Let me preface this by saying I have very little experience with Belgians. I love Troegs Mad Elf and while I realize it's a bit unique, I was curious about some opinions on other good bets in this style? I see Chimay Blue ranks pretty highly and I know that's pretty easy to get your hands on. What else would the masses recommend that's not too hard to obtain?
Rochefort 8, Unibroue Trois Pistoles, Gulden Draak just to name a few. Thought Grande Reserve 17 was awesome too, as is Maudite & La Terrible. If you get Allagash, Odyssey & Black are good.
Unibroue's got 4 Belgian Strong Dark Ale's to try , 'La Terrible' & 'Grand Reserve17' both are a bit rare & $$ , 'Trois Pistoles' & 'Maudite' both are more common & only $
I have no idea what difference, if any, exists between a Dubbel a BSDA or a Quad for that matter. So my answer is Chimay (red label).
I tend to lump all BSDAs and quads together, just as I do with all imperial stouts. Try any of these or these, I think you generally won't be disappointed.
I know little to nothing about Belgians so I appreciate the input on any of them, really. Thanks guys.
Ommegang Three Philosophers should be right up your alley.. it has some similarities with Mad Elf, especially the use of cherries. Three Philosophers is extremely easy to find too, great beer..
I actually already have a bottle of Three Philosophers but I've not opened it yet. That's good to hear.
+1 on this Unibroue's BSDAs are all great beers at a great price, besides Reserve 17 but here in CA at least, even La Terrible is usually the same price as Trois Pistoles and Maudite at ~$10 (750 mL). Other good ones: Rochefort 8, Gulden Draak, Allagash Odyssey, Delirium Nocturnum, Chimay Blue & many more. BSDAs are probably my favorite style at the moment...
The word "best", of course, is completely subjective. My advice is to use this list: http://beeradvocate.com/lists/style/56 and try a couple from there near the top of the list. That's the "best" list for that style as compiled by the beer reviewers here. My personal favorites are Chimay Blue and Rochefort 8. I also like Delirium Nocturnum quite a bit as well.
Cuvée Van De Keizer Blauw (Blue), Gulden Draak and Kasteel Donker are where I turn when I crave Belgian sweet, strong and malty.
La Terrible is my personal favorite. Everything from Unibroue is great though. Collaboration not Litigation from Avery is fantastic, but a bit harder to come by.
Dubbel is lighter, lower alcohol, less complex than a Quad or a BSDA. One (really bad but simple) way to think about it is a Triple is an Imperial Single, and a Quad is an Imperial Dubbel. BSDA vs Quad is an eons old discussion that has no great answer. Quad is a much narrower category, but quads basically are BSDAs. Cuvee van de Keizer Blue is the best BSDA out there, and also a great example of the difference between a quad and a BSDA.
If I were to choose one favorite from all those listed here I'd go with Unibroue La Terrible, though so far this thread has turned out to be a very solid list overall.
If you can still find it, I would add St. Bernardus Christmas Ale to the list. Definitely one of the best that I've had
Definitely seen it south of Boston recently... probably just between batches at the moment if your local stores are out of it. Hopefully, because if this beer comes hard to get I think I'm quitting.
I'm living in Europe at the moment so I'm out of touch with what is easily available "stateside". But I can't resist because this is my favorite style, so I'll just list a few of the standouts for me. You gotta try some of the classic examples (after all the style is called "Belgian") like Chimay Blue, Gouden Carolus Classic, Gulden Draak and Rochefort 8. You can’t go wrong with any number from The Bruery or Lost Abbey. Try 2 Turtle Doves and 10 Commandments, respectively. Unibroue has several good ones, but the best I’ve tried is Maudite. And, as has been pointed out, Three Philosophers is an amazing and fairly available beer.
