Well-made American Quads

Totally agree on Three Philosophers. Really enjoy it

 

I agree with Chris (@Domingo) that North American BSDA/Quad beers are not quite up to the ones brewed in Belgium.

I typically buy a couple of 4-packs of Weyerbacher Quad a year. They are good beers but not as good as the Belgian versions.

IMHO, a BSDA is a subset of a Quad. IMO, a Quad needs to be ≥10% ABV but a BSDA may or may not be ≥ 10% ABV. In other words, a BSDA which is 9% ABV should not be considered a Quad.

My understanding is that the term Quad was first used in 1991:

“Quadrupel is the brand name of a strong seasonal beer La Trappe Quadrupel brewed by De Koningshoeven Brewery in the Netherlands, …”

“In 1991, La Trappe Quadrupel is produced for the very first time.”

Cheers!

 

two i like as others have posted
3Philosophers
Blvd BBQ

 

Three Philosophers style needs to be changed to Belgian Strong Dark Ale. It's not even 10% and it's made with Kriek, as mentioned above.

 

Trader Joe's makes a nice barrel-aged...made by Unibroue. I also do a mean clone of Sr Bernardus Abt 12...

 

Stickee Monkee is not a quad, has never been a quad, its a complete misnomer

 

I get what you're saying, but to me "boozy" ≠ ABV.

When I call something boozy, I mean the alcohol flavor and feel distract from the rest of what's going on. You can have an 8% beer come off as way more boozy than some that are 12%.

 

True! Boozy = not well executed.

 

Agreed. The one exception I regularly come across is a well-made, giant DIPA, especially those 10% ABV or higher. The best ones do this thing where the very noticeable booziness is blurred into certain aspects of the hop profile. It almost adds new depth to the hops, and I love it.

 

Does anyone know if Stickee Monkee has Belgian yeast? Firestone used to refer to it as a barleywine.

 

Oh. That's the difference? Color?

 

IF you can find it... Forgotten Island was a delicious rum barrel aged quad.

 

Sierra Nevada Ovila Quad seems pretty decent.

 

Ommegang Three Philosophers INDEED!

 

I like Sly Fox Ichor- it's got a yeast signature reminiscent of Cuvee Van de Keizer Blauw (although ultimately not as well put-together as that brew), including that grape soda thing going on, and is pretty nice overall.

I really love that beer, but totally agree with your second point. I also wouldn't lump Barrel Aged beers in with these- they get their own category.

 

I've yet to have an United States Brewery that has made me a believer in their Belgian Inspired Ales. Unibroue is the only one I've tilted my hat to.

 

Sierra Nevada Ovila Quad

 

Pannepot is a quad and is super dark.

 

So is Kasteel Donker (an underrated beer, btw). I thought the dividing line was determined by AbV, myself.

 

Unless it's marketed as a Belgian stout/porter (ala Allagash Black), there is no meaningful difference between a quad and a BSDA. So yes, they should count.


With that in mind, the best "American Quad" I've had is a bit of an oddball: Allagash Odyssey, preferably with 1 or 2 years of cellaring time on it. It's like a quad-wheatwine hybrid, partially barrel-aged. Like all things Allagash, they get both the Belgian yeast and the Belgian texture (eg, spritely carbonation and not super-sweet) down just pat. Apart from that it is a little strange. I do prefer it to Allagash FOUR, however.

When fresh, I think the less cherry-forward batches of Boulevard BBQ are truly world class. There is definitely a lot of variation with that beer though.

As has been said many times, the Belgian greats are almost uniformly a few orders of magnitude better than American examples.

IMMEDIATE ISO