Tonight’s beer was a Belgian ale—a "Quadrupel", specifically, which is like a Dubbel or a Tripel, only stronger: Trappistes Rochefort 10 (no particular site that I can find, sorry). The Quadrupel tag is well-earned: this beer is an amazing 11.3% alcohol by volume!

It’s quite good, too. It’s this type of beer that makes me want to make a pilgrimage to Belgium just for the beer tasting… can you tell I liked it? :)

Appearance: I poured it into a Pilsner glass (only one I had that seemed appropriate) and it was very carbonated—most of the initial pour was foam. Thick, creamy tan head that never truly dissipated. It was a darker ale than I was expecting: murky brown, cola or molasses colored.

Smell: Sweet malt, strong alcohol. A fruit candy/dried fruit character.

Taste: It’s full of the dried fruit and sweet maltiness that is characteristic of Belgian ales. Strong alcohol that also manages to be low-key. Dark, but not in a roasted/burnt way; more like a molasses dark, or a thick fruit pudding (or fruitcake) dark. Hops are there, in the back, mild and possibly a bit musty-ish. Very much like an old ale.

Mouthfeel: Rich and full-bodied. For the high amount of alcohol, you wouldn’t notice it if you didn’t already know what it was.

Very good. It scored one of the highest BeerAdvocate scores I’ve yet seen since I’ve been reviewing: 93, with 99% approval.