Ovila Abbey Quad with Plums collaboration between Sierra Nevada and the Monks of the New Clairvaux Monastery

26316_10101052519783880_1276305417_nRating: 4.75/5

Ovila Abbey Quad with Plums collaboration between Sierra Nevada and the Monks of the New Clairvaux Monastery is a 10.2%ABV Belgian Abbey Quad brewed with Sugar Plums.

Label:
Ovila Abbey Quad with plums is heady with aromas of caramel, rich malt, and dark fruit-balanced by the spiciness and delicate fruity notes of a traditional Belgian yeast. This beer features sugar plums grown on the grounds of the Abbey, and harvested by the monks in Vina. We hope you enjoy this collaboration ale.
___

Ahh just like my favorite style but with stronger dark fruits. The fragrances includes lots of sweet Plums, raisins, prunes, cherry, vanilla, candi sugar, dulce de leche caramel bread, capirotada, banana and pecans. The flavors are of plums, dulce de leche caramel, vanilla, bread, chocolate, raisins, plum sauce, prunes, cherries, bananas, candi sugars, Belgian yeast, capirotada with plums and raisins, molasses, clove and coriander spice, nutmeg, pecans and minor port wine. The after taste taste dry but plum fruity. The regular quad was more focused on the overall Trappist balance. While this is really nice and awesomely good, it still was more plum driven than the original Ovila quad. Not a bad thing at all but I enjoy the more caramel like Ovila quad. This is still pretty epic and up there with the dark fruit concentrated types. Belgian beer lovers get this one. Surely a must try and a must pick up again 😛

I go into depth about the New Clairvaux Monastery in my original review:https://brewerianimelogs.wordpress.com/2012/10/30/ovila-quad-by-sierra-nevada/

Ovila Quad by Sierra Nevada

Rating: 4.8/5

Ovila Quad by Sierra Nevada is a 10.4% ABV Quadruple Fermented Belgian Style ale. Sierra Neveda worked with the New Clairvaux Monastery in Vina California. The project as stated in the label was a touch for Sierra Nevada to get into the fermented ales but also for the proceeds to go to Santa Maria de Ovila chapter house within the New Clairvaux Abbey which was built from the SacredStones of Spanish Monastery in Trillo. The Stones were shipped to California where the monks of the Vina started to rebuild the Abbey by hand.

Label:
A collaboration between Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and the monks at the Abbey of New Clairvaux, Ovila Abbey Quad brings the centuries-old monastery brewing tradition to America. Ovila Abbey Quad is rich and complex with layers of flavor including notes of intense dark fruits, and caramel-like maltiness. Rich and complex, this ale should be shared among friends in the true spirit of the season. A portion of the proceeds from this ale goes toward the restoration of the historic Santa Maria de Ovila chapter house on the grounds of the Abbey of New Clairvaux. This medieval building stood for nearly eight centuries in Spain. William Randolph Hearst purchased the monastery in 1931 and planned to use the stones for a castle even grander than his famous San Simeon. Although Hearst’s plans crumbled, these historic stones will rise again in a California Cistercian abbey. So this beer is yet a fine example of great alcohol masking, dulce de leche caramel, dark fruit, bread beer as inspired by the Abbeys of Belgium. This beer has some sweet vanilla and banana pecan goodness that reminds me of the Weyerbacher Blasphemy but more lighter. While that beer is harder to find, I can find this easier. Raisins, plums, minor bread and wine aftertaste. I was skeptic about this new line of beers as many people have up and down feelings about Sierra Nevada. I tend not to judge though as they have been making decent beers for years. In fact, my gut feeling was right. Try a beer before you make the decision. This is really good. While at 10.4%ABV, the rich sweet flavors mask it way to well. Almost feels like it is easy drinking quite the smooth one at that. Be careful though, it will get you back. A Quad from Monks in California inspired by an Old Abbey that existed in Spain, this is so cool 😀