7 Swans-A-Swimming

The Bruery starts the downside count in its homage to a classic Christmas carol with its smashing 7 Swans-A-Swimming.   According to The Bruery's website, this year's version of a Belgian quadrupel is true to style and not loaded wild ingredients.  This conservative approach resulted in a fantastic Belgian beer.  I gave up trying to discern all the palate bending twists and turns in The Bruery's beers a long time ago, finding it best to just taste its creations and decide whether I like them or not.   The Bruery's adherence to style this year did not diminish 7 Swans' complexity or flavor.  I think I've tried the previous six The Bruery Christmas beers and 7 Swans is by far my favorite. 

7 Swans is smooth and approachable.  Its mellow spices are secondary to the beer's dominant malt character.   This beer poured a dark mahogany with little foam.  It had flavors of dried fruit, along with a bright, candied sweetness that mixed well with the malt.  There may have been some hop bitterness, but heck, you don't drink this beer expecting hops, and they are not missed.  Like most The Bruery beers, 7 Swans' flavors intensified as it warmed.  There was a sneaky heat present throughout each taste but the huge strength of 7 Swans is carefully (dangerously) masked.  I did not even check its abv until the following morning and was stunned to find it was 11%.  

This is a wonderful, drinkable Holiday beer and atones for The Bruery's pineapple misfire of 5 Golden Rings.   I need to get a bottle of 7 Swans to age for a year or five.

(I apologize for the various fonts.  I wrote this post over several days on a few devices.  I have tried but am unable to get the fonts to match.)