Martha Quad
The Brew Society

 

Pours a very dark brown color with a 1F tan head and heavy lacing.

Smells of Belgian yeast, toasted malt and sweet dark fruits.

Tastes of bready yeast, sweet malt, raisins, plums and cloves with a spicy, boozy warm finish.

Medium body with light carbonation. Lightly lush and syrupy, dry mouthfeel.

This brew was a delicious surprise. The taste and aromas get better as your glass warms.

11.15 oz. bottle poured into large snifter
(April 8, 2027 best-by date printed on label)

L: murky opaque brown topped with 1/2-inch head of tan foam; minor sticking and lacing; keeps a thick collar of tan foam and most of a skin

S: sweet and dark but not overly dark, almost between milk chocolate and dark chocolate, fruitcake, caramel or a dark caramel if such a thing exists; bread malt dominates in a sweet, chocolatey way; at times I'd swear it smells like a cardamom latte from Mercantile in Montrose, Houston ... sweet but slightly herbal and chocolatey from the espresso and milk, darkish but not really what I'd normally dark and certainly not dark like a stout; coffee cake or chocolate croissant

T: dark chocolate and toffee, nice hit of earthy hops to balance, dark dried fruits/fruitcake; figs ... dates ... hints of raisin, but all of those notes have a bit of the normal sweetness taken out of them

F: solid but also relatively light for so big a beer, fluffy arrival sipping through the thick collar, plenty carbonation; maybe a middleweight lightened considerably by the crispy carbonation — it's not overly thick or slick like an imperial stout, much more bottle-conditioned Belgian

O: this is a treat; it's maybe a bit drier than some of the quads, so it's got some dubbel-like aspects in that way, but it's still loaded with the fruitcakey/caramel/dark chocolate notes you'd expect ... a real delight and a true sipper — it's got a warming aspect to it and a slightly boozy feel to it that slows you down, yet it doesn't taste hot or sharp

Pours a frothy creamy tan 1 finger head with good retention, soapy lacing, even a bit rocky, dark molasses brown with a little ruby red light

Nose starts with sweet brown malts, nutty, toasted and a bit biscuit cookie, brown sugar, dark candi sugar, molasses, lots of dark fruits as well, candied dates, prunes, brown sugar raisin bread, mild spices

Taste brings more sweet malts and sweet dark candi sugar, toffee and caramel, big molasses, fairly nutty as well, biscuit cookie, candied dates, raisin, prune, etc, with mild baking spices and holiday spices, a little perfumey alcohol and potpourri, a bit of chocolate caramel bar, mild bitterness and herbal hop, sticky sweet finish

Mouth is fuller bod, fair warming slight tingly alcohol, med frothy slight prickly carb

Overall not bad, a bit heavy and molasses heavy, and a bit boozy, but within style, good fruits and sweet characters, yeast spices, etc.

Poured from a bottle into a snifter
Appearance – The beer pours a deep dark brownish-red color with a one finger head of tan colored foam. The head has tons of persistence, fading very slowly and leaving tons of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is strong of a prune and raisin smell mixed with a good showing of toasted brown bread and some dark grainy malt. Along with these smells comes a nice dark fruit of cherry and raspberry along with other sweet smells of candied sugar, brown sugar, and caramel. At the same time there are the expected Belgian notes in there as well, with a moderate showing of yeast and spice aromas of coriander and clove.
Taste – The taste begins with a brown sugar, cherry, and plum sweetness mixed with some toasted brown bread a cracker and biscuit malt. Right from the start there is a decent showing of yeast and some lighter spice of coriander and clove. As the taste advances on the tongue, other sweet flavors of candied sugar and rum soaked raisins comes onto the scene all while the toasted nature of the brew gets a bit more intense. All the while the spice gets stronger as well, all while some light oak and wood join in, and with a bit more booze, it leaves one with a warming and roasty Belgium spiced and flavored taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body is middle of the road with a carbonation level that is higher and more fine in nature.
Overall – A rather nice warming and toasty quad, with a big nature, making a great sipper.