I’m hoping to get some good balance out of the Four and that it will mask the 10% ABV well, hopefully their balance in mathematics translates. The Four pours a hazy deep amber color with a good amount of carbonation. The well lingering head pours a full two fingers and is off white in color. The nose consists of darker fruits and caramel sweetness. No bite or spiciness to speak of, and the alcohol is not present at all in the nose which makes me optimistic about the flavors.

The taste pleasantly mimics that of the nose with sweeter flavors up front from the malt. The fruit hits you first, a lot of plum and raisin, followed by a hint of caramel. Unlike the nose there are a some hop notes coming through that nicely balance things out in the middle. While the alcohol is well masked it does come out towards the end, but it isn’t anything at all unpleasant.

Allagash has managed to produce a good Quad that offers some more interesting elements while maintaining balance and eliminating most of the alcohol flavor and aroma. The Four would be pushing the higher end of sessionability, though the flavors and ABV keep it out of the category and yet it’s very approachable for a Quad.

Overall: 8.5/10

Ommegang is nice enough to include pouring instructions on the bottle, I guess to encourage you to not jump the gun and drink it straight from the giant bottle. Once poured in the proper manner the beer is of a deep dark red/brown color with about one and a half inches of frothy head that, just by looks alone, you know is going to help in adding to the nose of this beer.

Three Philosophers smells of fruit (mostly cheery), caramel, malt and just a hint of mint. The head leaves a great amount of lacing as you drink the beer, helping to keep that wonderful aroma going all the way to the end. This is a beer that your neighbor at the bar could easily smell, but not taste as you will surely be drinking all of it.

On the label for Three Philosophers it says 98% Ale and 2% ale with cherries added. The cheery flavor is present but it is kept in check by the other flavors, preventing the beer from becoming overly fruity. Three Philosophers has a well balanced flavor consisting of malt, yeast, cherries, raisins (which I don’t normally like but it works here) and just enough of an alcohol tint to warm things up a bit.

I’m still getting into the whole pairing of beer and food but the Ommegang website says Three Philosophers is “a delightful accompaniment for roasted meats, rich cheeses, desserts, and for after dinner sipping as with a fine port.”

Reviewing Three Philosophers has been a real treat, it is one of my top 10 beers and I love it when I can find it in places that I buy beer. It is also a beer that has some nostalgic feelings attached to it, as it is one of the first beers that got me into craft beer. Overall, a great beer from a Belgian brewery right here in the USA.

Overall: 9/10