Schlafly - Quadruple Ale

Tonight we are treated with another guest review from our buddy Kasper.  Since he lives in Kansas City, we have tasked him with drinking the local stuff we can't find in Minnesota.  As expected, he was more than willing to oblige.  The local beer scene in the area has been booming, just like many other cities across the country.  Hopefully Kasper will continue to share his beer endeavors with us going forward.  I know I'm enjoying reading about his new experiences!

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I've decided to spend some time hunting down more regional flavors as of late, and my beer journey led me to Schlafly's Quadruple Ale this week.  An assassin of an ale coming in at a weighty 12% ABV.

This one had me giggling all the way home from the liquor store, as I'm always interested to see how different beers handle the ever present issue of an alcoholic burn with such a high ABV.

As I pour the cloudy amber colored ale into my glass, I'm greeted with a thick tan head and a wonderfully fragrant fruity malty apple scent.  This effervescence had me excited for the first sip.

While the beer manages to quite expertly hide the high alcohol content, its taste has me at a loss.  It's very lightly bitter, and the flavor of apples and spice are very heavily present, though lacking sweetness.  It almost verges on a sour rotten apple taste at times, very discouraging, but it does drink similar to a few abbey ales I've had in the past, after it's sufficiently warmed.

Overall - A good beer to knock you on your ass if you aren't careful, especially with its 750ml serving size.  But you are going to have to brave an awkward flavor in order to achieve it.  I would suggest letting the beer warm quite a bit - only a slight chill passed room temperature - as this seems to mellow some of its less desirable characteristics.  Even at that, I can't say I have an urge to drink it again.

Schlafly Brewery - American IPA

Tonight I'm going to try another brew from the mixed 6-pack brought up from Kansas City by my ugly Uncle Mike - Schlafly American IPA from Schlafly (pronounced laugh-lee) Brewing in St. Louis, MO.  This brewery has been around for about 20 years, and is well-known in the St Louis area for their long list of unique brews.  Never seen any Schlafly brews in these parts, it's only available in the surrounding states of Missouri.  This brew is a limited release, available during the summer months, and comes in at 7.2% alcohol, with 65 IBUs and a boatload of American hops. 

The label on the bottle includes a quote from Benjamin Franklin, "There can't be good living where there isn't good drinking."  Amen to that!  This beer is a beautiful, clear orange-copper color with a big frothy head and excellent retention.  The lacing leaves a foam-screen on the glass.  The smell follows the appearance, with terrific citrus that mainly includes grapefruit and pineapples.  Also a big bouquet of flowers in there, fresh spring-time smell.  The taste starts off very hop-forward with plenty of bitter citrus concentrate up front.  That wave subsides to a middle ground of pine resin mixed with honey and marmalade, sticky and sweet.  That sticky sweetness lingers all the way through the finish, going through a strainer filled with grapefruit pulp.  The end leaves a lingering, refreshing zest that keeps me coming back for more.

Overall Rating:  This was a solid IPA, to be sure.  One of the better IPAs I've had in a while...the beer practically vanished from my glass!  Highly recommend this brew for you hop-heads out there!   A-