Poll: favorite strong beer style

Belgian Tripel

tough call though...

 

Imperial Stouts, but Old Ales and Barleywines are close behind, and while I do love DIPAs, I tend to prefer their IPA and APA counterparts so I'll put them next and Tripels and Quads right after that. Man, I really like strong beer.

 

I knew I was born on the wrong part of the country.... don't tell my job, but neither do I!

 

Sorry for the triple post, but this poll has me thinking (as they're grouped together), can someone help me better understand the difference between the "acronym" Belgian styles (ie BSDA) and the "abbey" styles (ie Quad)?

Is it purely nomenclature, or are there specific differences either in brewing ingredients/process or in the finished product?

edit: Might as well tag a couple gents that will surely have some good info: @jesskidden @JackHorzempa

 

Imperial stouts, especially barrel aged. Followed by American or English barley wines, and Old Ales, I like DIPAs as well. Just getting into Belgian beers so I do like a good quad. I just love sipping on a big ABV beer!

 

Belgian strong pale, la chouffe might be my first love.

 

Sorry if I'm stepping on any toes-

Readers digest version is :abv (Quad is above a certain threshold). That will, naturally, bring along with it certain flavor and balance profiles (sweeter, denser, etc.), but if there's a line to be crossed that's where it happens.

Some will argue that a 'Quad' is not really a style, but just the high end of BSDAs. The first brewery to use the term was Koningshoeven (La Trappe), and there's is maltier than the rest, fwiw.

___________________

There is a similar line between English Barleywines and Old Ales- above like 10%(?) and it's a Barleywine, in modern parlance, at least.

In the far past, Old Ales were distinguished by 'process', not really by style. They were aged in the barrel longer, and took on some additional qualities because of it. This was distinguished from the term 'Mild', which was a fresh beer. Either way, they could have any number of colors, strengths, hoppiness, etc.- whether they were aged or not was the deciding factor.

 

Not at all, I'd have tagged you too actually but you were already in the thread

 

I tried the Elevation 66 Caber Tosser Scotch Ale (9%) recently, and it was excellent.

Talia
Simply Beeresistible

 

for me this is one of those topics where the barrel changes things. Without it I'd probably go 1. quad 2. stout 3. barleywine. Barrel aged and it's more like 1. barleywine 2. stout 3. quad. Then again my mood changes all the time and I'll probably have a different answer tomorrow.

 

I don't even know if I like Eisbocks, wheatwines, or biere de champagnes. Probably, but still can't say with 100% certainty. I definitely drink imp stouts the most, so that's what I answered, but I really like quads, barleywines, imp IPAs, strong ales... as I find myself saying often, I'm an equal opportunity drinker.

 

Strong beers aren't my jam; 97% of the time I just don't want to feel like I'm drinking an entire meal. However, I do respect them and understand what they have to offer.

BSDA got my vote. The good ones integrate booze so perfectly and remain dangerously drinkable. Honorable mention to a well done DIPA.

 

It's a shame that 'quadrupel' is seen by many as a style now. This means that La Trappe Quadrupel will always lose out when compared to Rochefort 10 and the others. I don't think it has much in common with them at all other than being strong. It's a strong pale ale, and one of the greats. Rochefort 10 isn't a strong pale ale, so why compare it? It has a very different taste. And as for barley wines I had one this week that was 7% (the brewery called it a barley wine).

 

I'm a Sucker for a BSDA.

 

I went with Imperial stouts, but it was a tough call... I drink more DIPAs than double stouts, but DIPAs can range lower in abv and still hit that "sweet spot" for me... barleywines are a fave, too, but I don't drink them as often as the other two....

 

I picked imperial IPA because I could only pick one. I think that style has a lot of variation within the style due to the different malt bills and hop varieties that each brewer uses. That way if you're going to hold me to a single style, I could drink it without palate boredom setting in. If I could have picked more than one, american barleywine and imperial stout would have been a close second.

 

They're all good! It was a tough choice but I went with Belgian Quad. I drink more imperial IPA's than Belgians but only because the Belgians tend to be more expensive but if money weren't an object I'd drink more Belgians.

 

Duvel? Delerium Tremens? Orval? Chimay White?Tripel Karmeleit? St. Bernardus Triple?

How could I say no to such a group?

 

I can't really answer this because I never say to myself, I want a strong beer, now which one do I want? Depending on mood, weather, etc., I am more likely to start out wanting a DIPA or a barleywine or a quadrupel or...

So, while I suppose if you added them all up I probably have had more barleywine/old ales than the others over the years, I'm not sure the numbers would be too different than some other styles.

It's kind of like asking what my favorite golf club is. The answer will be heavily dependent on whether I am standing at the tee, in a fairway bunker or on the green.

 

Rules were made to be broken, after all .

I totally agree about La Trappe, it's fairly unique and quite delicious in its own way.