Creamy lightbrown excellent fully lasting head. Dark amber colour. Moderate malty and hoppy aroma. Moderate bitter flavor. Long moderate bitter finish. Creamy palate. Nice.

This year's iteration of barrel aged Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel, dubbed Heritage - that is to say, brewed last year already (hence the 2022), but bottled and sold this year. Apparently, as has been the case before, a variety of barrels were used, but since presumably the combination always differs, I guess it deserves its own entry here like the previous ones. Bottle numbered 11720. Moussy, regularly shaped, greyish beige head opening under influence of the alcohol, clear deep chestnut brown robe with copper-red glow, turning misty with sediment. Aroma of hard caramel, ripe red raspberries, wet oak wood and vanillin, raisin bread, green pear, candied cherries, sweet apple slices, brown bread dough, venison, cloves, thyme, ripe nectarine, brandy, touch of freshly cut grass somewhere. Sweet onset, candi sugar mixed with dark fruitiness of red apple, pear, raisin and a hint of cherries, softishly carbonated with full, smooth mouthfeel; caramelly, slightly peanutty malt core with a dash of bubblegum round the edges, ending with a hint of mild toastiness and gentle tannic woodiness, the latter clearly pushing up its oaky vanilla aroma retronasally. Earthy hop bitterness blends with the toastiness but also the persisting main sweetness, in a warming alcohol glow reminiscent of red wine, calvados and even (vaguely) white port - but I have no idea which liquor was actually in the barrels used for this combination. Whatever the case, this is once again a beautiful aged quad in a series that so far has only astonished me and never disappoints. I really have to learn to buy more than one bottle of these for further cellaring...