The barrel-aging wizards at Brewery Vivant go to the ends of the earth to craft today’s delectable Belgian Quad. I’m not joking! 

They actually banish Wizard Burial Ground to the empty shafts of a gypsum mine, deep below ground — that’s where their cellar is! There, it quietly slumbers in bourbon barrels for an entire year. 

The brewers take those barrels underground to ensure greater temperature control for the beer, with fewer air impurities than temp-controlled rooms above ground. This affects how the beer interacts with the elements of the barrel, allowing the Quad to better pull those notes of bourbon and vanilla from the oak.

Then, as if summoned by a sorcerer’s spell, the time comes and the Barrel-Aged Quad is awakened! The ground above trembles as rumbling masses of craft fans march to Grand Rapids for this rich, bourbon-drenched feast. 

On the first sip, sticky toffee and boozy dates meld with otherworldly butterscotch tones. Another swallow brings plums, brown sugar, and a wisp of vanilla oak from the barrels. Wizard Burial Ground’s alchemy of powerful flavors remains etched on the palate long after the final drop is gone.

You can wander the face of the planet in search of beers like this, but you’ll never find one. How far will you go to get a taste of this deep-dwelling, barrel-aged magic?

Wizard Burial Ground sits among the top 30 Quads in the World on BeerAdvocate!

Packaged On November 9th, 2021

Cellarable