Brewery: Brewery Ommegang
Where: Cooperstown, New York
Beer: Three Philosophers
Style: Quadrupel (Quad)
IBU: N/A
ABV: 9.8%

It's Christmas eve... it's quiet.  It won't last long, because tomorrow will be one of those hectic days.  I didn't see three wise men from afar this evening, but I did have a bottle of Three Philosophers stashed away for a special occasion. 

Three Philosophers is a big Belgian quadrupel that kicks in at 9.8% ABV, so it's definitely one that requires some patience and attention once you start drinking it.  This beer poured with a big brownish-amber color and foamy head.  At nearly 10% I could smell a slight aroma of alcohol as I poured this, but the big malty blast followed that very quickly.  This particular beer is a blend of 98% quadrupel ale and 2% cherry lambic, so that very small addition of the lambic adds the faintest flavor of cherry to this already fantastic beer.  This big malty beer leaves a beautiful aftertaste that has a very mild tartness to it. 

This bottle has an interesting quote on the label I'd like to share...

Brewery Ommegang is 3,264 miles from Brussels, but its heart is right in Belgium.  It was created out of our devotion to the unique ales brewed by the country where brewing is an art and partaking is a passion.

Brewery: Avery Brewing Company
Where: Boulder, Colorado
Beer: The Reverend
Style: Quadrupel (Quad)
IBU: 10
ABV: 10%

Tonight, I decided to take a sample of one of Avery's bigger beers.  I have seen these in the cases for quite a while and never bothered to try them, but after listening to some information about this brewery on a podcast recently, I thought it was time to check them out. 

This is, by all standards, a big beer.  It poured with a beautiful light amber color with a big foamy head.  The malt aroma followed by the typical belgian 'funk' associated with the yeast to produce this style is well noted.  The malt flavor from the caramel and special B malts are also quite pronounced on the tongue.  This beer also needs a little warmup period in the glass before drinking.  My estimate is that 52° is a nearly perfect temperature for this one.  This beer, like others from the Belgian style, is also highly carbonated, so drink it slowly!