Quad Questions....

[bjl110]

I love quads. LOVE them. I loved Quads before I knew that is the kind of beer I was drinking. I've tried many different types, both imported and domestic. Love them all (but some more than others obviously).

My question is: what are they exactly? The internets (at least the sources I found) says that it is beer that is kinda like a dubbel, but higher ABV. That's pretty much as specific as I could find, but seriously lacks in quenching my thirst for beer knowledge I get the basics of the style (dark(er), strong, fruity, slightly spicy, Belgian yeast) but am looking for something more in depth. Any good sources that you guys could point me towards? Is there anything YOU think denotes a Quad from a Dubbel besides ABV?

Thanks! :rockin:

 

[djonas]

From experience, I personally believe that it's an ABV thing and also yeast dependent. But here's a quick source for you.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/142

 

[DregAddict]

Check out the Wiki listing for Quadrupel on this site. Not a ton of info, but their is some stuff on style guidelines for Belgian Dark Strong Ales. The term quad is actually pretty arbitrary, and what some brewers would call a quad, others might call a dubbel. IMO it does have the most to do with ABV. Originally Belgian brewers called beers they made with ~twice the grain bill as their regular beer dubbels. They called beers with ~3 times the grain bill tripels. Quads had even larger grain bills. The thing is that these styles sometimes overlap in their ABV. Dubbels and Quads do tend to be darker than tripels. Other than that, it is a pretty open style of beer.

 

[bjl110]

Thanks for the response guys. I already saw those two sources along with some others that were still pretty vague. I usually do my due diligence of searching before I ask a question (I'm a grad assistant so research is my life right now ), but it looks like a vague answer might be the only kind that exists! I was just thinking that there might be some beer-related sources that I wasn't seeing right off the bat (like someone's personal blog or something that wouldn't necessarily come up to the front of the pile on google). If anyone else knows of any sources, maybe even just one on brewing Belgians in general, please let me know! Thanks again!

 

[DregAddict]

You might want to check out the book "Brew Like a Monk.". I've heard it has a lot of info and gets pretty in depth on the technical side of brewing Belgian beers. I haven't read it myself, so maybe somebody that has can chime in about it's contents.

 

[TwoGunz]

I too am in love with Quads but I think it's a fairly loose name given to any dark, high gravity (8+ ABV), Belgian style ale. The line between a Quad and a Dubbel is somewhat fuzzy but I'd say Quads have deeper flavors and an alcohol taste component.

Some of the best versions aren't even called Quads by the brewery/monastary: Rochefort 10, Westvleteren 12