Lips Of Faith - Cascara Quad - New Belgium Brewing

UCLABrewN84

California

3.79/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

On tap at Charlie Jewell's in Redlands, CA.

Pours a hazy dark orange with a foamy bone head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy swaths of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, fruit, and brown sugar aromas. Taste is much the same with fruity flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of spice bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but it's fairly boozy and strong.

Serving type: on-tap

04-18-2013 06:34:44 | More by UCLABrewN84

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

I'm not sure how sad it is, but beer teaches me more about the world than just about any other source. Anyway, this stuff pours a clear sunset ruby-amber topped by over a finger of khaki foam. The nose comprises medicinal cherry dust (which also kinda borders on plum at times...), Belgian candi sugar, light clove, banana, perfume-y flowers, and a smattering of honey. The taste brings in more of the same, along with a touch of coffee in the background and some lightly-toasted biscuit throughout. The body is a straight medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a sorta/kinda grainy feel. Overall, I don't feel the cascara really works all that well here, as it seemed to go sideways. Had that strange character not been there, ths probably could've been pretty nice, but c'est la vie, I s'pose.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2013 02:45:42 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.21/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

New Belgium Lips of Faith Cascara Quad, Ale Brewed with date with coffee cherries added. 1 pint, 6 fluid ounces. Alc. 10% by Vol. "Best enjoyed by August 2014." Don't you worry about that.

Utterly hazed and opaque, plummy, magenta hue, 1/4 inch, dotted, lace-leaving, creamy toned. Nice looking beer here.

Aroma: sweet malt, rich fruit, plums, raisins, dates. plump berries, lovely stuff, utterly wonderful. Very nice.

Taste: BAM! Big Belgian malt flavor kicks it first, with alcohol kicking it next. Great balance, malt is king, with hops laying low, and booze not staying shy. Damn. This I love. I don't know what cascara is, but I love it when dates and coffee cherries meet a great big quad. Deee-licious. I'm liking this in all the right ways.

Let's take a moment and read the gobbledygook: " Local roasters Novo Coffee turned us onto Central America's cascara, the fruit or husk that surrounds coffee beans. When dried, it can be made into a tea with hints of cherry and tobacco. Blend that into a quad fermented with gorgeous malts and date sugar for a crazy complex beer to warm your winter nights."

It's April 11, and I still need my winter nights warmed. (Still snowing.) I find fault with the phrase "gorgeous malts", but can't quarrel with the truth. Minor quibble with "quad" as a style. People, you can say quadruple, it won't hurt you. And it is crazy complex, and like I said, terribly delish. Tobacco? Yeah. And brandy, and leather, and cherries, and yum.

One of the biggest, brashest, boldest, richest beers to come out of the Lips of Faith series in recent memory. Mmmm. Right up my alley, this one. Love it.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 08:39:38 | More by feloniousmonk

zeff80

Missouri

3.93/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a burgundy color with a one-finger, khaki colored head of bubbly foam. It left thin rings of lace on the glass.

S - Some fairly strong cherry aroma with a touch of tobacco.

T - Cherry, tobacco, chocolate with a malty backbone. Just enough bitterness for balance.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium to full bodied ale.

O - This is a very interesting beer. Very unique.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2013 02:28:48 | More by zeff80

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.2/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

BBD of Aug 2014...

Pours an effervescent chestnut with 3 fingers of tan/cream colored head head. Good lacing & head retention

S: Cherry & banana taffy in copious amounts with stiff booze

T: Follows the nose, then cherry & banana mix along with a booze laced juicy-fruit with rubber bands thrown in up front. Slight leathery notes, dryness, boozey banana taffy, boozeyness becomes harsher as this warms up, but not a major problem, then more cherry & dryness

MF: Slight carbonation, medium bodied

Not a good Quad, but interesting & would love to put a few back to age for a few years, this will pay dividends I bet. Give this at least a year, still too raw & off kilter, plus disjointed, in otherwords; pass for right now

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 06:31:21 | More by russpowell

Zorro

California

3.28/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Clear reddish brown colored beer with a small tan colored head.

