A little insider beer philosophy: If you lock away rich, boozy beers in a cool, dark place, and have years of patience, you’ll unlock special, nuanced flavors you just don’t taste in its fresh state. It’s called cellaring.

But today, there’s no need for patience -- we’ve done the cellaring for you. Prepare to be the life of your next bottle share party with this triple-year flight of one of BeerAdvocate’s Top 25 Quads ever made: Brewery Ommegang’s Three Philosophers Quad Ale.

A decadent blend of a caramel and dark fruit-drenched Quad Ale with a small portion of Liefmans’ top-rated cherry Kriek, Three Philosopher's deeply malty, 9.7% ABV backbone is the ideal vehicle to experience a vertical tasting (comparing new and older vintages of the same beer):

• 2015 Vintage - Nearly three years in the cellar means the dark Quad sips like apricot brandy. Wine notes from the cherries mesh with sugar dusted plums and caramel sauce sensations. The mouthfeel is creamy with a light, fizzy carbonation. 4.00 on Untappd

• 2014 Vintage - An extra year of aging layers the sugar fruit aromas with more vanilla tones, encouraging a deep whiskey nose. The mouthfeel has thinned a touch, with bittersweet cocoa and herbal allusions sliding across the tongue. 4.18 on Untappd

• 2013 Vintage - Almost 5 years ago, this went into the bottle, and now emerges with a dark butterscotch landscape through the aroma. The bright fruity elements have diminished, allowing more chocolate and oak-like tannins to emerge. The finish is much drier than its counterparts, with the silkiest body of the bunch. 4.06 on Untappd

Cellaring changes everything about a beer’s character over time, allowing new flavors to emerge as each year turns over. This set of Three Philosophers is a perfect showcase of how cellaring works -- an instant vertical tasting right out of the box.

*A word of caution: If you’ve never cellared beer before, you’re gonna need to make room in your basement after tasting its transformative effects!

#23 Quad Ale on BeerAdvocate, 4.15 score; all vintages are 4+ on Untappd