Belgian Beer Appreciation Thread (2023)

The head of a Duvel is a beautiful thing!

 

This must be the first barleywine from Belgium I have ever tried, and might be the only one that ever shows up on this thread. Although it's an English barleywine, I definitely taste the Belgian notes in this. It's almost a cross-over between a barleywine and a Belgian Quad.

Reserva from Brasserie Atrium. Aged in Old Forester bourbon barrels for 7 months, and comes in at 10.5% ABV. The bourbon is very noticeable, so I'm glad it was only 7 months for this one.

Poured at fridge temp. Pours a medium brown color with a LOT of slightly off-white head. The beer itself is muddy looking. The head is absolutely relentless. Won't go down, even after about 10 minutes.

The nose is toffee, red wine, dark fruits, bread, and some bourbon.

The taste is fantastic. Rich toffee, big malts, Belgian yeast, toast, a nice bourbon note, a slight note of Armagnac, plums, and a hint of honey. Very nice barleywine! Mouthfeel is medium bodied and the aftertaste is primarily toffee.

4.03/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

 

I think they actually call this one a quad. From Struise:

Clash Of The Titans Reserva is one of our greatest collaborations of all time.

An initially hoppy blonde quadruple of 12% Alc./Vol., 26 ° plato, which was aged for 1 year in French Bordeaux oak barrels in which Swiss wine has matured. Complex wine with fruity notes, full-bodied and beautiful aftertaste, both in aroma and flavors. The hop keys have almost completely disappeared after 1 year on the barrel. This Reserva leans slightly towards the barley wine style beers.

 

But, you can see the switch near the end of the description. Tough call. However, I had forgotten about that one!