Obliviate
Short's Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

a really great quad here. it seems like these days every time anyone makes a solid strong ale it has to end up in bourbon barrels with things like cherries and coconut and such. its weird to have such a straight forward brew from shorts, these guys are like the kings of esoteric ingredients and ambitious recipes, so its cool to see something like this. i also like it not relying on barrel ageing or adjuncts to be awesome, its just a great quad. the belgian yeast profile is actually somewhat tame here, some notes of dried apple and pear to it, faint port wine esters, and maybe just a little earthy fall spice, but its not as over the top as so many of these, and as such leaves a little more space for the malt to do its thing, which for me here is sweet like brown sugar and butter scotch, rich like molasses and maple syrup, and quite heavy, long boiled, concentrated, and baked. warming in flavor as well as from the obvious alcohol, its sharp, but the residual sugar keeps it appealing, almost addicting to drink on. full body, decent carbonation from the tap, and a lot of deeper, richer grain elements than i am used to in the style. they have done a really great job with this one, well ahead of expectations, and truly a delicious take on a belgian quad. nice work!

Pours into a stemmed glass a rich caramel infused burgundy color with a thinner tan colored head atop,nice richness in color.Deep yeast esters in the nose give off clove and dark fruits notes,the alcohol is quite hot as well.Like a spiced fruit cake on the palate with a hefty dose of an alcohol soaking,to me it's pretty hot and not something I can drink much of.A subtle dryness in the finish does not curb the alcohol heat.Not what I was hoping for from one of my favorite breweries.

I'm not a huge fan of belgian beer, but as they go I'd say this is middle of the road. The taste is a little too sweet for me, but I suppose the style is a bit sweet. Very floral, aromatic flavor. Definitely belgian style. I'd recommend a try for fans of the style.

 

12 ounce bottle into chalice, bottled on 3/8/2018. Pours slightly hazy very dark ruby red/brown color with a 1 finger dense light khaki head with awesome retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big raisin, plum, prune, cherry, fig, date, berries, apricot, red apple, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, and toasted brown bread; with lighter notes of banana, pepper, clove, chocolate, cocoa, nuttiness, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/light spicy yeast, candi sugar, and dark/bready/light roast malt notes; with great strength. Taste of huge raisin, plum, prune, cherry, fig, date, berries, apricot, red apple, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, and toasted brown bread; with lighter notes of banana, pepper, clove, chocolate, cocoa, nuttiness, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal/roast bitterness and peppery yeast spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of dark fruit, cherry, berries, apricot, red apple, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted brown bread, pepper, clove, light chocolate/cocoa, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/light spicy yeast, candi sugar, and dark/bready/light roast malt flavors; with a nice malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitter/spiciness. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, and lightly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal warming alcohol for 12.3%. Overall this is a fantastic quadrupel! All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/light spicy yeast, candi sugar, and dark/bready/light roast malt flavors; very smooth and dangerously smooth to drink for the huge ABV; with the mellowly bitter/spicy finish. Extremely rich and complex yeast and malts; with an awesome balance between both. Not overly sweet/heavy for the ABV. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on style example. They really nailed this one.

 

 

 

 

Poured from bottle to tulip glass. A sinful blend of dark fruits (most noticeably tart black cherries and figs) balanced against brown and candi sugars, a malty melange of sweetness and booze. Would make a monk proud, too bad Belgian styles aren't in more demand because I could use this and Evil Urges year-round.

Pours dark brown. Short, foamy, tan head that fades fast.

Smells sugar, burnt sugar, yeast, dark fruit and light alcohol.

Tastes caramel, burnt sugar, dark fruit, light earthy yeast and light alcohol. Finish is semi sweet with a yeast and light sugar linger. Medium body and soft medium carbonation.