The 2-4 Beers of Christmas 2018 Edition Day 22: 11.05 2018 Edition by Sawdust City

Beer # 481 11.05 2018 Edition, Belgian Quad with Cherries Collaboration

Brewery: Sawdust City Brewing Company

Type: Independent Microbrewery Est.:  2014

Location: Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada

Brewery: Nickel Brook Brewing Company

Type: Independent Microbrewery   Est.: 1992
Location: Burlington, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Flavoured Belgian Quadrupel

ABV: 11.05%      IBU: 28

Format: Aluminium Can  Size: 473 ml

Cost: $6.95 CAD     Purchased At: The Brewery

sawdustcitybeer       nickelbrookbrewing

    @Sawdustcitybeer    @NickelBrookBeer

Well, it seems to be a Christmas Tradition that I talk about Sawdust City and Nickel Brook's yearly collaboration brew celebrating the shared birthdays of their two brewmasters. Sam Corbeil of Sawdust and Ryan Morrow of Nickel Brook were both born on November 5th so every year they select a new style of beer and brew it to 11.05 % ABV. The resulting beer is always an interesting experiment in producing great tasting high alcohol beers. This year they selected a Quad which is typically a higher alcohol beer, to begin with, and added cherries and oak spirals

Let's try this one out.


Pours a deep chestnut with an off-tan head made up of small bubbles. Nose is very oaky with hints of chocolate and cherry. Deep malt notes with earthy hints and a touch of mushroom. First sip is deeply roasted malt with a fair amount of sugar. Tart cherry comes in through the middle with hints of grenadine and cherry candy. Aeration gives off some raw wood and caramelised sugars.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


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


Final Thoughts:

This year's edition was a good beer, but I had an issue with it and it took me a while to figure out what it was. It ended up being the "Oak Spirals." They left an interesting raw wood taste that, while it wasn't unpleasant it was very distracting to the overall flavour.

CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas 2018 Edition Day 11: Bourbon Barrel Quad 2015

Beer # 470 Bourbon Barrel Quad 2015 Smokestack Series

Brewery: Boulevard Brewing Company


Type: Large Scale Brewery Fully Owned By Duvel Moortgat USA    
Est.:  1989

Location: Kansas City Missouri, USA

Beer Style: Bourbon Barrel Aged Quadruppel flavoured with cherries

ABV: 11.8%      IBU: 19

Format: Brown Glass Bottle with a cork enclosure  
Size: 750 ml

Cost: $14.30 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

bobcaygeonbeer

    @bobcaygeonbeer

So this bottle has lurked in the back of the #FridgeofFame for about 2 years now. I just haven't had time to get to this. The best before date on the bottle is actually over a year ago (September 9th 2017). Quite frankly I wasn't even sure if this was still good. I was betting on it because it was high alcohol and Quads do tend to hold up over time, but I seriously had no intention of holding this bottle this long. So it was with a bit of trepidation I opened this bottle... and I was pleasantly surprised. The carbonation had died down a bit, probably from the real cork enclosure. and it seemed a bit cloudy but still smelled great. There was also a touch of sediment in the bottom of the glass. I have seen this listed online as "The Sixth Glass," but that name was not listed on the bottle. Personally, after six glasses of this, I would forget my name too...



Onto our Beer...


Pours a cloudy chestnut brown with a short but fizzy tan head made up of small bubbles. First sniff gives us a beer that is still quite alive.  Brown sugar and molasses mixed with apple juice. First sip is sweet, smooth, and fruity with hints of molasses and vanilla. A definite whisky tang with hints of wood and a very small amount of smoke. Hints of cherries and cherry whiskey, and Dr Pepper... Aeration brings out some leather whiskey and dried fruit.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


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


Final Thoughts:

Very impressive! A really good beer even after two years in my less than ideal storage conditions. Some of the reviews I read online were less than favourable, but I assume they were written when the beer was young. Seemingly, it seems like this beer was made for ageing and I just lucked out by forgetting it. I would advise you to try this one out, but I doubt they are any bottles left... Unless there are some other absent-minded beer bloggers out there like me.

CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 1: Préaris Quadrocinno

Beer # 392 Préaris Quadrocinno

Brewery: Vligende Paard Préaris Brouwers


Type: Contract Brewery    Est.:  2011

Location: Oedelem, Belgium

Beer Style: Flavoured Quadrupel

ABV: 9.5%      IBU: 

Format: Brown Glass Bottle  Size: 330 ml

Cost: $3.75 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

 N/A

    @prearis

Our initial offering for your holiday stocking this year is a coffee flavoured Quad from Belgium. Préaris started out as homebrewers until they decided to submit a beer to the prestigious Brouwland Beer Competition in 2011. Their entry took the grand prize so they decided to try and make a go of a brewery. They took their recipes to De Proef Brouwerij which is a brewery designed to brew small-batch beers for third parties. They continue to brew under contract to this day despite having expanded they portfolio greatly. Perhaps one day they will find the investment to open their own building.

Onto to tonight's brew

Pours a dark chocolate brown with a light brown head made up of small bubbles. aroma is dense. Lots of sweet malt fresh brewed espresso rich chocolate and new leather. Alcohol is evident right away and warms the chest as it goes down. chocolate and espresso dominate the attack. a good sweetness rounds out the bitterness and leaves the lips a bit sticky. hints of burnt sugar caramel and touches of baking spice make this a very warming and Christmassy brew. aeration brings out a deeper spice more alcohol and more leather

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


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


Final Thoughts:

This is a great beer to start off the 2-4 Beers of Christmas. It embodies what I am looking for. Deep, dark, complex flavours. Warming, delicious a nice beer to sit and savour over the holidays. Try one you will like it.


CJT

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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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