The 2-4 Beers of Christmas: Day 18: Happy Birthday to me!

Beer # 182 Epiphany #1

Black Oak Brewing Company

Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Belgian Quadrupel 9.5 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml.
$7.95 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @BlackOakBrewing

Happy Birthday to me. I can finally smell and taste again. I have had a wonderful Birthday here at Pint Jockey Headquarters and I am settling back into my tasting routine after a brief but nasty cold. So for the next couple of days I intend to finish the 2-4 Beers of Christmas List I started prior to becoming sick (apologies, I'll take more vitamins next time!). Then I have a few stellar beers that I got for Christmas that I have had to stare at forlornly, because I could not taste anything. They will be coming up at the end of this week.

Hopefully, for this year ahead I am going to be switching to a twice weekly posting.  So you can expect 2 beers per week (at least) from me. I will also be doing special postings and I am planning a few trips through the year so expect The Pint Jockey to be on the road quite a bit.

Ok, without further ado... Onto Black Oak Brewing's Cherry wood aged Quadrapel... Epiphany #1 (get it Epiphany, January 6th, my Birthday... It all comes together!) Onto the tasting...

Pours a very dark chestnut colour with a light tan head made up of small bubbles. There is a distinct cherry aroma as the beer pours. Nose is fruity, cherry and sweet, with wood notes. First sip gives us some chocolate and cherry, but not as sweet as a cherry cordial. Earthy with some, sweet wood, a touch smoky and a good hint of caramel. Freshly sawn cherry wood keeps popping up, as does some toasty bread notes, some nuts, and the barest hint of molasses. Aeration gives us wood and caramel with sweet maraschino cherries on the end. The alcohol is not overpowering even though you do start to feel it after a few sips. The beer is very rounded, and smooth, and after the first glass a nice warm feeling sets into your chest.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 



Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Experience:  5/6 PASS
Christmas Spirit 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL


Final Thoughts:

This is the beer I have been waiting for on this list. This one feels the most like Christmas. It is warming, rich flavourful. Do try this if you can get your hands on it... I wish I could get some more bottles!

Cheers And Beery Christmas (And a Happy Birthday to me!!!)


CJT

P.S.  Did I mention It was my Birthday?

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