Meer over Quadrupel
Which quad are you looking for?
- Dry or sweet: quad is a broad style. Traditional versions are usually drier, while many modern ones are fairly sweet and full. Bitterness is medium-low to moderate, and you feel a soft but noticeable alcohol warmth.
- Trappist or not: quad is not an exclusively Trappist style. Besides Trappist breweries, the BJCP also mentions regular breweries, such as St. Bernardus with the Abt 12. You'll find beer from Trappist abbeys under Trappist.
- With an extra flavour: sometimes there is an addition in the name, such as chocolate, whisky or rum liqueur. Check the description of the beer.
- Quad or tripel: about equally strong. A quad is dark, malty and fruity, and less bitter and hoppy; a tripel is blond, dry and spicy.
Dark here means deep amber to deep copper-brown, without roasted malt. In many traditional quads the malt bill is simple, and caramelised sugar syrup or unrefined sugars, together with the yeast, provide much of the complexity. If there is spiciness, it resembles black pepper or vanilla. The BJCP places quad under Belgian Dark Strong Ale (8–12%); the Brewers Association has its own category, Belgian-Style Quadrupel (10–14.2%). As far as is known, La Trappe was the first to use the name quadrupel, in 1991 according to Hop Culture. Related styles: dubbel and barleywine.
What you'll find at Hoptimaal
Mostly Belgian quads: from Chimay, one of the Trappist abbeys with the ATP label, to De Achelse Kluis, Kasteel (Vanhonsebrouck), Val-Dieu, Het Anker, Wilderen, BOMBrewery and Brasserie des Légendes. We also stock quads from the Dutch breweries Gallivant and Big Belly and from Ireland's Whiplash. In the top 10 you can see which quadrupels customers are buying most often right now. For every beer you see the current Untappd score.
Serving and storing
A good starting point: Westmalle recommends drinking Trappist beers like its own between 6 and 12 °C; this advice is not specific to quads. The Brewers Association calls the quadrupel a beer to sip slowly. If a quad is bottle conditioned, a layer of yeast at the bottom is normal: according to the BJCP, refermentation in the bottle is a common trait of the Belgian monastic beer styles. According to Westmalle, you store it upright, in the dark and at a constant temperature.
Buy quadrupel at Hoptimaal
At Hoptimaal you can buy quadrupel beer online or in our shop at Leeghwater 5 in Amersfoort. It's a small, changing selection, mostly from Belgium, plus quads from Dutch brewers. You order them individually. Order before 3 pm on working days and we ship the same day. Shipping within the Netherlands is free from €75.
Order a dubbel and a quad from the same brewery, for example Chimay, Het Anker or Val-Dieu. Side by side, you'll taste what 'a bigger, fuller dubbel' means.
Frequently asked questions
Is a quadrupel four times as strong?
No. The names dubbel, tripel and quadrupel indicate increasing weight, not a multiplication. According to the BJCP, a dubbel has 6–7.6% alcohol, a tripel 7.5–9.5% and a quad 8–12%. So a tripel and a quad can be equally strong.
Is the number in the name the alcohol percentage?
No, although it is sometimes close: it is an indication of strength. Westvleteren 12, for example, has 10.2% alcohol. Many beers in this style are named after a number or colour, such as Rochefort 10 and Chimay Blauw. If you want to know how strong a quad is, check the alcohol percentage on the label.
Can you age a quadrupel?
Yes. According to CraftBeer.com, strong beer, generally from 8%, lends itself to cellaring, and according to the BJCP the complex flavours of this style often benefit from ageing. Westmalle writes that beer with a higher alcohol content can usually still be kept after the best-before date. More in the Beer School on quadrupel.
Can you order Trappist quads online?
Yes, as long as they are in stock. Among the quads you'll find beer from the Trappist breweries Chimay, Westvleteren and La Trappe (De Koningshoeven). Look for the Authentic Trappist Product label: only beer made in the immediate vicinity of a Trappist abbey, under the supervision of monks or nuns, carries it.
