De Meester's Douze quadrupel aged in Italian red wine barrels - of the famous Barolo wine, no less; one of several B.A. variants made so far. Bottle from De Pickere in Zele. Thick and foamy, pale beige, cobweb-lacing, coarse yet firm, very frothy head, sitting quite stable on an initially clear, dark oxblood brown robe, in practice almost blackish, but with a garnet-red shade at the edges, misty with sediment (a sediment eventually also consisting of grey 'granules' of dead yeast sinking to the bottom). Aroma of toffee, creamy red Barolo wine (very pronounced), caramel sauce, the kind of chocolate-cherry candy my grandmother loved but less chocolatey, brown bread, candied cherry, 'speculoospasta', donuts, autumn leaves, raisins, whipped cream, ruby port, caramel candy, clove, more earthy notes as the deposit is added (damp forest floor, marinated beef, porcini soaked in tepid water). Sweet, quite 'dense' onset, very red-fruity with not just the black cherry announced by the brewer but also blackberry coulis, red plum, pear and fresh fig, moderately carbonated with full, rounded, almost creamy mouthfeel - creamier than I recall from the basic Douze in any case, but that was years ago. Slight minerality with 'uplifting' effect under a heavy yet smooth body of caramel, strong toffee, Ersatz chocolate and molasses bread - dark malts, increasingly coloured by the sweetness, fruitiness and creaminess of the Barolo wine, which in the end also provides a booziness accentuating the beer's own insufficiently hidden alcohol load. Before that happens, soft vanillin effects from the oak pass by retronasally, along with more dominant clove-like phenols and, again, red fruit, even 'candied'. A toasty malt bitter element waits all the way at the back too - patiently, I would add, only revealing itself in the very last stage, when it is also highlighted by the wry effect of the alcohol. Somewhat crude especially in its booziness, but I have to admit it: this one has potential. I keep trying a Meester beer every now and then, even though most have disappointed me so far in being close to what they wanted to be but always just not getting there, just to find out what all the fuss is about and hoping I will meet a true 'master'piece one day; this one is not that masterpiece, but comes close to the true greatness I seek (or at least closer than any other Meester beer I had except perhaps the Dark Master series), and who knows what a year or two of cellaring could achieve here. Interesting.

Donkerbruin tot zwart bier met weinig schuim. Smaak is licht bitter en licht fruitig met duidelijk iets van kersen, rode wijn en bessen en een vleug chocolade en vanille. Heel goed

Bottle from Stacks. Hazy dark brown-red, small, foamy, off-white head. Aroma of blue grapes, prune, ruby port, blackcurrant, cherry, vanilla, almond, wood. Taste has sweet-sour blackcurrant, cherry & grape, some bitter grape skin too with a phenolic note in an almondy malt body. Tart finish, some woody, grape skin- & cherry pit-like tannins and warming port-like alcohol. Medium body, thin oily texture, soft carbonation. Enjoyable vinous stuff.

Bottle from Drankenhandel Leiden. Potent red wine aroma with oak, red grape, dark malt, red berries. Moderate sweet, hint of tartness, nice barrel influence. Body is medium. Lots of red wine and oak.

Deep dark, almost black with red sheen under a cream-tan head. Bit rainwater, then outspoken vinous, red wint. Fruit, red fruit/berries. Wood, dry, ultra-dry wine, tannines, long aftertaste with red fruit. Pappy, alcoholwarmth. Very well-bodied, almost chewy. Excellent, but I think the cherry explosion might have been more pronounced.