Draft, at Founders. Here it’s served as "Bad Habit," and the abv is listed as 9.8%. Definite monkish qualities, I thought. Taste of a big, friendly bourbony alcohol warmth. Definitely not sugary like a quad could turn out, but honeyed. There’s a bit of yeast bite that also imparts a touch of raspberry.

Vintage 2003 Bad Habit Quad, Extreme Beer Fest 05 Draught. Dark, brown and orange, almost purple toned beer, with no head and big bubbles in the body. Smells like concord grapes, vodka, light chocolate and dry strawberries. Flavor is even more fruit juice tasting, with some vinegar thrown in to top it off. Grapes, cider vinegar, black berries, sour yeast presence and some dry, almost astringent notes on the finish. Watery body that I quickly label as "fruit juice".

A later sample at the fest would prove to be better. Strange, but perhaps it was a different keg, or perhaps the first sample had sat out too long. Much less wateriness, a good caramel sweetness, with a trace of candi sugar. Not nearly as much vinegary/cidery fruit juice as I remember. But still nowhere near the class of a true Quad.

Re-rate, based on bottled version, 2006. This beer has changed considerably since its inception as Belgian Quadruple, now known officially as Bad Habit Quad. Cloudy deep orange-brown body, medium buff head. Aroma of bananas (candy corn), caramel, and breads, with sharp alcohol and yeast esters. Heavy spice bitterness at the front of the palate, leading to banana and candy corn in addition to brown sugar. Sweet, followed by warming alcohol presence. Bitter spicy finish. I rated one of the early tap versions higher (see below), which had a stronger alcohol punch and cherry flavors, but this is a better-crafted beer overall, and one that is drinkable enough to be considered a "session" ale for its style. That said, this does not come close to the best examples of the style in complexity or depth.

Previous rating: on tap at Founders. The chalkboard listed this (new) batch at 10% ABV. Rumors of criticism are highly exaggerated. Deep red-brown body, thin off-white head dissipating to a ring of carbonation (that left nice lacing). Thick, rich caramel aroma leading to brown sugar, sweet candies, dark fruit (cherry), a hint of chocolate, alcohol, and toast. Flavor carried over much of this complexity with dense caramels and dark, sweet candied fruit (cherry, raspberry), toast, and a hint of chocolate. Had a bit of a grape Dimetap aspect without the foul aftertaste. Hints of cinnamon. Rather syrupy body, and the alcohol is not overbearing. I really enjoyed this, but I can see why it would come across too sweet for some. 8-4-8-4-15 (3.9).