Lunchtime at Cafe Bruges - Urthel Samaranth (Flanders, Belgium)

I get the occasional criticism from friends about being a bit pretentious about beer. This is probably more than merited, but in all fairness, it means I get to enjoy delicious things, and they don't. Cafe Bruges in my little town of Carlisle, PA stokes the fires of my inner pretension, offering me the opportunity to have decent food with outrageously good Belgian beer as often as my wallet allows. As I've addicted my parents to this small establishment, it also gives me the opportunity to have a free meal with free delicious beer at the same time. This naturally happened today at lunch, leading me to this evening's blog entry.

Belgian Quads. Strong in flavor, typically sweet, and definitely strong in alcohol content. Few people who have tried one of these disagree with the flavor and few with a tendency toward the aesthetic fail to notice the dark rich hue of this style of beer. This style is becoming more and more popular throughout the world, although no one does it like the original.

Today, over a pretty awesome meal of fricasseed rabbit and a small salad, I placed an order for an Urthel Samaranth, a Belgian Quad from Flanders. I didn't know exactly what to expect other than something pretty tasty, but the bottle art of a bearded troll imbibing a serious pint was more than enough incentive for me to choose it. It poured a dark, almost reddish caramel into a beer chalice. The head lingered a bit with little flecks of yeast, which also floated quite liberally throughout the beer itself. The beer smelled sweet and spicy the moment it was poured, making me all the more eager to taste it.

Tipping this one back, I couldn't help but continue to notice the intense aromas, which I am sure aided in the tasting process. I got the normal tastes of a Belgian Quad at first - sweet, strong, a bit of candy sugar - and at precisely that moment, was hit with the second wave of flavors. Almond, a bit of bitterness, and last but certainly not least, alcohol (with an 11.5% ABV, that wasn't terribly surprising). Very full - but not heavy.

So in summary, this was another great take on the Belgian Quadruple. While probably not my all-time favorite (a position held actually by a few American-made ales) this is certainly up there. Belgium rarely disappoints in the realm of outstanding beer, and this is no exception.

Urthel Samaranth - ****/***** (4 out of 5 Stars)

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