Smells strongly of cherry and plum with cloying sweetness. Date isn't something with a definite smell just a sugar scent. and slightly musty. There is a certain musty sugar aroma present.. Some hints of pipe tobacco are present. After a bit yes this does smell something like cherry pipe tobacco.

Starts out sweet and complex with a tobacco flavor. Cherry and plum there is a strong fruit flavor here. Slight taste of ash there is a fair amount of alcohol in this one. Flavor is lighter than the smell.

Mouthfeel is light.

Overall a strange mix of flavors. OK but I don't need another one.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 00:12:10 | More by Zorro

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.78/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

650ml bomber purchased from BevMo in Sunnyvale, CA.

Pours a boozy, rich cloudy burnished amber-brown, with a very solid head of yellow-tinged white that stays solid and static for a long time, eventually settling to a creamy film. Lacing is pretty decent: patchy tiny points all over the glass. Body is ridiculously heavy, and the carbonation sits around for a long time before sauntering to the surface when the beer is tilted. Looks pretty intense.

Cinnamon and sharp booze to begin with on the nose. Some earthy, slightly sharp coffee tones come through, mingled with the booze. Did I mention booze? As it warms, oddly, the cinnamon comes through more strongly. It's sweet and rich, but always cut with that heady alcohol character.

Taste is spicy and boozy, but built on a very solid basis of rich sweetness. More of that cinnamon character, more booze—a strangely thinning, plaintive character that sharpens but weakens the flavour. Finish is very biting, phenolic, boozy: with a rather sharp acetone character ending the piece. Even after it's gone there feels like there's a vapourised alcohol sitting in my mouth. Intense.

Feel is rich to start with, but the booze comes forward quite heavily. Leaving it hot and sharp.

Pretty difficult to drink except perhaps in particularly small quantities. I didn't get a lot of the purported dates, cherries or coffee, and what's left is something of a pretty messy quad. There are certainly things to like in it, and it's an impressive beer no matter what I think of it personally.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 02:54:57 | More by lacqueredmouse

mactrail

California

4.08/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

A brown-tinted amber in the tall Saxo tall tulip. Appealing creamy carbonation in the mouth. Some sugars but the Belgian character is really compelling in this one. Fruity aroma with a liqueur-like booziness.

Malty with a toasted fruitcake flavor. The dates are distinct but not overdone. I don't know what the coffee berries are supposed to taste like, but it's exotic and really rich. Fortunately the yeasty flavors are quite robust. A nice dry finish without being harsh, while the sweetness and fruit are still on the lips. Just a hint of hoppy aromatics, but it's hard to tell if there is some hop bitterness along with the yeast bitterness.

These Lips of Faith beers are always a leap, but this one is both extremely drinkable as well as peculiar. A sensational take on the Belgian style and worth From the 22 oz bottle bought at Royal Liquor in Encinitas.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 05:29:40 | More by mactrail

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.35/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up tonight at Brewforia Meridian on the way home from work for $6 ... Poured into my HotD goblet... the light tan head dies back pretty quickly leaving fantastic lacing... the brew is clear chestnut brown.

Nose is not very "Belgian" ... A lot of something that I associate with vanilla... Light coffee... sorta plummy element... smells more sweet than malt prevalent..

Flavor has some minor Belgian qualities... a sorta peppery and lesser background clovey spiciness... with warmth a minor cigar wrapper emerges... so does plenty of alcohol... really too sugary sweet and not enough malt profile..

Carbonation and body are about right for the style...

All and all... Not bad... just not great.

3.75/3.25/3.25/3.5/3.5

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2013 04:33:53 | More by JohnGalt1

beertunes

Washington

3.19/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

Served in tulip. Poured a cloudy amber color, nowhere near the deep, rich reds I expect in the style, with less than 1/2 inch of white head that low retention and moderate lacing.

The aroma was fairly benign and neutral. Some grain, some yeast, none of the fruit, and a slightly odd tang. On the tongue, that odd tang/funk was dominant. A bit of the stone fruit aspects I look for in the style did show up. The flavors weren't bad, just way different than I expected.

