4 Calling Birds
The Bruery in Placentia, California, United States 🇺🇸
Belgian Style - Quadrupel / Dark Strong Series|
Score
7.42
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Dark Ale Brewed with Spices
We took inspiration from a traditional winter warmer, integrating gingerbread-like spices into this dark ale. Notes of licorice & banana bread mingle with hints of dark fruit, molasses and bitter chocolate for a perfect cold weather sipper!
We took inspiration from a traditional winter warmer, integrating gingerbread-like spices into this dark ale. Notes of licorice & banana bread mingle with hints of dark fruit, molasses and bitter chocolate for a perfect cold weather sipper!
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7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7.5
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
A other bark amber beer with small head.Aroma of oak and marzipan mild wood and caramel dark dried fruit and malt mild and toasted with note of chocolate and hops nice by style.
Tried
from Bottle
at
Amager Bryghus Taproom Bryggen
on 13 Feb 2026
at 13:42
8.2/10
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Dec 2025
at 22:00
7.6/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 8
Overall 8
Sample at Palace Hall 13/12/2025 Malmö December tasting - (2024 vintage) dark sweet molasses, some brown sugar spinkle, spice, wooden notes, dried fruit shred , medium body, toasted sweet malty close.
Tried
on 13 Dec 2025
at 18:07
6.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Dark brown pour from swift hibernian. Tan lacing head. Cinnamon brown sugar mapke syrup. Malts. Mild bitters.
Tried
on 20 May 2025
at 01:19
7.8/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Keg at Brewdog, Ealing, London. A dark brown coloured pour with a medium off white/beige head on top. Sweet, malty, caramel, spice, dark fruit aroma/taste. Quite malty which I like. Enjoyable festive brew.
Tried
from Draft
on 10 Jan 2025
at 09:48
8.8/10
Molasses, spiced and boozy
Tried
on 31 Dec 2024
at 16:00
8.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Always a good day when I get to open a Bruery beer. This evening it's a 2023 version of 4 Calling Birds, 750 ml bottle, found on the shelves at a Houston Total Wine. My Straffe Hendrik tulip glass gets the duty and I make the pour. I see a mahogany body with a surprisingly decent amount of parchment foam. The scent, man, it is rich. Lots of ripe dark fruit, cane syrup and toasted grain. The taste is just as good, even better. Black raisins, dark plums, baked bread, malt, hard candy, some dates, a touch of brown sugar and perhaps a touch of spice. I did not anticipate this would be so all right. One of my three top styles represented here, best sampling I've had in a while. I enjoy it when a US brewery pulls one off like this.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Jan 2024
at 00:13
7/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
Bottle shared by Jeremy. Pours clear dark brown with a small biege head, light lacing. Dark malts, chocolate, vanilla, syrup. Good
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Dec 2022
at 03:44
7/10
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Dec 2021
at 21:57
7.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Poured side by side from an old 750 ml bottle and a new 375 ml bottle. Aroma in both beers is rather spice forward with moderate malt notes, but the fresher bottle is especially spice forward. Lots of ginger with lighter cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. The older bottle has a bit of a dark fruit note that doesn't seem present in the newer bottle. Both bottles have a lot of dark caramel, toffee, toasted breads, molasses and hints of chocolate. Pours dark brown with a large, thick, frothy, light mocha head that recedes slowly to a small film that lingers. Light lacing and medium large legs. Flavor in both is moderately sweet with lots of dark caramel, toffee, burnt sugar, toasted breads and molasses with light chocolate notes. The old bottle has a bit of a fruitiness with some cherry, raisin and berry notes and possibly a touch of acidity. Moderately strong ginger and anise with lighter cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Light alcohol spice. Mouthfeel is medium full bodied in both, but a bit thinner in old bottle with medium high carbonation. Low astringency and medium low alcohol warmth. Overall, an alright beer. I don't love the fruity notes and worry the older bottle is a bit acidic, but the spice notes are not terrible and the malt profile is nice. The new bottle is a bit better than the old (3.6 v 3.4)
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Feb 2020
at 06:37