What's the difference between a Belgian Strong Dark Ale and a Quad?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by ynnpar, Apr 18, 2012.

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  1. ynnpar

    ynnpar Initiate (0) Apr 17, 2007 England

    I was just reading through the reviews of a quad I've been interested in trying. One reviewer commented that it tasted more like a Belgian strong dark ale than a quad. Not being a brewer myself, and thus not knowing any possible technical differences between the styles, I couldn't help laughing a bit. To me, they are pretty similar.

    Anyone care to help me out with an explanation of the differences between the styles? Is this a stout/porter type thing?

    Thanks.
     
  2. BeerSingh

    BeerSingh Initiate (0) Jul 25, 2009 India

    Nothing besides phonetics IMO. Its the brewer's call. Apart, Quad is not a official BJCP style IIRC.
     
  3. ynnpar

    ynnpar Initiate (0) Apr 17, 2007 England

    That's pretty much what I was thinking.
     
  4. Rollzroyce21

    Rollzroyce21 Pooh-Bah (2,211) Oct 24, 2009 California
    Pooh-Bah

    BSDA : Quad :: Porter : Stout
     
  5. cbeer88

    cbeer88 Initiate (0) Sep 5, 2007 Massachusetts

    You'll get 1000 answers to this question. I look at it like this - all quads are strong darks, but not all strong darks are quads. Things labeled as quads tend to have a tighter range of taste - but beyond that it's tough to answer. If I try a beer I can say 'quad', 'not quad', or 'could be either'. For example, Westy 12 is a quad, but I wouldn't ever call Unibroue La Terrible a quad. Chimay Blue could be whatever you feel like calling it.

    Ultimately style differentiations are rather meaningless though, particularly at this discrete of a level.
     
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  6. matedog

    matedog Crusader (421) Jan 25, 2010 California

    Same answer as above - no, not really. I'll use the term quad if the brewer also makes a dubbel, but it doesn't have any qualitative difference.
     
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  7. Rollzroyce21

    Rollzroyce21 Pooh-Bah (2,211) Oct 24, 2009 California
    Pooh-Bah

    I see it this way as well: That Quads are a subcategory of BSDA's.
     
  8. ynnpar

    ynnpar Initiate (0) Apr 17, 2007 England

    Thanks guys. The beer under consideration, just for kicks, was Lost Abbey's Judgment Day. I just got my hands on my first bottle of it.
     
  9. Invictys

    Invictys Initiate (0) Apr 9, 2012

    They aren't distinct styles according to the Beer Judge Certification Program style guidelines or the World Beer Cup style guidelines.

    The confusion once again stems from Beer Advocate's use of the Brewer's Association styles that do list it as a separate style. The Brewer's Association recognizes something like 140 styles whereas the BJCP recognizes only 97.

    The real answer is that Quads are loosely based off of specific beers (Westvleteren and St Bernardus Abt) historically brewed at Trappist monasteries . Belgian Dark Strong Ales have much more allowed variation and tend to be kind of all over the spectrum when it comes to flavor, body, hop level, etc.
     
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  10. FlussigkeitMut

    FlussigkeitMut Zealot (669) Sep 30, 2011 Indiana

    I have a question? What is the difference between Trappist Rochefort 6, a BSDA, and Trappist Rochefort 10, a Quad? Is it just the amount of malt and the abv?
     
  11. FosterJM

    FosterJM Initiate (0) Nov 16, 2009 California

    I really cant answer this in a technical way. For me its all about the yeast factor. When I taste a BSDA you know it by the high abv and the yeasty flavor. When I taste a quad its the malty/dark fruits.

    Just my .02

    Cheers!
     
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  12. cbeer88

    cbeer88 Initiate (0) Sep 5, 2007 Massachusetts

    Agreed.

    Rochefort 6 is basically a Dubbel, and Rochefort 10 is basically a quad. Rochefort 8 is somewhere in between - either a light quad or a strong dubbel. There's just a point where trying to identify precise styles really starts to get pointless...
     
  13. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I agree with previously discussed ‘definition’: “I see it this way as well: That Quads are a subcategory of BSDA's.”

    When I purchase a Quad I have an expectation it will be in the upper alcohol range of a BSDA (which is 8-11% ABV per the BJCP). So, I personally expect a Quad to be around 10-11% ABV. If somebody brewed a dark Belgian beer with something like 8-10% ABV I would expect that to be classified as a BSDA. If the brewer wants to make a dark Belgian beer with something like 10-11% ABV and call it a BSDA that would be OK with me as well. Just don’t call an 8% ABV beer a Quad.

    Cheers!
     
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  14. FosterJM

    FosterJM Initiate (0) Nov 16, 2009 California

    Right. With a dubbel you get some spice and a little yeast. BSDA is a bit more yeast and a quad is just more rich and fruity. I mean if you taste a Roch 10 and then a Kaizer Blauw. Most people would understand the difference.

    Cheers!
     
  15. BBThunderbolt

    BBThunderbolt Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,282) Sep 24, 2007 Kiribati
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I find that Quads are generally fruitier and more earthy, with BSDA's being more boozy and "beery". YMMV.
     
  16. marquis

    marquis Pooh-Bah (2,301) Nov 20, 2005 England
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Belgians care little about beer styles, they just get on with brewing.The BJCP isn't an authority on Belgian styles , it's a guide for homebrewers.
     
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  17. jmw

    jmw Initiate (0) Feb 4, 2009 North Carolina

    ^^^This is truth.

    Trying to tie each and every brew out there to a particular style is an exercise in futility. Pursuing styles for the purpose of learning is worthwhile, but do keep in mind that in the end they will not all fit neatly. Confounding matters are the facts that a) style designations are a relatively new invention in a centuries-old practice, and b) the BJCP is an American construct with the purpose of lumping all beers within manageable (and judgeable) categories. That mission is arbitrary from its conception. Many people will say "whatever the brewer wants to call it" (recalling a long thread about porters <=> stouts) and that is probably a more accurate way to label a beer. Who would know better than the brewer? I suspect this is why BA uses the Brewer's Association style list.
     
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  18. PangaeaBeerFood

    PangaeaBeerFood Initiate (0) Nov 30, 2008 New York

    Belgian brewing terms (really all brewing terms, for that matter) are ambiguous and their meaning have shifted through history. Generally, we view Quads as a specific subset of Belgian Strong Dark Ales, but that's more of an American thing than a true Belgian thing. Hell, look at Van Steenberge in Belgium. They call Gulden Draak a Tripel and it's a dark beer, while they call Gulden Draak 9000 a Quad and it's pale. Similarly, Scaldis is labeled a Quad and it's pale. So take it all with a grain of salt.
     
  19. Pahn

    Pahn Initiate (0) Dec 2, 2009 New York

    BSDA = quad = dubbel. only difference between dubbel and quad is that if one brewery makes both, the quad is probably higher alcohol.

    p.s.

    porter = stout

    english barleywine = old ale = scotch ale / wee heavy
     
  20. funkel81

    funkel81 Initiate (0) Jan 23, 2011 Colorado

    D'ems fightin words
     
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