Iron Hill Oak Aged Quad

Brewed by Iron Hill Wilmington
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Wilmington, Delaware USA

Bottle shared at the Carolina Crew tasting by ucusty - thanks, David! BAM, this is a good one. Big barrel and booze in the nose. 06 bottle holds up well indeed. It’s got a cloudy, somewhat dingy body which belies the complexity and vibrancy of the flavors. The base beer is a really well done quad. And if it doesn’t have any specifically distinguishing characteristics other than being top notch, it’s certainly given personality by the barrel aging, which imparts a sweetness that really nicely complements the style. The body might suffer just a tad from age, but this is really well done.

’06 bottle shared by ucusty. Odd opaque brown pour with a gray tint and small grayish-white head. Not very appealing to look at, but lovely to smell. Big oaky bourbon nose as well as dark stewed fruits, raisins, caramel, and brown sugar. Very tasty, if a tad sweet and heavy.

Bottle shared at Carolina crew gathering. 2006 vintage (i believe) Murky brown pour, actually quite an ugly beer to look at. Smoke and bourbon on the nose. Complex flavor. Sweet caramel, oak, bourbon, dark fruits, and nice earthy tones. The bourbon really makes itself known on the finish.

25.4 oz bottle. Dark brown that pours almost still. Nose is molasses, soy and vanilla oak. Slick medium body with a light tingle. Taste is figs, dates, raisins, toffee and wood. Kind of like a fruity bourbon. A different kind of Quad but pretty good.

#1200 750ml bottle. Vinous aroma. Musty grape skin and slightly tannic grape stem. Tart and dried raisins along the lines of an Amarone. Some dry and slightly funky yeast. Dried figs. Candi sugar. Not a whole lot of barrel character though. Some vanilla and alcohol. Poura a pretty dark cherrywood with a quickly disappearing khaki head. The barrel tannin comes through much more on the palate than the nose. Loads of prune, fig and grape stem. Vanilla. A slight clove spiciness. Belgian yeast. Brown sugar with a touch of cinnamon. Actually... brown sugar coated dark fruits. Well balanced. Fruity, yeasty and malty with the barrel lingering in the background. Very interesting. Close to full bodied. Medium carbonation. Finishes with plenty of dried dark fruits. Well made and entirely drinkable for 10.5%. Now to try the non oak aged and the non brett... Thanks Seth!

750ml bottle, again thanks to Swolf3. Very dark brown pour, just a little head. Nice dark rich aroma, slightest woody aroma, not much though. Completely different from the regular Quad. A real sweetness from the wine comes through big time, glad I had the regular yesterday. Very nice.

Courtesy Beerlando. Tried this right after the regular version. Pours a very dark brown color with a small cream head that settles to a thin film. The aroma is really nice on this one with the dark fruits and candied sugar blending with sweet caramel and oaky vanilla. Plums, raisins, and figs push through and add depth to the sweet vanilla cream and oak laden flavors. The vanilla seems to soothe over the alcohol with only a hint of it on the back end. Full bodied and thick on the mouthfeel, but very smooth and creamy. This one went down smooth with a sweet vanilla finish. This one made good use of the oak and had a really nice flavor to it. Really a well done quad.

Bottle... Post RBSG ’08 O-Town/Vero Beach Throwdown Chapter 8... Murky, dark, caramel-colored ale with a small, creamy, off-white head. Great retention. The earthy, tangy nose offers only a rumor of the relatively high level of ethanol within. Full-bodied and silky with modest carbonation. Sweet and deeply roasted with dark fruits and restrained alcohol. Candy-sweet, lightly tangy finish. Thanks to Beerlando for popping the top on this one!