The Prophecies
Block 15 Brewing - Southtown Tap Room

 

16oz can purchased at Huckleberry's, in Spokane, WA, for $16.95.

Poured into a pseudo-tulip glass, this was a dark, virtually black color, and yielded nothing when held up to direct light. Big, fluffy, beige-colored head. Lots of sudsy lace.

Nose reminded me of dark fruits and cocoa, very much in that order. The cocoa is pretty low in the mix. There's a slightly leathery scent as well.

Taste is of dark fruits up front. A bit like chocolate covered cherries but with the cherries in the driver's seat. Some fig notes as well. As it warms, tastes a little like pumpernickel bread. Very slight boozy note deep in the background.

Full bodied, with a silky mouth feel.

This won't replace St Bernardus Abt 12 as my favorite (usually) locally available Quad, but it's still pretty good stuff. I'd definitely hit it again.

 

Very dark and heavy for a quad. Negligible head. Very subtle gingerbread scent. Cacao forward. Somewhat viscous. More like a stronger dubbel or a porter than a lot of Belgian quads. Drinks like a port. Some of the hop bitterness and spice one would normally expect. Feel of ethanol, but little taste. Mild effervescence.

Look: Pours a dark brown with red highlights and even my aggressive pour yields a short-lived beige head that settles to a film, leaving minimal lacing behind

Aroma: Plums, hints of dark cherries, straw, cocoa, dried figs and prunes, Belgian Candi sugar, warmed brown bread, yeast, and fruity esters

Taste: Whoa. Opens up with rich bready malt, dark fruits, and cocoa that hit one-at-a-time and then quickly blend and develop depth. A little dried fruit and Candi sugar dance uninhibited in the middle and some straw/hay pops in from time-to-time briefly before the rich and velvety bready-fruity-chocolate trifecta returns to close it out. No alcohol is detectable and this beer starts and finishes like a rich, chocolate tort with a dark fruit drizzle in a glass. Outstanding

Mouthfeel: Full, silky smooth, soft, medium-high carbonation, and smooth and soft on the finish. Again, no alcohol detectable

Overall: This beer is absolutely phenomenal. I’m probably biased as a huge Block 15 fan but was surprised I hadn’t reviewed this already and felt it had been awhile since I had one so dove in for science and can report - it’s awesome. A very tasty, well-made, and executed Belgian Quad that brings a ton of flavor and depth, plus a killer mouthfeel and well hidden ABV. I need more of this stat and highly recommended

 

this thing is a hazard! lookout, especially if you have been drinking all day, this really put me under, but the flavors here are amazing, and for all the hoppy stuff and wild beer these guys do so well, they are nailing these dark strong types as well, such a solid brewery overall! amazing complexity to this, really cool label art, and a pretty pour, raisin colored with over an inch of airy tannish head, no fade at all, looks awfully authentically belgian to me. the nose here is rich, bourbon and rum, vanilla, toffee, maple, and fruit leather. i get warming alcohol but it isnt hot, and i can appreciate a spicy, old worldy belgian yeast, not running away with this, but uniquely understated in its ester profile, lots going on and it expands as it sits. the flavor is just as good, more raisin, caramel, dark hearth bread, birch and oak although i dont know if this sees wood or not. its sweet but not overly so, and the bottle conditioning is on point, this drinks texturally like a belgian example of the style, hard to do but they have it dialed. the booziness takes over as it warms, but it remains enhancing rather than distracting, cognac at the end, this one keeps on going, and the effervescence keeps it weirdly drinkable. overall a monstrously well done offering in a traditional style, right in every way, super impressive. thanks to my homie for sharing!

Very thick, high volume head , nose of forest floor ferns and moss. Let it warm in the glass and flavor unfolds for you. Rich taste of the Belgian malt is complemented by just a hint of bitterness. Figs, dark chocolate, expresso. A one time deal, you may find some here and there. Our bottle was produced in Nov '20; reviewed in mid-April '21.

 

Dark and sweet

 

Lightly hazed dark cherry with one finger of white head that drops quickly leaving some splotches of lace.
Smell is dark fruit rich malts maybe a bit of black cherry.
Taste is dark fruit malts and some cocoa. Alcohol well hidden.
Mouthfeel is medium with good carbonation. The finish is lightly dry and balanced.
Overall a tasty mostly sweet strong ale. Easy drinking but watch out this is a big beer. 500ml bottle Bottled in Nov. 2018.

Handsome clear red-brown with fine-grained foam in the Hopleaf goblet. Peculiar smell of passionfruit with something murky from the compost heap. Rather sweet but the Belgian dry finish takes the edge off. Fruity and tangy. Golden raisiny taste with a buttery finish.

Rich but some acidity. Bitter and woody aftertaste. This does taste more like an "Imperial Old Ale" if you let your imagination wander. It's all quite interesting though more of a novelty than a Quad. From the 500 ml bottle. Label says it was bottled in November of 2018.

 

I received a bottle from @woemad in the NBS BIF #9 and it was a "mystery" beer so I reviewed it blind. It pours a deep cola brown with a huge, fluffy, light khaki-colored head and a thick sheen of creamy lacing. The aromatic nose features banana, plum, cherry, clove, coriander, and brown bread. The taste is rich and fairly sweet,; there is plum or fig, black cherry, tobacco ash, and earthy char. It finishes quite bitter. It's really tasty! The mouth feel is rich and creamy with moderate carbonation and you can feel its 10.25% ABV; there is a noticeable alcohol burn. Overall, this is a well-crafted Quad; the initial fruit sweetness is balanced by the char and bitterness. It's not a subtle ale but if you like a good Belgian Quad, then you should enjoy The Prophecies.