Rating: 5.5/5

Apophatic by Monkish brewing is a 12% ABV Belgian Quadrupel brewed with Orange Peels, Cinnamon, Coriander Seed & Fennel Seed.

Brewed along with Select Monk 2 for the 2nd anniversary of Monkish brewing, this beer is pretty limited and only sold at the brewery. I wanted to do a review of this special beer for several reasons. I love high ABV beers, Belgian Quadrupels are one of my most favorite styles, Strong Belgian Quadrupels are rare, Monkish makes great Belgian inspired beers and this is the first quadrupel. I have tried and reviewed the Anamoly, Belgian Strong Dark ale and the Seme De la Vita, Tripel made with Vanilla beans & Pistachios, but I think this was my favorite when I first tried it. The massive power house, unaided by food can case problems. I only drank 2 glasses and I was done for that night. So, to only bring forth the review today, I will only be doing this glass and that is it. Cheers to Monkish for finally releasing a Quadrupel. 

Aromas:
Lots of Dark fruits like raisins, plums, prunes, blue berries, cherries, currants, subtle cinnamon, vanilla, dulce de leche caramel, blueberry muffin, port wine, clove spice, fennel, hints of orange and coriander. 

Flavors:
Blueberries, Raisins, figs, prunes, dulce de leche caramel, vanilla, orange, coriander spice, licorice, anise, tart berries, fennel, coriander, raisin bread pudding, chocolate notes, port wine, oats, blueberry muffin, maple syrup, cherries, currants, cinnamon, mild bananas, clove spice, raspberries, rye, pecan pie and hint of rum.

Aftertaste:
Prunes, currants, blueberries, fennel, orange, coriander, caramel, vanilla,. The alcohol is present, but there is this smooth aspect to the beer but also a sipping quality. 

Overall:
Reminicing of that Unibroue Trois Pistoles, Montegioco Draco and The Lost Abbey Judgment Day ale. Damn perfect beer exceeding expectations by a small amount. Despite the ingredients used, there was more very dark and fruity flavors to this one. Several reasons why I really love this one and was the reason I picked this one up for review. I don’t think I have tried a close to blueberry flavored quad. This is quite the dangerous yet delicious beer which is a good reason to be careful with this one. 2 glasses and no food can equal the end of the night. Especially since the 8oz. Pours are very generous (Seem more like 12-16oz.) IF you get a chance to visit Torrance, stop on by and give this a go. 

Anime Corner:
Yoruichi Shihouin (Right) and Ryuko Matoi (Left) from Bleach and Kill La Kill were chosen in this special pairing to compliment the label (Yoruichi hair), the complexity of flavors (Ryuko with cherries and blueberries, dark fruits in her eyes, Yoruichi with orange and spices in her eye colors, hair and speaks of dark fruit raisins), the strength of ABV (Both supremely strong female characters), My favorite style, Quadrupel (2 of my favorite characters), Smooth but dangerous (Both travel at the ridiculous high speeds and attack without mercy if their friends are in danger), very warming and satisfying beer (Very caring and kind hearted despite Ryuko always being the tough girl and Yoruichi, well always being alluring). There are more things I can definitely say as to why it fits this beer, but I will leave it to you to see what else you think works great in this pairing.

Ryoko Fan Art by Jimbobox of Deviantart.com
Yoruichi Fan Art by rikamello-d72jj0w of deviantart.com