Been a while since I’ve done one of these – Back when I tried this beer two years ago I loved it, and with it being a limited run I thought I had best grab one to age while it was still around. So – here we are, how has the beer done?
Well, the flavours have definitely risen to the task. Huge raisins, huge chocolate, some smoke, big vinous notes, figs. These days it is tasting closer to a Quad than the Dubbel it was close to in its youth. The texture, which was quite smooth young, us now noticeably lighter – it creates an odd contrast between the light mouthfeel and the booming complex flavours.
Because of that it has both improved and lessened – It really needs a bit more body now, to emulate a Quad in feel as well as flavour, however the flavours are exceptional. It really uses the sour notes and smoke.
The beer has become polarised, very similar to how it was before but the lighter elements much lighter and the heavier elements much heavier. When it was young it was probably balanced better and therefore the better beer. I am glad however that I tried aging it as this gave a much cleaner way to experience the flavours so is a different experience.
Not a perfect ageing, but not a waste of a few years.