Oct 26, 2015

Victory Hoppy Quad

I’m a massive fan of Belgian beer and as such, I’m generally a traditionalist when it comes to picking out, drinking and/or cellaring examples of various Belgian styles. However, I do like the occasional twist on a favorite style. And that’s exactly what we have here with Victory’s Hoppy Quad, a 13% ABV Belgian-style quadrupel that packs in a ton of fruity hop goodness.

Brewed with a healthy combination of Chinook, Mosaic, Cascade and Citra hop varieties, the beer presents itself in a much different fashion that I had anticipated. Looking at the name of the brew, I was expecting something a little more one-dimensional or more straightforward I guess. What we’ve got here with Hoppy Quad is a beer certainly leans heavily of the hop blend, but isn’t just simply “hoppy.” There’s a solid quadruple base that presents stone fruits, yeast and grain — and then there’s a mountain of luscious tropical fruit provided by the hop blend. The result is much more dynamic.

Appearance

A massive stack of off-white foam rests atop the golden amber brew.

Victory Hoppy Quad photo

Aroma

Yeast, a generous helping of citrusy hops, distant species and a touch of honey all come together smoothly.

Taste

Citrus and tropical fruits fill the mouth fully with a solid amount of yeast. It’s quite a dynamic array of flavors for a hop-forward brew. Grain, honey and a moderate sweetness mingle with a decent bit of hop bitterness as everything fades to a lightly drying, lasting finish. At the elevated alcohol level it’s boozy, but not overwhelming.

Overall

I was expecting Hoppy Quad to not be your standard example of the style, but the array of tropical fruits and yeast were a surprise. The beer is more more dynamic than I anticipated and surprising to say the least. It’s not a beer for the purist, but if you want to try something a little different, I definitely recommend this one.

Rating: 4/5

This is a review of a promotional sample.

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