La Trappe Quadrupel (Oak Aged) - Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven B.V.

CalebHiliadis

5/5  rDev +16.3%

09-27-2012 00:38:02 | More by CalebHiliadis

Scott_McCool

Florida

4.25/5  rDev -1.2%

05-17-2013 22:16:49 | More by Scott_McCool

superspak

Michigan

4.43/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

375 ml bottle into chalice; Batch 6, April 2011 bottling. Pours hazy and cloudy dark reddish brown color with a small dense cream colored head with good retention, that reduces to a thin lace cap. Spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of big raisin, prune, caramel, toffee, toast, oak, clove, molasses, light red wine, candi sugar, brown bread, vanilla, light chocolate, light peat, and yeast earthiness. Incredible aromas with big complexity and balance of malt and fruity esters with moderate oak barrel presence. Taste of big raisin, prune, toffee, toast, caramel, molasses, clove, brown bread, oak, light wine, candi sugar, light peat, light chocolate, light vanilla, and yeast earthiness. Lingering notes of dark fruits, toffee, toast, caramel, molasses, brown bread, oak, clove, light chocolate, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Fantastic complexity and balance of big malt flavors with moderate fruity/spicy esters; with moderate oak presence and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a very creamy, slick, and lightly syrupy mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with only a small warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is an incredible oak aged Quad! Tons of complexity and well balanced flavors; and quite smooth to sip on. Insanely enjoyable stuff; definitely worth enjoying again in the future, even for the high price of the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 04:25:18 | More by superspak

Teleweizen2

New Jersey

3.55/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

A - pours a deep and surprisingly clear amber/mahogony. 2 fingers of tightly packed bubbly foam. Decent retention. Leaves lots of splattered lines of lacing.

S - medium intense aroma. Lots of ripe fruit. Mostly red. Soft notes of over ripe strawberries, slightly tart raspberries, red apple skins, and juicy plums. Hints of cinnamon, cloves, and wood round out the nose.

T - deep toasty malt profile. The subtle oak character adds to the soft toasty and toffee like malts. Sweet and tart fruits enter mid palate. Hints of pepper and anisette on the backend of the palate. Long warming finish.

M - medium bodied. Slick Buttery texture. High carbonation.

O - nice beer. I was expecting a touch more oak influence but there is enough to satisfy.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 02:27:50 | More by Teleweizen2

Liquid_Bread

Pennsylvania

4.66/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Batch #6 poured into a chalice at Monk's Cafe.

A: cloudy mud brown with a finger of foam. Looked like there were a ton of floaties. This guy was happy to emerge from the bottle after a few years.

S: Fruit, grass, orange, almond, hops, coffee, chocolate, oak, moss, peat. Most complex beer I've ever smelled.

T: I must reiterate what I said about the smell in regards to taste: it was mind blowing how complex and smooth this beer manages to be. Quite a paradox. I felt like I was eating an enchanted forest. This beer really is a meal to itself. It's almost too sweet for its own good. Maybe I should have been forced to enjoy it slower?

M: Like I said, very smooth. It was hard not to gulp it. If you want a strong alcohol taste to your beer, you wouldn't find that here, it hides well. It had a good lively feel to it but didn't force the carbonation feeling on you.

O: Fully developed palettes accustomed to fine wines and good food pairings will find even more to like here than I did. It's very flavorful and avoids the syrupiness of which some quads are accused (only Westy beats it in this regard). If you prefer bitterness or even just slight bitterness, I'd avoid it.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 19:03:43 | More by Liquid_Bread

kustard

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -24.4%

05-11-2013 13:57:14 | More by kustard

Stugotzo

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%

05-10-2013 12:59:34 | More by Stugotzo

Giggy

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev -1.2%

05-09-2013 20:18:47 | More by Giggy

TallSaint

United Kingdom (Scotland)

4.25/5  rDev -1.2%

05-07-2013 23:40:55 | More by TallSaint

ubenumber2

Arkansas

4.35/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Batch 11 poured from bottle into what should be the right glassare , pours dark oak wood color with half finger off white head that dissapears pretty quick

The smell is hitting you from all different places , wood , earthy , sweet rasins , plums , nice yeast profile and deep malt all combine in the smell of this beer , it is really nice

The mouth on this beer is a little thin , slightly over carbonated for my taste compared to others in this style , but still a good drink on it