The body was way too thin for a Quad, it was pleasant and left a nice finish, but just didn't fill the palate the way I want. Drinkability was good, especially if you like an unidentifiable funk (and I do). Overall, this is one of those brews that I liked, but I didn't think fit the style. Worth trying when you see it.

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2013 21:22:06 | More by beertunes

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.33/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

$17.99 for the 22oz bottle.

A- Pours a deep garnet colour, 2" head of foam, nice lacing.

S- Aromas of sour cherries, medicinal notes, almost cinnamon like. Weird but not off putting, except for what the style is supposed to be.

T- Sour cherries taste that reminds me of a cough syrup, some cinnamon zing in there, plenty of booze. Not close to the style by my book..

M- Nothing wrong with it; medium body, good carbonation.

O- One and...done. Forking over $18 for this is just crazy on my part but that is what I do. See new beers, buy them.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 23:20:09 | More by Bitterbill

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.86/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

22 oz bomber pours a hazed brown color with an ample light tan head. Average retention but does leave some really nice looking lace.

Nose is brown sugared figs and sweet cherry juice...pretty damn good quad aroma - yeasty, cloves and sweet - whats wrong with that?

Taste has maybe a bit much on the toast and is not as rich as many a quad, but not too shabby actually. I have been totally unimpressed by all LOF offerings that are not sour, this one is fairly impressive though. I like the cascara, and I agree with the cherry and tobacco notes...maybe even add in a touch of coffee as well. Its not as sweet as most quads and mouthfeel not as thick, but still...I could see myself picking up another one or three of these. Not that I think it will age all that well, but a $7 quad bomber is a rare find indeed.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 00:37:20 | More by twiggamortis420

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.85/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

I always rush to pick up new lips of faith stuff. its been a really impressive series of beers, always pushing the limits. this one was strange. pours way lighter than I thought, medium amber brown with a pinkish hue and a tall fizzy soda looking white head. the nose is like gummy bears or something, sweet and fruity, not artificial, with lots of cherry, yeast, and booze. not a coffee beer per se, as a different part of the plan is apparently used here, but there are some mild coffee notes nevertheless. the flavor is dominated entirely by the date sugar used, which from my understanding is just crushed up dates. it really does have that sort of middle eastern feel to it, sweet in that way, but with the fruit its almost too much. its also aggressively boozy in both nose and taste, certainly all of 10% abv. its punishing, impossible to drink the whole bomber, so good thing I had some mates on deck here. we all agreed it would have been much better coming in closer to 7% abv. anyway, the finish is long and sweet, not sure id call it a quad in the traditional sense, but its a tasty and creative beer that's absolutely worth a try. the feel is really light for the style, not too much body at all. the carbonation is like a pepsi, big active bubbles, persistent. its an odd mix, but that's what we expect in this series. I was challenged by this, and I like it for that reason, but I wouldn't buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2013 18:54:17 | More by StonedTrippin

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.71/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle poured into a New Belgium globe.
10% ABV,

A - A bit lighter than most quads, Cascara Quad fills the globe with a somewhat tawny ruby amber color that's moderately hazed and caps the beer with a sturdy pile of light sand foam. Sticky bits of lace cling to the glass but not quite like the classic Belgian beers produce.

S - Cascara Quad has the classic nose of a quad from the get-go with it's subtle yeast and dark fruit notes but it also explores new areas with unique complexity. Tart cherry skin and a dusting of blonde-roasted coffee also contribute a Cavendish pipe tobacco aroma while date, prune, and fig develop as the beer warms. Also developing nicely as the beer warms are spicy yeast esters that suggest a pinch of nutmeg and clove, timidly peeking through the deep nose but beneath the fruit and spice is the lush backbone of the beer; bready Munich and caramel malt and crystal sweetness. Alcohol faintly emerges with shy warmth along the back end.

T - Subtle yeast qualities remain, filling the flavor with dark fruits and spicy yeast esters but rather bland instant coffee and shredded filler tobacco flavors jump in, overwhelming the delicate nuances resulting in the distinct aromas in the nose become muddled together in the beer's flavor, shifting focus from individually developing nuances to a somewhat thoughtless conglomerate of ingredients.

