Elevation Beer Co.–False Summit Quad (9/10)

Elevation Beer Co. is located in Poncha Springs, Colorado.  They produce a wide range of beers, including the First Cast IPA, Mount Blanca Saison, Little Mo' Porter, Senorita Horchata, Third Base Belgian Tripel, Apis IV Quadrupel, Oil Man (a malt and bourbon lover's beer), False Summit Bourbon Barrel Aged Quadrupel, Signal de Botrange Belgian Ale aged in oak barrels, 8 Second Kolsch, Decade X, and Prostator Smoked Doppelbock.

If you've followed this blog for any length of time, you probably know I am a big fan of Belgian style beers.  Belgian Quadupels are perhaps my very favorite beer style.  They're dark, usually a little sweet, and have an extremely complex flavor profile.  You'll get hints of dark fruit, spices, caramel, and various other flavors.  When I saw Elevation Beer Co.'s False Summit in a shop in Fort Collins, Colorado, I had to buy a bottle.

(For those wondering why a Columbus, Ohio, beer blog is talking about a Colorado beer, there are several reasons.  First is that this beer may someday appear on shelves in Ohio.  If so, you'll want to know what it's like.  Also, some of you reading this may find yourself in Colorado, and have a chance to try the beer.  And there are other reasons, which boil down to "It's my blog and I want to help you find the good beers, and avoid the bad ones.")

False Summit is made with Two Row malt, Belgian Pale Malt, and Dark Candi Sugar.  It's balanced with Northern Brewer and Saaz hops.  After brewing, it's aged in Breckenridge Distilling Bourbon Barrels.

The resulting beer is simply outstanding.  It's loaded with great flavor.  I picked up the dark fruits, vanilla (from the oak barrels), Bourbon (also from the barrels), caramel, oak, and spice.  There is virtually no bitterness, and a lot of sweetness.  I wish I'd been able to bring a case of this back to Ohio with me, it's that good.

My hat is off to the brewmasters at Elevation for producing such a fine beer.

Because this is a small brewery in a small town, there aren't many reviews for it on Beer Advocate and other sites.  As of this writing, the one review on Beer Advocate rates it 4.26 out of 5, which works out to about an 85/100.  That meshes well with my own rating of 9/10.  Should you find yourself somewhere that this beer is available, don't hesitate to try it.

ABV:  11.1%
IBU: 30
My Rating: 9/10