Quad - thoughts?

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Ó Flannagáin

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My first Quad. I'm planning on keeping this one pretty dang light in body with a nice subtle malt hint. I want the yeast to SHINE on this one.

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 6.00 gal
Boil Size: 7.58 gal
Estimated OG: 1.108 SG
Estimated Color: 6.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 27.9 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
15.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 67.42 %
4.00 lb Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 17.98 %
0.25 lb Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 1.12 %
1.50 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (90 min) Hops 12.5 IBU
1.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (60 min) Hops 7.8 IBU
1.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (30 min) Hops 6.0 IBU
1.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (5 min) Hops 1.6 IBU
3.00 lb Candi Sugar, Clear (0.5 SRM) Sugar 13.48 %
1 Pkgs Belgian Abbey II (Wyeast Labs #1762) [StarYeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash Out
Total Grain Weight: 19.25 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash Out
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
75 min Mash In Add 24.06 qt of water at 159.1 F 148.0 F
 
They're usually darker aren't they? The examples I think of are St.Bernardus 12 & Westy 12 which are both darker beers.

Quick search don't know how reliable:
"These beers are dark red-brown to brown in color, can display relatively nice heads (despite the high alcohol level), and feature full and sometimes creamy mouthfeels. The flavors are highly imbalanced towards malty flavors (fruits such as plums, raisins, figs, even peaches are common, as well as chocolate and caramel), often contain yeasty tones (including the phenolic/spicey byproducts of fermentation), and feature no hoppy character. The alcohol levels of these special beers are typically in the 10% and higher range"

That to say, if you replaced the 'clear' with 'dark' candy syrup you'd probably be good. A lot of Westy clones get all their color from the dark sugar, which is supposedly how the real stuff is made.
 
landhoney said:
They're usually darker aren't they? The examples I think of are St.Bernardus 12 & Westy 12 which are both darker beers.

Quick search don't know how reliable:
"These beers are dark red-brown to brown in color, can display relatively nice heads (despite the high alcohol level), and feature full and sometimes creamy mouthfeels. The flavors are highly imbalanced towards malty flavors (fruits such as plums, raisins, figs, even peaches are common, as well as chocolate and caramel), often contain yeasty tones (including the phenolic/spicey byproducts of fermentation), and feature no hoppy character. The alcohol levels of these special beers are typically in the 10% and higher range"

That to say, if you replaced the 'clear' with 'dark' candy syrup you'd probably be good. A lot of Westy clones get all their color from the dark sugar, which is supposedly how the real stuff is made.

Hmm, interesting, I always imagined it as being a souped up tripel. So what would this be? Anything? It's got too much alcohol to be a tripel....
Interesting.. I always imagined it as being a light colored beer.
 
This may end up being more of a Belgian Golden Strong Ale...but either way, it'll be good. I did a vertical tasting of Avery beers last night, The Reverand Quad was among those tested, I think I had '04, '05, and '07, they were all deep red/brown in color.
 
Ó Flannagáin said:
Hmm, interesting, I always imagined it as being a souped up tripel. So what would this be? Anything? It's got too much alcohol to be a tripel....
Interesting.. I always imagined it as being a light colored beer.

From what I have seen in the past, quads can be either dark or somewhat pale though most tend to be on the dark side.

18E would be the best fit from a BJCP perspective to what most consider quad territory

Rochefort 10 (blue cap), Westvleteren 12 (yellow cap), Chimay Grande Reserve (Blue), Rochefort 8 (green cap), St. Bernardus Abt 12, Gouden Carolus Grand Cru of the Emperor, Abbaye des Rocs Grand Cru, Gulden Draak, Kasteelbier Bi̬re du Chateau Donker
http://www.bjcp.org/styles04/Category18.html#style18E
 
See, I always considred the Rochefort 10 and the Westy 12 to be Belgian Dark Strong Ales... are they and quads one and the same?

... It won't quite be a golden ale because of the yeast strain... I think.
 
Ó Flannagáin said:
See, I always considred the Rochefort 10 and the Westy 12 to be Belgian Dark Strong Ales... are they and quads one and the same?

... It won't quite be a golden ale because of the yeast strain... I think.

I think that's why Quad isn't its own BJCP style, I don't know the big difference between Belgiand Strong Dark Ale and Quad.
Beeradvocate lists St.B 12, Roch 10, Westy 12 as Quads.
 
Ó Flannagáin said:
See, I always considred the Rochefort 10 and the Westy 12 to be Belgian Dark Strong Ales... are they and quads one and the same?

... It won't quite be a golden ale because of the yeast strain... I think.

Many folks would say that dark strong ales and quads are the same...some would classify the darker versions ABTs.

Here is the ratebeer notes:
Abt, or quadrupel, is the name given to ultra-strong Trappist and abbey ales. The name Abt was pioneered to describe Westvleteren and the beer that would become St. Bernardus. Quadrupel was pioneered by La Trappe. Abts are the darker of the two, with more rich, deep fruity notes. Quads are paler, with corresponding peachy notes. Neither have much in the way of hop, and both are very strong and malty. Though both are bottle-conditioned, abts trend more towards yeastiness. Alcohol is very high (10+% abv) for both.

Top Beers of the Style
Westvleteren Abt 12 (4.53)
Rochefort Trappistes 10 (4.35)
St. Bernardus Abt 12 (4.16)
5 Seasons North Whisky Barrel Aged Quinte55ence (3.99)
Achel Extra Bruin (de drie Wijzen) (3.96)

Beeradvocate:
Quadrupel

Description:
Inspired by the Trappist brewers of Belgium, a Quadrupel is a Belgian style ale of great strength with bolder flavor compared to its Dubbel and Tripel sister styles. Typically a dark creation that ranges within the deep red, brown and garnet hues. Full bodied with a rich malty palate. Phenols are usually at a moderate level. Sweet with a low bitterness yet a well perceived alcohol.

Average alcohol by volume (abv) range: 9.0-13.0%
 
orfy said:
Are you sure the IBU will balance the malt?

Hmmmm.... didn't think about that, Orfy. It's right on for a tripel, but tripels shouldn't be over 1.080 I think... Definitely needs a bit more in the IBU department. Back to the drawing board.
 
OK, actually, I just got on beersmith and it said 15-30 IBUs for a dark strong ale, this beer won't be near as malty as a dark strong ale and it' OG is lower than a dark strong ales max, so I think the IBU's should be ok. I'm gonna go through 1/4 of my SAAZ stash on this one brew already!!

Gonna keep it the same, this brew should be interesting, but I probably shouldn't call it a quad any more. Maybe I'll call it "four" or, "albino".
 
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