Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel - Brouwerij Straffe Hendrik / Huisbrouwerij De Halve Maan

kojevergas

California

2.95/5  rDev -27.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Bottle served into Antwerp Beer Passion Weekend 2011 stemware in Antwerp, Belgium. Reviewed from notes.

A: Pours a two finger head of lovely cream, slight tan colour, nice thickness, and of great retention for the high ABV. Colour is a dark black.

Sm: Chocolate, toffee, caramel, and amber hops.

T: Chocolate, toffee, caramel, and some cream. Very full and flavorful, with adequate complexity for the style. I may have been wrong about the amber hops. Maybe some vanilla. Balanced well and built decently. The style does demand far more subtlety, in fairness.

Mf: Nicely coarse and wet. Complements the general tone of the flavour.

Dr: A very average quadrupel, with little to offer. It does hide its ABV well and makes for easy drinking, but just isn't a quality brew.

C

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 00:36:51 | More by kojevergas

Phelps

Arizona

2.73/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Bottle into a tulip.

Deep purple. Murky, opaque and dark. The head is a dense inch tall, medium tan, and recedes to thin, silky top layer after a bit.

Not much to pick up in the nose. Raisins, caramel, and lots of booze.

For a brew with such high alcohol content, the flavor is surprisingly subdued. Again with the raisin, with additions of cinnamon and toast. Perhaps a little grape as well. Booze, however, is the major flavor contributor.

Thin, watery body with moderate massaging carbonation that breaks into just a hint of fizz. Alcohol is big — as expected — blazing through the nose and warming the throat.

If I’m going to drink an 11 percent ABV beer, I like to at least get some flavor enjoyment out of it. This quad drinks like a single. It’s just too subtle in both aroma and taste. Not undrinkable, but I’d definitely never shell out cash for another bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 04:19:45 | More by Phelps

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

2.68/5  rDev -34.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Bottle from Beer Planet in Brussels. Split with a friend. From notes.

A - Poured a really dark, hazy brown. Some slight carbonation came up with a nice creamy one finger beige head. Good finger of retention but not much lacing.

S - Lo's of yeast, some sort of woody character, and fruit. Not entirely what I look for in a Quad. Lacks that rich dark fruit note.

T - Significant dark fruit improves up on the aroma quite a bit. Lot's of yeast. Sugar. Really yeasty and quite a fair bit of spice.

M - Strong carbonation and a medium body. Yeasty and spicy lingering notes. Body seems thin.

O/D - Not a big fan. An OK Quad but not what I look for. Too much spice and yeast and I could never have a full bottle of this.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2011 14:47:29 | More by tbeckett

adamette

Ohio

2.65/5  rDev -35%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Live review. Poured from the corked and caged 1 pint, 9.4 oz bottle that I bought at World Wines & Liquor in Mentor a few weeks ago into my Brewery Ommegang gold rimmed Westvleteren style goblet. I do not recall the price. Sorry about that! I do not see any indication of the “best by” date or even the “bottled on” date but I am not sure that it matters. Update: After I removed the cork I found that the cork had the following printed on it: 2.010 I am going to guess that it is the bottling “year” so with the 11% ABV I am absolutely fine here.

A Medium brown head over a dark brown body that glows a deep mahogany in front of direct light. I like the look of this quad. 4.5

S Dark roast malt without a great amount of sweetness in the smell. It is a rather distant smell. This should be interesting… 3.5

T The dark roast malt is there as well as the typical “De Halve Mann” grainy malt nature along with the stgrong Belgian yeast notes. As suggested by the smell this is a rather distant taste. It took repeated sips to determine my tasting notes due to the distance of the taste. There is certainly an earthy, grainy, organic sense to the taste of this beer. Some may appreciate that but I do not. 2.5

M As suggested by the notes on the taste, the feel is too dry. I enjoy quads with a nice syrupy thickness to them. 2.0

D/O Actually less than fair since the ABV is 11% and the taste and feel leave me wanting more. 2.0

Notes: It kills me to record this rather low rating to a beer from one of my sentimental favorite breweries, De Halve Mann. I visited there June 2009 and thoroughly enjoyed the tour and the beers that I had sampled that day. I would recommend touring there anytime. I happen to think that their barley malt is too grainly and their yeast profile is too strong. This beer certainly did nothing to change that opinion.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2011 04:08:16 | More by adamette