Tennessee Brew Works "Tenn. No. 12" Belgian Style Quad

I've had plenty of Belgian ales, and I really do tend to like them. I've had quite a few dubbels, and I have even delved into triples. I have had two other quadruples. They were both good beers, and I'm certainly hoping that this local brewery can match the best of them. So far, it looks like Tennessee Brew Works has nailed themselves to the average beer category.

The beer has a slight red tinge to the brown, but it is mostly a brown ale. The light tan head is not particularly overwhelming, and it boils away to very tiny bubbles (comparable to a nitrogenated beer) that grip the sides of the glass and leave almost nothing in the center of the beer. The aroma is sweetness, wood, alcohol, and some dark fruits.

First sip is fairly dry, but it has that Belgian yeast coupled with a sweet malt that allows the dark fruits to gain a little traction. The sip is actually pretty darn good. I certainly wasn't expecting something as good as the Trappistes Rochefort 10, but this really seems to be standing on its own. I cannot tell you how happy I am that this middling brewery has seemingly found its footing. I haven't even completed this review, and I'm already looking forward to more beers from them.

Tip-in is sweetness, toffee, wood, yeast, and brown sugar. The middle has an uptick in carbonation that I didn't even sense in the tip-in, and the floodgates of toffee, dark fruits, light spices, yeast, and brown sugar commence their deluge. The finish is a flash of bitterness with sweetness remaining on the lips while the rest of the beverage dries very quickly.

Bottom Line: Definitely the best beer from these guys so far.

3.75/5