La Trappe Quadrupel (75cl, 10%)

La Trappe Quadrupel is a 10% ABV Trappist ale brewed and bottle-conditioned at the Koningshoeven monastery in the Netherlands. First released in 1991, it was the original beer to bear the name Quadrupel. It is produced by top fermentation using Munich, Pale, Caramel and roasted barley malts, supplemented with glucose syrup, and fermented with a Belgian yeast strain. Water comes from five wells 200 metres beneath the monastery grounds, and the beer undergoes secondary fermentation in the bottle. The aroma brings ripe banana, vanilla, raisins, cloves and almond. The palate is rich and malty, with plum, fig, red grape, caramel and date, alongside warming alcohol and a bitter undercurrent. The finish is medium-long, with slightly burnt malt, lingering sweetness, residual dark fruit and faint spiciness.