Rating: 5/5

Paris Of The West by Almanac beer company is a 9.5% ABV Belgian Quadrupel brewed with Flame Raisins, candi sugar and oranges.

Label:
San Francisco, aka, “The Paris Of The West”, has long been home to a diverse culture of creative bohemians and a bastion of art, creativity and progressive thinking. This decadent dark ale was created in that same spirit – brewed with dark candi sugar, dried flame grapes and orange pee, then fermented with a French ale yeast. Pair with funky Roquefort cheese and visions of a grand tomorrow!

==Introduction==

Obtained this one when visiting Ramirez Liquor in Boyle Heights California. Quadruples are always the best beers in my honest opinion or atleast my most favorite. This Quad is introduced with using Flame raisins and oranges. Typically, a good quadruple will always carry the flavor of dark fruits initially but I do not think I have ever seen a quadruple made with Flame Raisins. Nor have I tried a beer from Almanac that is actually a 22oz. either. There is always room for new stuff and hence the reason I wanted to try it. So lets take a look at this one. Cheers!

Aromas:
Orange notes, dulce de leche caramel, fruit cake, bananas, clove spice, anise, coriander spice, dark fruit raisins, plums, dates, figs, boysenberries, currants, stone fruit peaches, apricots, vanilla, pecan pie candi sugar, rock candy, biscuit bread, capirotada raisin bread pudding, chocolate notes and toffee.

Flavors:
Rich Dark fruit raisins, plums, dates, figs, boysenberries, currants, candi sugar, rock candy, capirotada raisin bread pudding, biscuit bread, orange notes, bananas, clove spice, anise, coriander spice, ginger spice, fruit cake, chocolate notes, toffee, rye bread, tangerine preserves, strawberries, dark cherries, dulce de leche caramel, pecan pie, vanilla, stone fruit peaches, apricots and old mango.

Aftertaste:
Dark fruits, Stone fruits, oranges and candi sugar linger along with some earthy notes. No alcohol in the alcohol in the taste, dark amber full body, smooth, creamy, silky and velvety mouthfeel as well as a moderate drinkability.

Overall:
A perfect quad! Definitely showing the many flavors of what I love about quads including the dark fruits, chocolate, clovey banana notes and more. The combination of ingredients of this one give way to to other delicious flavors and spices. While it is not as delicious as the actual quadruples from Belgium, this one really was a delicious treat either way. Seek this one out and give it a shot if you like Belgian Quadruples.

Anime Corner:
Aqua from Kingdom Hearts was used in this pairing as I wanted to pair with the colors of the vibrant dark fruits and label as well as the complex flavors. Aqua currently lies in the darkness of the abyss in accordance to the story to someday see the light. The darkness of this beer represent this but because the beer is flavorful and sweet, you can tell it represents how well she is fairing in the dark. Or atleast that is what I believe.

Sources:
http://konachan.com/jpeg/b60980bdeaec540e9de64ffeab4f559c/Konachan.com%20-%20167169%20aqua_%28kingdom_hearts%29%20blue_eyes%20blue_hair%20hanadog%20kingdom_hearts%20short_hair%20water.jpg
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-zreqqGqen9s/TYVMJfJFfsI/AAAAAAAABh8/gXmFxva4N_I/s1600/266435.jpg