{"id":1010,"date":"2012-11-13T09:00:21","date_gmt":"2012-11-13T15:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.guysdrinkingbeer.com\/?p=1010"},"modified":"2021-08-26T10:22:04","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T15:22:04","slug":"review-boulevard-bourbon-barrel-quad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.guysdrinkingbeer.com\/review-boulevard-bourbon-barrel-quad\/","title":{"rendered":"From The Cellar: Boulevard Bourbon Barrel Quad"},"content":{"rendered":"

Boulevard says:<\/p>\n

“Belgian-style Quadrupel aged in bourbon barrels with cherries.”<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Boulevard Bourbon Barrel Quad
\nQuad, 11.8% ABV
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

FRESH<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ryan:<\/strong> The short, sweet and to the point description above from Boulevard for their bourbon barrel quad is spot on — but doesn’t nearly do it the justice it deserves.\u00a0 Not that I could do much better, but still, this is a top-notch offering from a brewery that brought us gems like Rye-On-Rye<\/a><\/strong> and a collaborative Imperial Pilsner<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Bourbon Barrel Quad pours cherry in color with a ton of eggshell colored, fluffy head.\u00a0 The nose is full of, well, fruit.\u00a0 In fact my notes on the initial whiff just say FRUIT.\u00a0 Profound.\u00a0 Further investigation reveals a mix of fruit, vanilla, oak and booze wafting out from the goblet.<\/p>\n

Take a sip and you get FRUIT; tangerines, cherries, plums and dates.\u00a0 The front is a mix of complex dark fruits and a bit of tartness.\u00a0 Very tasty.\u00a0 The back-end is loaded up with vanilla and oak.\u00a0 The booze is surprisingly well hidden.\u00a0 You don’t really catch it until after this beer warms up a bit.<\/p>\n

This was an absolute grand slam from Boulevard.\u00a0 I have one bottle left and will squirrel it away in the cellar for a while.\u00a0 This, if I remember correctly, is a fall\/winter release.\u00a0 If and when you see it grab a couple of bottles.\u00a0 This is a truly fantastic beer.<\/p>\n

Andrew:<\/strong> The Bourbon Barrel Quad poured dark brown with light, fluffy foam head. Tons of bourbon, booze, dark fruit and possibly toffee were present in the nose.<\/p>\n

A ton going on in the flavor of this beer, too — started off tart and finished warm and boozy. I picked up notes of cherries, vanilla, bourbon and oak. In fact, one of the best things I could come up with to describe this beer was it tasted like a Jack and Coke.<\/p>\n

Did I mention it was boozy with lots of bourbon?<\/p>\n

Incredibly complex and smooth — if you can find this pick it up. Awesome offering from Boulevard.<\/p>\n

Karl: <\/strong> Despite the relative failure of the Imperial Pilsner, every time Ryan pulls something out of the closet with a Boulevard Smokestack Series Label my little beer-lovin\u2019 heart goes all pitter-patter. The awesomeness of that Rye-on-Rye is going to stick with me for a while, and the Quad just doubles down on that excellence.<\/p>\n

The Quad pours with a huge, heavy-handed head that slowly dissipates over a few years. Okay, it only seemed like forever since we wanted to taste this brew but the head was so pronounced it actually took three pours into a goblet and it still overflowed occasionally. Call that the angel\u2019s share — or the table\u2019s share. Beyond that it pours a ruby\/copper color no doubt affected by the cherries it was barreled with, and the aroma is fruity with no discernible bourbon-ness that I can tell. Just rich, tart, and enticing.<\/p>\n

In terms of taste, there\u2019s a nice amount of fruit at the front, as well as the expected oak and vanilla. There\u2019s still a good amount of carbonation to it as well, with a surprising fizz on the back-end. The oak continues to develop as this pour warms up and the vanilla comes out as well. In the wake of the Rye-on-Rye I was seriously hoping for a Dr. Pepper beer to combat the Rum-and-Coke taste sensation but my hopes were a little too elevated. That doesn\u2019t take anything away from this beer, tho – another destination drink from Boulevard\u2019s Smokestacks.<\/p>\n

3 YEARS<\/strong><\/p>\n