30 August 2025. At 7de Bier van Olier (Sijsele). Cheers to Anke, mom & dad!

Red apple, raisin, fig, 'kramiek', brandy. Sweet apple, pear, raisin, caramel. Herbal hops, spicy liquorice, dried fruits, warming liqueur-like alcohol. Medium body, syrupy texture, soft carbonation. Recognizably 'Belgian' but not overly spicy, with an enjoyable amount of sweetness and booze. I do appreciate this Hoorncraft initiative.

The dark strong ale in what appears to be a brand invented in the Hoornstraat in Damme and executed in the kettles of Bryggja in nearby Bruges (and kudos to them for being very open about it for a change), using a paper wasp as their logo - though I assume a more specific link with the ‘hoornaar’, Dutch for hornet, is suggested (?). My first in this series, which I had not heard of before. Anyway, this one shows a densely moussey to creamy, pale yellowish beige, medium thick, gradually opening head and misty dark chestnut brown robe with mahogany glow. Aroma of caramel, brown sugar, baked banana, ruby port, a volatile whiff of stale sweat, ‘Koetjesreep’, clove, pear pie, raisins in brandy, hints of fig, dry clay, coriander seed and varnish. Sweet onset but not overly cloying, balanced by a sourish edge and sharply (yet fine-bubbled) carbonated – a bit too effervescent for a quadrupel perhaps. Hints of pear, raisin and dried banana linger over a brown-bready, caramelly middle, edged by a sprinkle of brown sugar but also a deeper bread-crusty accent. Nowhere does it become too sweet, instead a subtle whiff of coriander seed adds background spiciness, phenols remain well in place, herbal hops provide a long but nowhere harsh bitterness and warming ‘jenever’-like alcohol highlights all the flavours – initially at least, because this alcohol eventually becomes too dominant, scorching away the other flavours. The conclusion is clear: this is a very well-balanced quad in its basic flavours, despite being still a tad crude in comparison with the great trappist quads and in need of a bit more subtlety and complexity; on top of that, the booziness is just a bit much for me. That said, though, this is not bad at all for a first (commercial) attempt at this style. Very solid and probably good for ageing a bit more.