Church Brew Cherry Quadzilla

Brewed by Church Brew Works
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA

Amber in color with a pretty good head. Cherry notes in the aroma with alcohol, and other fruitiness. Medium slightly sticky body. Taste has alcohol, sweetness, cherry, and sugar.

(750ml bottle) Pours a cloudy amber-brown body with a medium-sized long-lasting beige head. Aroma of leather, mustiness, cherry, caramel, wet leaves, and tobacco. Flavor of cherry, molasses, toasted malt, and candi sugar.

On tap at the brewery. Not very good. I heard a quad with cherry and jumped at the idea. Aroma was weak, but could pick up a hint of caramel malt. Pour was a nice deep amber with a two finger off white head. Taste was very thin. Decent carbonation, but tasted like water mixed with rubbing alcohol with a splash of kriek. No aftertaste and no fullness. I wish I could try this bottled to rate again.

Hazy golden-amber colour. Fruity nose - cherry skins - with light malt and alcohol. Spritzy carbonation fails to sufficiently cut through the syrupy body. Light cherry pie accents. Finishes slightly cloying then with an alcoholic dryness. Not particularly well-structured nor compelling.

Doughy, yeasty and fruity. A bit like a cherry pie. Rather sweet, but not cloying.

Bottle from hopdog. Reminds me more of a cherry wheat than a cherry quad. A little light in the loafers for me. Cherry flavor definitely present, but quad background isn’t strong enough to support the overall brew.

Had the pleasure of sampling this at the 1/27/2008 Pittsburgh ratebeer.com gathering upstairs, Sharp Edge Creekhouse. It will be a long time, if ever, I see a spread of bottles like I did there - ever again. I am not good enough for the beers that were that we sampled! For example, how about this beer; Church Brew Works Cherry Quadzilla. Very little cherry aroma, but it is there. Pinkish ale light brown in appearance. Barely any carbonation, as with most high alky brews. Way too strong for my lager loving taste buds. Strong enough that I cannot really appreciate the cherry. Not as enjoyable as St. Bernardus Abt 12 or Omegang 3-p’s. But a little more on par with Avery The Reverend or Weyer’s Quad.

This looks beautiful! A gentle pour releases a flume of carbonation that rigidly supports a super-creamy light biege/cream head that is both thick and mostly stationary. The body is cloudy as all get-out, orange amber with red highlighting. Light but pretty lacing too. cherries share the centerpiece of the aroma with candi sugar, caramel and plenty of yeast. The nose is sweet and of medium strength. Breadiness is split amicably by potent but never-overwhelming alcohol. I somewhat expected cherries to be more of a dominant force, but this way is better - no apparent medicinal traits and the interesting yeast character shines easily. Yogurt notes join citrus fruit esters at the culmination of each inhalation. This seems simplistic under the surface but it’s fun thus far. Cherries play a stronger role in a more alcoholic and focused flavor. Yeastiness is still fruity and has a fresh quality. Sweetness is medium-high and well-integrated, acidity mild, bitterness low. The mouthfeel is creamy, soft, smooth and lightly but adequateIy carbonated. The finish is sugary but not too sweet, pleasing and finely acidic. I don’t think this recipe is a knockout, nor is the apparent quality of the ingredients, but the craftsmanship is there and the resulting whole of this experience is excellent, one to revisit repeatedly and observe the inevitable flavor development.