Last week the Mrs., the kiddos, and myself packed up the minivan and headed to Kansas City, MO for a well needed (and deserved!) vacation.  The amenities many vacations offer the average vacation goer (a break from the norm, rest/relaxation, time with friends and family, extreme humidity, etc.) were all offered and accepted by our clan, with one addition…new beer scenery.

For the most part, within the craft beer scene, beer is regional.  Forsaking global market for quality and individuality, US craft brewers are aware that their product will not grace every shelf of every grocery store or bottle shop in the country.  They are largely dependent on word of mouth, trading, and wanderlust beer geeks, such as myself, for their product to reach palates outside of their distribution area.  For folks like you and I, leaving our neck of the woods lends itself to the excitement of drinking something new.

Thus said, the next few beer review will focus on a few notable brews who share their birthplace with the sublty philosophical Mark Twain, Missouri.

Many of the beers that I drank last week were from the St. Louis Brewery, AKA ‘Schlafly.’ When I first walked into the delightfully unassuming liquor store, The first display that touted local pride contained bottles from Schlafly’s bottle conditioned series.  Loving bottle conditioned Belgian style beer, I bit the bait and bought a few bottles, including their Quadrupel.  I enjoy this style as it tends to be a richer more complex beer.  I was a tad skeptical, as Schlafly’s 12% ABV seemed a tad high for a typical Quadrupel.

The Pour:

The simple artwork on the bottle hides a dark secret.  Upon pouring, the liquid in my glass is thicker and darker than expected.  The beer is a deep ruby/brown color, with a boisterously thick head that does not contradict the bottle conditioned nature of this beer.  Although the Schlafly’s Quadrupel sat upright in my refrigerator for at least 24 hours, there were some intriguing white ‘floaties’ in the glass. The thick liquid coats the inner surface of the gals leaving behind a sticky film.

The Aroma:

Immersing my slightly hairy nostrils in the glass, I was immediately confronted with hot maltiness.  Typical fruit notes that most beer reviews place on a pedestal were not up-front; however, there was a powerful sense of cantaloupe.  Beyond this, there was a general smell of candy…like walking into and old-school general store and opening up the rock-candy container.  There was a slight clove/spice aroma.

The Taste:

Prepared to be surprised!  As expected, there was an immediate sweet–in fact, sickening sweet–malty confrontation that reminded one of taking a spoonful of molasses.  But at the same time, it was accompanied by an odd bitter note, that will hang around after swallowing.  While concentrating on the flavor, the several unique notes come out:  melon (honey dew, not cantaloupe as the aroma suggested), a very vivid clove flavor, an intense spicy nature (extremely black-peppery), a mild acidic quality that reminds one of lime and tomatoes, and of course an intense alcohol note that is slightly liquorish in nature (think Sambuca) that tickles tongue and warms the throat.

Overall Thoughts:

Schlafly’s Quadrupel is uniquely delicious and thought provoking.  The large bottle is a bit much for one beer geek to handle, but well worth the purchase.  If you enjoy big beers, this one will leave you satisfied.  The peppery quality of this beer cannot be underscored.  The after taste may remind you of a spicy Bloody Mary.

Overall Satisfaction:  

Among other Quadrupels:  

Among MO Brews:  

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