Bottle split at the Autumn Watford tasting, thanks to Leighton, 24/09/21. Deep chestnut brown with a fast collapsing beige covering. Nose is dusty fruits, wood must, cocoa sprinkle, light bourbon soak. Taste comprises stewed fruits, toffee, damp wood, raisins, dried fruits, light bourbon buzz. Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, semi drying close with a kiss of alcohol. Pleasant enough sipper for its age.

Bottle shared in Watford - picked up from Etre, I think. Pours clear copper with a very slight, bubbly tan head. Medium sweet flavour, some brown sugar, brown bread, a little toffee, nips of earth, oak, booze. Medium to full bodied, totally flat. Warm-hot finish, more toasted sugars, subtle bourbon, mild leafy bitterness, toffee. Not bad.

Bottle shared at Watford tasting. Many thanks to Leighton for this one. A mostly clear nutty brown coloured pour with a a halo of beige head. Aroma is earthy nutty malts, dried fruits, Nutella, hazelnut, some age, bourbon. Flavour is composed of semi sweet, nutty, dried fruit, fig, woody, oak, vanilla, caramel, cakey. Palate is semi sweet, oily, no condition.

One of the newest in this series - and to think I even missed out on a few - consisting of barrel aged quadrupels, this time on rum barrels. Pale yellowish beige, moussy, medium thick head lacing in shreds over a cloudy caramel brown beer with ruddy-bronze hue. Aroma of hard caramel, apple peel, brown rum indeed but fairly subtle, bubblegum, ground hazelnuts, brown bread, walnut, clove, 'Koetjesreep'. Sweetish onset, banana mixed with some fig and medlar, medium carbonated; slight 'bubblegumminess' lingering over a caramelly and brown-bready malt body with slightly nutty edges that become more prominent in the finish, light woody tannins setting in at that time as well with that typical vanilla-ish oak touch retronasally. These effects remain relatively subtle, though, and so does the sweet rum effect, adding less booziness than I was expecting. Dried plum, tea and clove impressions lingering on, with a herbal hop bitterishness balancing the bready and caramelly maltiness. Most of these barrel aged Préaris Grand Cru editions keep it proportionally simple and subdued as far as the effects of the barrel are concerned and this one is no different - but I think I would have enjoyed it less if the rum booziness had been more outspoken. Ages well too, no doubt. Now on the hunt for those few editions I missed...

21/VIII/21 - 37.5cl bottle @ Gents Bierfestival (Gent), BB: n/a (2021-934)

Clear red brown beer, big creamy off-white head, stable, bit adhesive. Aroma: nice stuff, sweet impression, banana, caramel, bit sweet, soft roast, some alcohol. MF: ok carbon, medium to full body. Taste: sweet start, ripe bananas, caramel, more banana, some chocolate, sugary, alcohol. Aftertaste: little oxidized, fruity, dried fruits, chocolate, a bit sugary, more alcohol.

21/VIII/21 - 37.5cl bottle @ Gents Bierfestival (Gent), BB: n/a, 2020 edition (2021-931)

Little cloudy dark brown beer, creamy beige head, stable, non adhesive. Aroma: sweet caramel, ripe banana, some alcohol, bit malty, sugary impression. MF: ok carbon, medium to full body. Taste: lots of alcohol up front, bit sweet, caramel, fruity, dried fruits, some ripe apples, calvados, dried fruits, ripe bananas. Aftertaste: little bitter, spicy touch, alcohol, caramel, hoppy touch, dusty, bit oxidized, dried fruits, dry, slightly sourish finish.

Small greige-ish head over deep dark reddish brown beer. Port, cookies, waffles, booze, melanoidins. Liquorice, melanoidins, chocolate, waffle syrup, molasses, dark(er) malts, and of course, portwine. For a 10% beer, a bit watery. Not very carbonated, quite slick. Not bad, not excessively sweet - but sweet all the same. Thanks to Stef!

Bottle, thanks to LKS, split at the Grand Reunion Tasting, Watford 02/10/20. Lightly hazed chestnut brown with a decent beige cap that clears to a swirl. Nose is dried fruit esters, earthy, caramel, wood must, toffee. Taste comprises earthy tones, dark malts, fruit cake, dates, oak, brown sugar scattering. Full bodied, fine carbonation, semi drying close with a boozey cloak. Not bad as Quads go but a touch too sweet for my liking and struggling to pick much up in the way of coffee.

10/VII/21 - 33cl bottle from Geers (Oostakker), shared @ Anniek and Martijn’s place, BB: X/2021 (2021-604)

Clear orange blond beer, big creamy dense off-white head, stable, adhesive, leaving a nice lacing in the glass. Aroma: herbal, somewhat fruity, citrus, malty grains. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: some citrus, tropical fruits, nice bitterness, bit grassy, good stuff. Aftertaste: some sweet malts, nice bitterness, fruity, juicy, dry finish, good one!