Beer Review: Templeton Rye Barrel Aged Nina’s Belgian Abbey Quadrupel

Reviewing the Templeton Rye Barrel Aged Nina’s Belgian Abbey Quadrupel from Haymarket Pub and Brewery out of Chicago, Illinois.

Score: 94

Tap pour served in a taster glass and enjoyed on 01/12/14 at Haymarket's anniversary party.

Appearance: Color is murky/cloudy chestnut brown with a darker center that lightens towards the edges. Served with a tan ring around glass of head. Average lacing and retention. Appearance is pretty much like I expected. 4/5

Smell: Sweet fig, raisin, dark berries, cocoa, toffee, tiramissu, butterscotch, bourbon, oak, and light vanilla. The complexities imparted from the bourbon aging and amplified (dark) fruitiness of the base beer mix wonderfully here. Marvelous integration on the nose. 4.5/5

Taste: Tastes like a decadent dark fruit dessert. Sweet fig, toffee, chocolate and raisin upfront, then brown sugar, oak, light bourbon flavor and a faint spice on the back half. Finishes with a nice sweet dark fruit medley. Really, really lovely. I did not expect to like, let alone love, this beer. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, low carbonation. Nice dark fruit sweetness and decadent richness without being cloying. Dry finish. 4.5/5

Overall: The most unexpectedly awesome beer of the night. I was compelled to purchase a growler of this, I loved it so much. The bourbon flavors and dark fruit work so well here. If you see this on tap, I highly recommend purchasing a pour.

Cost: $3 for a 4 oz pour, $9 for a 12 oz pour.