M -Malty starting, the beer is smooth through the journey but sugars all seem fermented out as this quad is considerably lighter in feel than most, really lacking in substance. Alcohol is strangely absent for it reaching the double-digits, though it faintly warms the stomach after it finishes bone-dry.

O - Cascara Quad sounds quite incredible on paper; a quad "brewed with date with coffee cherries added." The nose even fulfills the description and expounds on it nicely, really playing to the beer style's usual characteristics nicely but it falls flat in flavor and feel, abandoning the unique and compartmentalized, though harmonious, characteristics for a flavor that's just the opposite; muddled and underwhelming following the aroma. Cascara is by no means a bad beer though, and New Belgium's continued innovation is admirable. Plus, if you're looking for a beer with kick, this one provides it with subtlety.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 23:37:25 | More by BeerFMAndy

Mebuzzard

Colorado

2.61/5  rDev -28.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Well, I'll be. This one has a pink hue in the foam, which billows up nicely upon pouring, but settles to a collar with haste. Sticky lacing, sugary.

Aroma has a slight cherry cough syrup-ness to it. Some booze. Subtle sweet bread. Nothing powerful or interesting, really.

Flavor is cherry candy, too much of it. Sweet cherry and booze. Is this a quad or some sort of kriek? Perhaps a bit of spice from the yeast, but it is just beat up and left for dead. I can't get past the cherry. There are other flavors in there, but they are muddled.

Feels alright, still not zing or softness of some quads. One dimensional beer. Couldn't take this one, poured into the bushes.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2013 05:51:58 | More by Mebuzzard

srandycarter

California

3.7/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Going different format for this one. Cloudy dark caramel, not much head but pure white. Lots of sudsy lace. Smell is disappointing, not much going on there. A little clove and banana. Taste is malty, and pretty middle of the road. Mouth is good carb, fair balance, medium to full weight. Overall, just not interesting to me. Most of the Lips of Faith have been disappointing to me, but I keep trying!

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 05:20:18 | More by srandycarter

Mitchster

Michigan

3.34/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

$6.99 for a 22oz bottle @ BevCo. Brewed with Pale, Munich, Caramel Munich, Biscuit, and Black malts, as well as Belgium Amber Candy Sugar, Date Sugar, and Cascara Tea (coffee cherries). Hopped with "Hallertauer Hersbrucker-Nobel", and "Styrian-Golding-Nobel" per the website. Nobel? Noble? No-one knows:)
22 IBU, 10% ABV.

Pours out to a cloudy medium amber, forming a tall mousse-like light yellow head with excellent retention and nice lacing owed in part to it's brisk carbonation, ~3.25 carbs or so. The nose opens with brown bananas, cloves, biscuit, slight pink bubblegum, distant burnt rubber, candy sugar, and peppery alcohol. The mouthfeel is firm, almost syrupy if it weren't for the carbonation, with a big body. The taste is a recap of the aroma, with the addition of booze and some hot estery fusels. The finish is leathery. Bitterness is mild. No hop flavor to speak of. A touch oxidized in the finish, like wet newspaper. Finishes too sweet for a quad, inadequate attenuation.

I love New Belgium's stuff, but this one is a stinker. It's not awful, but it's not up to their standards, which is a compliment. The fusels kill it. It's boozy and hot and oxidized. They either under-pitched the yeast, didn't oxygenate the wort, or fermented it too hot. Either way, it definitely doesn't stand up to other respected quads typical for the style. Wouldn't bu or recommend this one, even to my Belgian Quad friends.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 23:56:21 | More by Mitchster

harrymel

Washington

2.28/5  rDev -37.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.25

Bottled recently.

Toasted caramel color with a fleeting etched surface with light tan foam. Smells like cherry cough syrup with some bits of cocoa and coffee, a little marshmallow and yeast as well. Very sweet, cherry, some nougat, some medicinal syrup, not really feeling this. Medium on thin for the style with tight, clean carb and a semi dry finish. One and done here

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 06:38:17 | More by harrymel

HuskyinPDX

Washington

2.95/5  rDev -19%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 2.75

Bottle opened on 3.14.13

A - Pours a murky, very dark amber-ruby with a two inch soapy-fluffy tan head that slowly fades leaving spots of lacing.

