Should barrel-aged Quads be recategorized?

Well, since I don't have the opinion you are arguing against and am interested only in when and how the term "quadruple" came into use as a category name, I'll leave it to the Brewers who run BA, BJCP, and any international Standards Group to sort out the rest of it. Ignoring who brewed what when or who understands what, so far as I can tell at this point the use of the term as a style category designation originated in the U.S. And that makes no judgement at all about who does or does not understand the origin of the beers, their similarities, or who first brewed the beers now grouped into that subcategory.

Enjoy your day.

 

The top 3 are still Westy, Rochefort, and St. B Abt 12. The reason barrel aged are showing up on the list is cause the base beer in the states isn't even close to the same level as the originals in Belgium.

 

To be fair those are all pretty distinct with the exception of American Stout, I always thought American Stout and Imperial Stouts were the same.

 

I don't think beers that are aged or have added ingredients need to be reclassified. They still are brewed to a basic set of style guidelines, and as such have those base characteristics at their core. Anything that happens to them other than that should be noted on the bottle or description, noted in a review (whether it be on BA or just a personal critique in ones head) and then used to judge that beer against others in it's category; regular, added stuff, aged, etc. Let's let our palates decide what the additional items have done to a beer in a certain category, instead of letting a style description lead our palates.

 

I just don’t see the point.

 

Beer, like music, can be over-categorized. Some people spend more time determining what something is than judging it's individual merits. I understand different true styles, but I think everyone should focus more on the beer itself, and less on what to call it. And besides, we wouldn't want to appear too snobby now, would we?

 

Of course the word 'Quadrupel' was not used before the La Trappe beer appeared. Why even bother researching it? Kids, listen to me!

 

Dont think they should be labeled as something else, they are what they are and they should just be enjoyed. Why must there always be some sort of argument regarding beers haha.

 

Some of us are listening, but on what basis do you make the claim that nobody used the descriptor "quadrupel" prior to 1991 when the La Trappe beer first appeared? You can tell me three times, but that still doesn't make it true (in spite of what Lewis Carroll had to say :-)).

 

the original quad got its name because of abv..its stronger than a triple... barrel, carboy, bucket, stainless, ect. Does not change that

 

There are some that are very close and of course those are the two you use to are argue your point. Per the original quote i was comenting on there are major differences between Irish Stout, English, Milk, Oatmeal, and then as I mentioned the others are pretty similar to one another, we can call it Imperial Stouts.

You will notice that I said Imperial and American are practically one in the same and for sake of argument lets lump Russian in there as well. I will aregue though that the following are destinct styles.

Imperial Stout (Russian, American, Double, ect.)
English Stout
Dry Irish
Oatmeal Stout
Milk Stout

 

I have decided that I am going to write an article on this in my spare time. I will let you all know when its been written and what I found out. I have my suspicions (which are in line with LordCrabapple), but my research will determine if they are founded.

 

You would think that there would be some evidence somewhere that the term was used, but there isn't (because it wasn't). There is no sign of it existing before La Trappe invented it, because they invented it (and it's a stupid name for a beer). Anyway, I'm assuming you're having a bit of fun at poor old LordCrabapple's expense. If I'm proved wrong (and I won't be, because I'm right), I will never appear on Beeradvocate again. By the way, does anybody know when St Bernardus first started using the term for their beer (the power of America!)? It must have been fairly recently.

 

Koningshoeven (La Trappe) also produces a barrel aged Quads:

“Quadrupel Oak Aged’ (10% alcohol) is Quadrupel, that longer time in wooden barrels or barriques is aged. The unique, complex flavor depends on the type of vessel. Now port-, white wine and whisky barriques are used.”

http://www.koningshoeven.nl/en/abbey/brewery.php

Cheers!

 

A quick update on this topic ... I drank a barrel-aged beer over the weekend, and wasn't sure if I liked the taste of it or not because it didn't have its own category.

 

I definately agree that barrel aged offerings should not have their own style. But to argue that the lines are close between a dry irish stout and an imperial stout is assanie

 

“The St. Bernardus Abt 12 is the pride of our stable, the nec plus ultra of our brewery. Abbey ale brewed in the classic 'Quadrupel' style of Belgium's best Abbey Ales. Dark with a full, ivory-colored head. It has a fruity aroma, full of complex flavours and excells because of its long bittersweet finish with a hoppy bite. (10,0% ABV) Worldwide seen as one of the best beers in the world. It's a very balanced beer, with a full-bodied taste and a perfect equilibrium between malty, bitter and sweet. One of the original recipes from the days of license-brewing for the Trappist monks of Westvleteren (see history).”

http://www.sintbernardus.be/stbernardusabt12.php?l=en

Let me see if I am getting this straight: some American is making a Belgian brewery describe their beer as a 'Quadrupel' style of Belgium's best Abbey Ales.”?

Cheers!