Three Philosophers - Strawberries And Cranberries
Brewery Ommegang

 

Bottled in 2016, opened in late August 2018.

Smell - a note of dark fruit. Thought it was cherries until I read the label.
Appearance - slightly hazy reddish hue with a nice off-white head. Some lacing.
Taste - excellent. A great balance between the quad base, the sourness of the two fruits and residual fruit sugar. The candi sugar was not evident, as I prefer. The strawberries and cranberries add their own dimensions, and the overall impression of sweetness is well developed but not dominating.
Feel - not as heavy as I remember this ale to be in the past but still substantial.

I would not hesitate to buy this ale again.

As a fan of Three Philosophers, I don't like the addition of strawberries. They didn't compliment the beer, rather thinned out the flavor. Where strawberries might compliment a lighter beer by adding some sweetness, they really muddled the malts here.

Picked up at TW Arrowhead on 11-4-17 as part of the 20th Anniversary gift pack for $29.99. Bottled on 8-9-2016, best by 8-2021.

Beer poured brown with a nice off white head with the original pour.

Nose is sweet, of strawberries and cherries.

Taste is sweet, a huge malt base augmented by cherries in the base brew is sweetened more by the addition of strawberries. Cranberries lend a degree of bitterness which helps balances things but in the end the finish is on the sweet side.

Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied and smooth.

Overall this is a big brew that is pretty sweet. The drinkability is fairly good. In retrospect this bottle is better split between two or three folks.

 

 

Got one bottle from Best damn beer shop in San Diego for only 8.99 instead of 11.99, such a steal! Poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Look: dark red, but not as dark as the normal quad. Good amount of head.
Smell: At first, full of strawberry taste, like a strawberry jam. However, the more you smell, dark fruit senses came out. Plum, raisin, they are there, just like a normal quad.
Taste: Beautiful. Sourness from the cranberry and strawberry, combining with the sweetness of sugar candi and dark fruit of a quad, these really go well together! Just lovely. The sourness and the sweetness fight for control of your mouth, with neither of them having a decisive win, but the quad sweetness is stronger.
Feel: Not as thick as a normal quad, and not as contemplative for a philosopher. Not as warming either. Nevertheless, an excellent brew, and I would definitely recommend it!

Good American take on a difficult Belgian style. Poured from a 750 ml corked and caged bottle into my Chimay goblet. Lighter color than some Quads - a dark amber/orangy slightly hazy color with a big bubbly cream colored head. Head retention is pretty good for a strong beer. Aroma is milder than some Quads but the main elements are there: dark fruit, candi sugar, belgian yeast and spicing. Flavor is pretty robust and in addition the to the aroma elements, there is a little berry sweetness up front and some tart cranberry flavor in the finish. Mouthfeel is classic Quad. Rich, spicy, some sweetness from the candi sugar and strawberries and an alcohol presence (although much milder than some). Still a slow sipper but lighter in octane than some. Ommegang never disappoints and they didn't do it here either. A solid Quad!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

overall a very impressive beverage, but a big bottle is a lot, and it had a fairly steep diminishing marginal utility, although that didnt hamper my enjoyment of this one. after way too long of a break from beer, all i craved was belgian stuff, so this was the first beer back in the game, and it did not disappoint. i was nervous the fruit would be overdone, too sweet, gimmicky, but none of that is the case. instead, the strawberries have a nice preserved but subtle sweetness about them and come on early, while the cranberries deliver a predictable tartness in an unpredictable way, post malt sweetness right before the swallow, it almost all of a sudden turns a little tart and tannic, but it really fits, and serves to resolve this one in a new way. the aroma doesnt show much of the fruit, instead its all bready estery belgian yeast, rich but grounded, and really somewhat one dimensional, but in a good way, very focused. the beer in general seems lighter than the main version with the cherries, its more tan than brown in color, and doesnt seem to quite have the malt depth of the original, but i think this works with the fruit complexion here. some booze on the finish, raping up in intensity as the beer warms, but it never seems out of place. in the end, this is a highly enjoyable and quite sturdy brew, rather authentic in the belgian sense, not at all contrived or forced with the fruit, and particularly well rounded. a fine treat on valentines day with my lady!