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I missed the seventh anniversary party for Brewyard Beer Company but I made a point of grabbing a 4-pack of their Bourbon Barrel-Aged Belgian Quad, Cat’z Pajamas.
The feline Quad pours with a slight reddish tint to it. Sharp and bubbly on the palate. The bourbon notes are present but not overwhelming. The barrel provides a nice sweet, almost maple note to the beer. For a double digit ABV, it only gives a little jolt when drinking in keeping with the balanced nature.
Three Philosophers can now be a three-way taste test as their are two wildly divergent variants to check against the original which is already a blend to begin with. I would tend towards the bourbon version. Blueberries can be hit or miss in beers especially one that is plenty flavorful already.
I broke my own rule and tried this beer before the Holiday season commenced. It is a prototypical Bruery beer. Strong and flavorful but it just didn’t scream Christmas to me. But it was really good.
Here is the brewery description: “7 Swans-A-Swimming is the 7th beer in our “12 Days of Christmas” series. For this verse of the story, we chose the path we don’t often take – we brewed to style. No bells, no whistles, just our best take on the Belgian Quadrupel style. Brewed with nothing but water, malt, yeast, hops and a bit of Belgian dark candi sugar, this beer may not be as out-of-the-box as some of our past winter brews, but it’s just as tasty. Rich and complex, this robust dark ale juggles notes of raisin bread, dried apricots, burnt caramel and roasted pecans. The sweet flavors provide a full body and the bright yeast wafts the sweet holiday notes out of the glass, into your life. 7 Swans-A-Swimming is a perfect holiday sipper. Delicious right now, but suitable for aging up to 5 years, upon the release of 12 Drummers Drumming.”
Following on the heels (literally the same day!) of Bretta Rose this month, here comes more big beer goodness from Firestone Walker.
This a barrel aged Belgian Quad with candi sugar that they call a Central Coast Quad. And for the Barrel aged fanatics, this description should set you to drooling, “Stickee Monkee swings away from tradition, however, by being aged up to 14 months in bourbon barrels from Woodford Reserve, Elijah Craig and Four Roses. The Woodford Reserve barrels impart a smooth, rounded wood character. The Elijah Craig 12-year barrels bring more of a spicy, rustic note to the beer, while the Four Roses barrels contribute pure oak notes.”
This is the first bottling of this beer that (in various forms) been a component of the Anniversary beer.