shared at my Birthday whale tasting. Thanks to Rudzud for sharing.

Has a light creamy head covering, nice lacing, dark but clearish mahogany ruby color.

Nose dark malts, nutty caramel molasses like, faint hint of cocoa and aged malts, touch of figs and raisins, light alcohol.

Taste dark syrupy malts, molasses, thick fluffy carbonation, rich tasting, fig date and raisin fruits, a bit of solventy alcohol and burn, syrupy but sweet aged soft malt flavors, chewy malts, candy sugar, etc.

Mouth is smooth thick and rich, some booze, but not that bad, plenty of fluffy carb.

Overall very nice, tasty beer, great malts, some booze, nice aged feel too.

22oz bottle shared by Matt at last night's whale tasting. Poured into a Portsmouth tulip.

A - Pours a deep brownish amber...small dark tan head and good clarity. Short foamy head and foamy lacing left on the glass.

S - Boozy, a bit of chocolate, some sweet malts, slight astringency and hints of fruity esters. A touch of solventy alcohol.

T - Didn't quite match the aroma. Aroma indicated more sharp flavoring, but the flavor was super smooth and creamy, layers of malty sweetness and sugars, but well controlled and felt balanced despite not truly having much hop character...a touch boozy.

M - Nice carbonation level despite its age...creamy and mid level. Spicy, warm, noticeable booziness, medium body.

O - Nice and smooth...a bit boozy, but not as high as a 14+% beer typically produces. Tingly and warming. Pretty nice quad.

 

 

 

 

Thanks to imperialking for cracking this one at the Chicago Burbs Random Mega Tasting. Poured into Narke tulip.

A - Pours a mirky caramel brown-color, off-white head, thin collar.

S - Dark fruit, burnt sugars, oak, light cabernet, and light oxidization. The sweetness & booze work wonders together and the oxidization is there but compliments the beer. All very mellow, yet very complex.

T - Lots of sweetness in the form of caramel, burnt sugars, plums, figs, raisins, molasses mixed with a very smooth booze and perfect barrel notes. The cabernet doesn't come through quite as much as the nose, and it's more oak then anything. Booze is ultra-smooth for 14.3%...aging really nice. Finish is caramel & booze.

M - Full body, rich and smooth, light carbonation, creamy finish.

O - An excellent BA Quad from MS. Once again, they make yet another amazing beer that appears to be aging gracefully. I'd say there's still another year left in this beer, which is crazy. Overall, give me more!

my personal white whale for quite some! what better time to open it than a casual monday night. For every door that closes a window opens
huge thanks to ben for this amazing chance.

this bad boy (girl?) has 3 years on it

22oz bomber split into tulips

a- much darker than i expected, looks beautiful. super dark brown, almost completely blacked out. one nice thick off white head. this one looks fantastic.

s- noticed this immediately upon opening. this nose is huge. dark fruits right up front. big sweetness, barrel comes out in the back, zero alc in the smell. as it warms the cab barrels really come through.

t- this one is huge! dark fruit and barrel right up front, slight oxidation, vanilla, and more dark fruit, raisen and grape, hint of prune, a bit of anise. no taste of alc on the palate but a huge warming in the chest. at nearly 15% this one restrains the alc very well. lingering sweetness remains on the tongue.

m- big body, one of the biggest iv had. thick and chewy and coats the mouth, brings out all of the flavors. surprisingly has good carbonation.

o- great beer, i think i opened it at the right time. this one is big, rich and very complex, every sip brings out more and more flavors and nuances.

perfect beer for the occasion, i feel good about lies ahead. (well accept for the hangover that will visit me tomorrow lol cab barrel aged beers due me in)

Big thanks to Jeff for sending this one down for the Planets tasting! The best beer of the set.

Pours amber in color with a big off-white head. There’s a little bit of wine and booze on the aroma. A really nice dak fruit and sweet caramel malt aroma. Might even be some chocolate. The flavor is quite nice. Lots of chocolate and dark fruit notes. A really nice Cabernet flavor. Solid stuff. Medium and medium.

 

 

Lots of carbonation apparent with the big white pillow like head. Good retention left behind lots of side glass lace.

highly spiced with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and a touch of yeast. Some pears or apples sneaking in there as well.Lots of apple and pear flavors mixed in with a good amount of spice. A slightly dry finish and something bitter that wanted to come through but never actually made it.

Very smooth, medium bodied and well carbonated. Never slick and had a very nice finish.Not bad, a little bit more then a sippe

A mountainous, mushroom-cloud plume atop dark turbidity, a constant race, an inverted shower, fights its' way upwards and adds to the tan snow which is ever deepening, but deepening from below. It's a warm, comfortable night, the voices of classic England tripping over the boards which lie in stacks against the wall. "Bring him to my study."
An idle few moments drift by, a smile forms on my face as I gaze at this beauty. Still, the bubbles form the snow, and the mushroom-cloud has barely receded. Tenacity, friends, is much of what distinguishes a great man from any other. Tenacity. Throw your heart into it, beat your head against the wall, and eventually you may notice a slight change in the wall, not simply the bloody distortion. Tenacity. I take a whiff and shiver. What incredible beauty lies within that aroma. What grace. What depth. It smells warm and sticky, of raisins and dark syrup, sugar and molasses, dates and figs, and I clench both fists in ecstasy. "Why do you protect me?"
Such a strange feeling, this beauteous rapture in another room, as an ancient love drama plays itself out in my ears with an English accent. Of whom do you think I speak?
"You transfix me quite." Precisely. It is delicate, deep, dangerous, and entrancing. What a beauty.
This deserves the beautful classical strains that now teem to my ears, an exquisite creation. A note of toasted almonds, toasted grain, the dark sherry notes of old age, and the beautiful sheet of virginal lace coats the glass completely.
Cocoa and butter-rum with oak barrel dryness and raging dark sugars... "You are not to be trusted atall." The alcohol must make it what it is, with the otherworldly depth of character and layer upon layer of ecstasy, but I cannot taste it.
Fabulously luxurious. I find no flaw, none at all, save cursing their name for bringing me rapture upon rapture, and once only every time. Why ever must it be so long ago. Why ever must I never again taste this delectable nectar of the goddess. One thing, dear reader, that makes experiences so sweet upon the remembering, so poignant, is knowing in the moment that it will never, ever return. Life is lived in nostalgia.