Boulevard Smokestack Series - The Sixth Glass Quadrupel Ale

This evenings review is of a brew from Boulevards Smokestack series.  We reviewed one of their beers as one of our first reviews back in December.  We are now back to revisit this series from a Belgian perspective as opposed to a deep, dark, stout view point.  Boulevards website is a great resource of knowledge for all of their beers.  Not only do they have your standard beer geek stats but they have an ingredients listing for each of their brews.  This evenings beer happens to have some brown sugar in it which I would have never been able to guess.  Hooray for full disclosure!

The aroma is one that Belgian beer lovers will recognize.  Strong dark fruit aromas waft out of my Pilsner glass.  Yes, I'm using a Pilsner glass because a) I thought it would be appropriate for an aromatic brew like this and b) I need to do the dishes...  The white, foamy head on this ale lingers and remains full even after resting for 10 minutes.  I'm pretty sure its not going to go away at this point.  Additional aromas are prominent right before my first sip such as caramel and toasted bread.  My first impression... fantastic.  Easily recognizable as a Belgian brew.  I'm not one to claim an expertise in Belgian beers but I could easily be fooled by this one in a blind taste testing.  Boulevard really hit this one out of the park.  Remnants of the yeast used to bottle condition this quad float throughout my glass.  The hazy amber color reiterates its origins along with its malty, bready and dark fruit (maybe figs or plums?) flavors.  The overall presence of this beer is one to remember.

Overall 4.9/6.0 - Easily an enjoyable Belgian brew.  One that has the malty body and flavor profile to live up to its quadrupel origin.  I'm happy to report that its aroma is able to back up its flavor which many craft beers these days have trouble accomplishing.  Generally I'm a little hesitant to try a "craft" series of beers from a well established brewery just because I have a bias towards the smaller guys in the industry.  But this one is certainly worth the money.  If you are a Belgian beer lover and don't mind a slight sweetness and alcohol warmth throughout the finish of your beer then this one is certainly for you!