Achel Extra Bruin (de 3 Wijzen)

Brewed by Brouwerij der Trappistenabdij De Achelse Kluis
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Hamont-Achel, Belgium

750 at the Seattle International Beerfest. Pours deep dark, murky brown with thick, moussy, fizzy tan head. Big apple-y caramel nose. Big body but not over the top; firm carb, lots of forward sweetness: caramel, toffee, apples. Thick sweet mid-palate and finish but not overly cloying. Wonderful stuff.

Bottle @ Publick House, Brookline, MA, shared with ArcaneApollo. Dark reddish-brown with malty and slight earthy notes on the aroma. The beer has a lot of carbonation but its smoothness belies that. This beer is wonderfully complex and all the subtle differences work together in perfect harmony. I measure great beer by those I do not want to finish, and this beer falls into that category.

Green bottle, 75 cl, Trappist tasting at my place, savoured on March 9 2007; eye: burgundy, creamy head, lightly hazy, suspended matter; nose: faint odours, caramelized malt, suspended matter; mouth: creamy texture, nice aggressive bitterness, finale with a medicinal aspect to it, full body, quite carbonated, mildly bitter, slightly astringent; overall: correct FRANÇAIS Bouteille verte, 75 cl, soirée Trappiste chez nous, savourée le 9 mars 2007; oeil : bourgogne, mousse crémeuse, légèrement voilée, matière en suspension; nez : odeurs faibles, malt caramélisé, fruits confits; bouche : texture crémeuse, belle amertume agressive, finale avec un p’tit côté médicinal, corsée, assez carbonatée, moyennement amère, légèrement astringente; en résumé : correct

Hazy & dark mahogany body, with a dense & rocky head. Excellent head-retention. A deep, fruity, malty and spicy aroma. With plums, figs, raisins, dark sugar, cinnamon, slight spicyness from the hops - great complexity. The taste was fruity and spicy upfront, and finished more dry with strong malty notes of vanilla and dark fruit, reminiscent of old tawny port. The balance was a bit off, with the sweet fruityness dominating. It also lacked a really distinctive character, like Rochefort’s unique yeasty spicyness or St. Bernadus’ rounded malt-profile - or Westvleteren’s outstanding balance. Thick, lush mouthfeel with little carbonation. Excellent, but a bit more balance would’ve made this even better.

Bottle...Simply put, this is the perfect beer. It has everything I ever wanted in a beer. Aroma, color, and, of course, a bitter taste with just the right amount of malty sweetness. PERFECT!!!

Bottle pictured on top. I don’t quite agree with those at the WBC in Chicago. This was quite enjoyable, but I still prefer the Rocheforts, and possible the Chimay Grande Reserve and even the Konings Quad. Brown in color, off-white head. Sweet and syrupy, with some fruits and malts, and the alcohol finish that I love in quads. I gotta try this again and re-rate, because I don’t know that I’m doing it justice after the first try.

The sweetness is very present, unlike it says in the Commercial Description. Belgian Candy Sugar is certainly present. Dried fruit and sherry are accurate as well. In all, I had heard great things about this beer, but it was too much like a candy syrup. Great for the style though.

750 ml bottle. Dark brown colour with a hint of lavender. Cloudy, but I suspect that to be because of yeast in suspension. Medium-sized off-white head. Complex aroma with sugars, raisins and other dried fruits. Full-bodied. Very nicely balanced. Drying rich aftertaste.