The flavors this beer put out the yeast and malt really join well to form a nice tasting beer , and the oak and wine overtones to this beer make it just sweet enough to be really enjoyable and the alcohol bites at the very end

Overall this beer is a great beer , not one of my favorites , I would rather have St Bernardus and would purchase it over this beer 9 times out of 10 , not saying this one is bad , just doesn't ad up to the ABT

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 00:05:50 | More by ubenumber2

metter98

New York

4.28/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A: The beer is very hazy brown in color with some hints of amber hues. It poured with a quarter finger high dense beige head that died down, consistently leaving a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Moderately strong aromas of charred oak and peat are present in the nose along with notes of whiskey.
T: The taste is similar to the smell but the charred oak, peat and whiskey aren't nearly as prominent and are nicely balanced with notes of fresh cut oak, vanilla and yeast as well as hints of dark fruits (although the charred oak and whiskey flavors particularly stand out in the finish). Unlike the regular version, no sweetness is perceptible.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a little smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. The whiskey barrel aging contributes a slight amount of alcohol warming.
O: Considering its strength, this beer is very easy to drink because it isn't heavy-bodied or sticky and the only alcohol that is noticeable is a slight amount from the whiskey barrel aging. It is a pleasant beer to sip that has interesting complexities in the taste.

Note: Batch #8. I saved this beer to celebrate today's crowning of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 03:38:41 | More by metter98

yankeepride

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Batch 9, into a tulip. Pours a deep mahogany, with a pop of fizz that completely dissipates in about a minute or less. Burying your nose in the tulip gives a really nice, inviting aroma that hides the alcohol of a 10.0% beer. You get the typical date, fig sweetness of a quad. Quaffing it yields an unbelievably mellow flavor, and since this is not one of the older variations, the oak aging seems to have done a trick. I didn't get any alcohol burn until it got all the way to my stomach, likely as a result of not having eaten in a while. Otherwise, this is super silky smooth. I didn't know that this was made with Malbec wine casks until I went to look up some details due to catching a tannic taste from my red wine drinking days. My suspicions were confirmed online. It has a pretty light body, and was not as thick as I thought (or wanted) it to be. However, the overall flavor was excellent, and I'm glad I popped the cork on this before the weather got too warm.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 22:34:24 | More by yankeepride

lostrikis

Spain

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%

04-29-2013 19:59:47 | More by lostrikis

jrpapajcik

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +10.5%

04-29-2013 04:25:43 | More by jrpapajcik

MoistPope

California

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%

04-28-2013 05:47:32 | More by MoistPope

kwa357

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -1.2%

04-21-2013 13:46:02 | More by kwa357

Elbrownbag

Netherlands

4.75/5  rDev +10.5%

04-13-2013 19:09:12 | More by Elbrownbag

douginromeo

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%

04-12-2013 19:28:49 | More by douginromeo

AOShabaz

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev -1.2%

04-07-2013 20:03:06 | More by AOShabaz

shehateme

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%

04-07-2013 19:52:34 | More by shehateme

ypsifly

Michigan

3.81/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Batch 11 poured into a St. Feuillien chalice.

Dark hazy mahogany with a 1/4 inch or so of tan that falls to a wisp of lace over the top.

Dark fruits, hints of oak and vanilla with a slight vinous note. Bready yeast notes in the back with an earthy suggestion of chalk. All of the aromas of a quad with a little help from the malbec casks. Enticing.

Again the fruit notes are upfront while paired with the oak as found in the nose. The wood stays throughout but is not overpowering. Although there is the malbec, it comes off much dryer with some heat in the back. Lingering oak and wine linger with some sustained heat. The heat is actually integrated and adds some depth, but there could be just a little more complexity.

The mouth is a tad thin but not unpleasant. I would like some more fullness as the base is a quad.

Overall I like this beer and I feel that it is worth the price given the experience given by the addition of oak and wine. The most impressive aspect is the nose but I felt the mouth was just a little more flat than what I was hoping for.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 04:31:55 | More by ypsifly

madnismo

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%

04-03-2013 03:01:22 | More by madnismo

Hultkrantz

Sweden

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%

03-31-2013 15:28:16 | More by Hultkrantz

Twan22

California

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%

03-28-2013 04:17:51 | More by Twan22

YeastEnthusiast

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%

03-27-2013 21:48:51 | More by YeastEnthusiast