Brouwerij van Honsenbrouck: 2010-vintage "Kasteel Cuvee du Chateau" quadrupel (Belgium)

I've been meaning to review a true aged Belgian beer for a while now, so here we go. Todays' beer is an 11.00% ABV quadrupel by Brouwerij van Honsenbrouck, located in Ingelmunster, West Flanders, Belgium.

As you may recall from previous posts, there are a lot of Belgian-style beers out there. They are, of course, not true Belgian beers unless made in Belgium. However, in the US there are some pretty great Belgian-style offerings. Ommegang Brewing Company makes some fine beers in the Belgian style, including the Three Philosophers, a great go-to quadrupel for me. But there are hundreds of breweries in Belgium, and among those, there are special designations, such as the special "Trappist" designation, which is a beer made using certain methods by monks in one of ten specific monasteries. Ales made in this style, but not in these methods, are often called "abbey ales." Others, like today's, are simply "Belgian ales."

So here we have this beer, made not by brothers of the cloth but by a medium-sized West Flemish brewery. I'm kind of pumped because the beer is five years old - it's a 2010 vintage, and I'm really curious to see what changes the beer has experienced in that time. When they age, any beer will change flavor and texture, not always for the better. Some, but not all, will increase in alcohol content (as a result of the active cultures inside.)

Let's dive in. It pours fast, murky brown in color, with little carbonation and no head. There's powerful apple aromas shooting out of the glass, with some cinnamon and allspice notes as the beer warms up. Interesting.

The taste is also peculiar and powerful. It's got strong booziness flavors with some dried fruit notes, lots of yeasty goodness. Apple is a strong flavor here. Some sourness, not as much as other Belgian quads though, which is noteworthy. It's strong, heady, and had an interesting vinegar tartness on the finish with white grape / apple flavors on the aftertaste.

I liked this beer, although I caution that it's not for everyone. The tart flavors, coupled with an ABV close to wine, makes this a potent potable that's not a casual beverage. It has the feeling of a dank, sour cider, refined somehow, and I think cider lovers will enjoy this beer. But beware, it's pretty strong as beer goes, and is an acquired taste.