BJs Big Belgian Quad (BBQ)

Brewed by BJs Restaurant & Brewhouse
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
, USA

BJ’s Boulder Big Belgian Quad–on tap-pours a tan head and ruby red color. Aroma is rock candy, dark fruit, malt. Taste is rock candy, dark fruit, malt. Nice rolling warm alcohol tingle. Sipping, occasional.

Draught, BJ’s, Boulder. Virtually no head. Body is dark brown. Aroma is moderately malty (caramel, molasses), trace yeast (cobwebs), with notes of banana, raisin, vanilla, alcohol, clove. Flavor is heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter. Medium to full body, watery texture, lively/soft carbonation, moderately to heavily alcoholic. Pretty damned good as-is, but I’m secretly hoping Marc will throw this in a wine barrel for a while (or unused oak maybe, just no bourbon please). Yummy, but the big alcohol is a whallop to the head! Drink carefully.

Draught at BJ’s in Boulder. Pours mahagony, deep brown with a tiny frothy tan head that diminishes to an edgy film and lacing. Aroma is malty (meal, cookie, biscuit) with caramel and yeast (cellar) notes, slight berry hop noticeable, raisin and alcohol. Flavor is yeasty, medium sweetness, malty (roasted caramel) and a spicy berry hop, syrupy like a cough medicine. Full bodied and warming, spicy palate that goes dry near the end. Nice beer to sip on a cold day, and I stress the sip or you might find that your feet are a little heavy on the floor.

Shared the night before Darkness Day, October, 2009. I don’t know the gentleman that brought this, but thank you for sharing. High alcohol, in the flavor and the aroma, especially in the aroma. Lots of malt with sugar. Straight forward and not complex, this is a big, sweet beer with lots of alcohol and malt.

On tap at BJ’s in Boulder: Murky burgundy. Big banana in the nose. Luxurious texture. No single flavor seemed to stand out in the malts ... various elements of caramel, hard candy and bread. Yeast/hop/spice elements of banana, clove, raisin, flowers and herbs. Very balancing hop bitterness. Warming and nippy alcohol burned a little, but it was a good burn. I loved how the beer was pleasant and delicate, yet it still seemed to hold a level of complexity. And I also liked how it wasn’t too sweet ... just enough sweetness to take the edge off the alcohol and bitterness. Heh heh. Good stuff.

(Boulder) - Decent. Quite well layered as far a the flavors in the malt profile and how they lay themselves out on the palate, not overpowering with each on etaking the time to grace it presence on your tongue. Floral spice nose, with some fresh babana, the flavor is richly tingly and sweet with brown candi sugars, dates and raisins, with a very smooth flavor, and a bit of a smooth controlled burn in the aftertaste. Impressive when it is all said and done for Bjs.

sampled on tap at the 5th Boulder Strong Ale Fest. poured amber with off-white head. nose was very sweet candy sugar, plums, and raisins. flavor was dark fruits but overwhelmed by the candy sugar, just too sweet. alcohol was well hidden though for it being 14%.

Pour is clear light brown with a thin tan head...smell is alcoholic and fruity...nice chewy mouthfeel...lots of earth fruits dot some sweetness into the funky yeasty spiciness...impressive!