S - Sweet dark fruit-cherry, plum, some coffe also.

T - Sweet plum juice, alcohol, really ripe fruit, not great.

D - Good carbonation with a medium body.

O - Super sweet and fruity, not impressed at all with this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 04:48:27 | More by HuskyinPDX

merc7186

New York

3.49/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Monkeymagic72 for sending me this bottle.

A: Dark Amber Hue, Passes Mild Light, White Head Ring, Some Lacing

S: Boozy, Cherries, Mild Sweet Bread, Mild Dates

T: Marachino Cherries, Mild Sweet Bread, Mild Coffee

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Mildly Boozy

Overall, great smelling quad, mediocre on the taste.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 00:15:42 | More by merc7186

chinchill

South Carolina

3.44/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

$6 draft at USNWC in Charlotte. Poured with a small tan head over a hazy, dark amber body.
Has more flavor than aroma, with the latter featuring dates, prunes, plum and fig as well as an (unfortunate) light tobacco flavor The high ABV is too obvious in both the taste and feel. Medium+ body is slightly astringent and harsh. Carbonation is about right for the style.

O: some, but not enough malt profile, complexity or dark fruitiness. Not bad... but not real good either. Almost certainly would benefit from some aging.

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2013 01:54:32 | More by chinchill

homebrew311

Illinois

3.59/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured into glass, looks like a berry fruit juice with a thin layer of white head that retains nicely. Heavy layer of lacing left behind. Near features heavy wave of Belgiany esters up front with notes of banana, clove , and bubble gum. Next comes a bit of bright and sweet cherry notes. This is my first foray into a concoction with coffee cherries. The taste is all Belgian quad up front with notes of candi sugar, banana, and grapes. The coffee cherry comes through next and provides a sweet fruity characteristic that has almost a chocolatey finish. Mouthfeel is light with mellow carbonation. Overall, a very sweet quad without a whole lot of depth and complexity. I'm not sure that the cascara style really adds anything new to this style aside from some added sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 01:18:43 | More by homebrew311

brewandbbq

New Hampshire

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle.

Pours mahogany with a half inch head of beige. A few wisps remain on the surface with some dotted lacing for the duration.

Aromatics lead off with raisins, caramel, dark rum, plums, and candied fruit. Hints of berries and coffee follow through.

Medium bodied with a sticky, syrupy mouthfeel.

Sweet malt with rum-soaked raisins and caramel coated candied apples starts the palate. Boozy fusels with hints of cherry cough syrup and roast follow through.

Finishes with a lingering sweetness, warming booze, and a roasty, cherry-like aftertaste.

Interesting beer but too sweet and undercarbonated. The roasty character doesn't mesh well either.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2013 01:19:19 | More by brewandbbq

Beaver13

Colorado

2.4/5  rDev -34.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

22 oz bottle. Pours ruby amber with a big creamy off white head that retains well and laces the glass.

The aroma is sweet toffee malts, with dark fruits and some roasted alcohol.

The flavor is sweet toffee malts and dark fruits with a lot of harsh alcohol. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with low carbonation.

Overall, a sweet boozy mess. It tastes a bit like their dubbel with a ton of alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 05:29:56 | More by Beaver13

HalfFull

California

2.75/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Bottle, 22 oz. etched with some crazy stuff. Lips of Faith series. Poured into a large wine glass. Pour is a hazy brown and light mahogany in the light. A half inch of foam offers decent retention which settles to moderate lace.

Aroma of crystal malts to a degree, and a touch of cherry in the mix. Some yeast and hop notes are present yet are crushed by the added fruit. Taste follows the nose, with cherry licqueur being dominant. Lacks depth with regard to malt structure yet seems fairly well attenuated for q 10% brew.

Taste is sweet and a bit boozy. A Quad in strength but surely not in character. Even with warming and exposure this beer leaves a bit to be desired...

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 05:47:51 | More by HalfFull