Belgian Strong Dark vs Quad?

[koalasprint]

Howdy,

On the show last weekend - Mufasa Returns! - a listener's brew of Paxton's Saucerful of Secrets was tasted.

A comment was made that it was a good strong dark and almost a quad (or something to that effect)

I thought a BSD was a quad and that the names were interchangable.

If this isn't the case - what's the characteristics of a quad vs a strong dark?

Cheers

Kev

PS : Viva extract!

[bikefoolery]

I asked Gordon strong that question during a BN chat. He suggested that Quads should go into the Belgian Specialty Category.

Unfortunately there is not BJCP style guide for quads. I think it the difference between Belgian Dark Strong and a quad is similar to the difference between Belgian Golden Strong and a Trippel. Both are very similar but still different. The quad would be a bit more malt focused and sweeter finish with a lower ester/fruity profile then the dark strong, at least for the commercial examples I've tried.

The Fool

[wunderbier]

I kind of like the Fool's answer, but isn't this kind of the whole porter / stout, black patent / roasted barley argument? I mean, the only example from that part of the world is La Trappe's Quadruppel. So quadruppel is really whatever happens in the iterative process between American brewers and consumers guessing at what it is and what it should be. And yeah, maltier, less spicy, perhaps peachy sounds about right.

...Are we considering 'Abt' in the equation too? That would bring the count up to four with St. Bernardus Abt 12 (+ special edition) and Watou Het Kapittel Abt. Now the gamut would run from really light and fruity to very dark and lightly roasted.

[johnfoster]

so is it just me or did all of them get hung up on things other than "tastes great!" Saucer Full of Secrets is a weird blend of candy, bitter and dark. I'm not sure it's possible to "judge" this beer because there are so many flavors going on. part of this comes from the ingredients. according the recipe there is a pound of Date sugar in it. who's ever had Date sugar? and saying "give me some sugar baby!" on the first date doesn't count.

http://www.homebrewchef.com/SaucerfulofSecrets.html

[Ironman]

I had the same reaction from Gordon Strong, in the chat when I said a quad and a belgian dark strong were the same. He said they aren't the same. But he didn't say how they were different. I suggest Fuck style, just brew for taste, try to balance it out, get the opinion of some great brewers you know and call it good. Don't get hung up sticking beers in little boxes. Go for taste.

[koalasprint]

Sounds like the BSD I made last Christmas which finished a bit sweet could be a good Quad?

Not sure of the ABT distinction either - many of these are listed as examples of a BSD.

I'm not hung up on the style, but interested when someone states that something is more like than - what are the differences they can taste? And what is it they look for to distinguish between the two?

It's a bit like the unclear feedback which we always hear on the show is not helpful - what is it that makes a quad a quad and a BSD a BSD?

Cheers

kev

[uncle_bad_touches]

My understanding is that Quads are the "barleywine" of belgian beers. They are maltier, sweeter, have less bitterness and finish at a higher OG than Dark Strongs. Alcohol wise they are pretty similar, but Quads will probably rely more on specialty malts to achieve their flavors and less so on sugar syrups and yeast characteristics. However they are still very similar, the big distinction being that Quads are more malt focused whereas Dark Strongs are more ester/phenol/alcohol/complexity driven and typically much drier.