Schlafly / The Saint Louis Brewery Quadrupel
What the brewers say
“Our mahogany-colored Quadrupel features notes of stone fruit from a Belgian abbey yeast and the taste of sweet toffee from Belgian candi syrup. European hops add balance to the sweetness of the malt and yeast.”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “Rich caramel malt up front with apricot, peach, pear, red apple, and date fruit notes. Slight alcohol note that grows as it starts to warm.”
Flavor: “Big dark fruit comes through in the front: plum, prune, raisin, fig, cherry, some pear, red and green apple, and a hint of apricot. A bit of caramel and toffee sweetness, but mostly fruit. Slight spicy notes toward the end, perhaps clove. Finishes sweet. High alcohol up front that almost borders on hot.”
Overall: “Lighter for the style and falls a bit short in the malt complexity and richness. Heavy body and high fruitiness almost balance with the carbonation and the alcohol. The body supports the fruit but perhaps is not quite enough to balance the alcohol, but it’s pretty dang good overall.”