When your friends bring up the top boozy beer makers in the world and forget to mention FiftyFifty, put them in check. These California crafters were named 2018 Great American Beer Festival’s Brewery Group of the Year, for crying out loud!

And the trade value of their Brewers Intent Members-Only-Club releases? It’s up there, lemme tell ya! We’ve seen FiftyFifty’s beers traded for some of the most hyped boozebombs from 3 Floyds, Fremont, and Cigar City.

Today’s oaky cherry-vanilla barrel-aged Quad Sur Bois is the latest release from this super sought-after Club. And unless they have the trade bait and the buddy to hook it up, non-members don’t have a prayer of finding this beer.

You’ve probably tried a Quad or two in your day. But I’m betting you haven’t tasted the jammy, wine-like grape-iness of one infused with Malbec, let alone one crafted by these California barrel-aging mavens with awards from Stockholm to Shanghai.

For their 10.5% ABV Quad Sur Bois, FiftyFifty aged their Belgian-style Quad in Malbec Barrels for a full year, layering on waves of red fruit. Sip tangy currants, raisins, and plums, cut with just a touch of vanilla. Wood tannins from the barrel add complexity, and it finishes slightly dry with notes of soft oak and cherry.

Jump on the trade forums now and sweet-talk some California beer geeks into being your new best friend by offering up the most valuable bottles in your cellar. Or snag one right here, and get that warm feeling inside when your buddies tell you what they had to go through to find a bottle — if they even can.

*Its high ABV and barrel-aging make Quad Sur Bois prime for cellaring: store in a dark, cool place at 45-50 degrees to mellow the booze into extra-silky smoothness.

Cellarable