AleSmith Grand Cru

	Percentile
	99
	overall

Brewed by AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
San Diego, California USA

bottled
common

on tap
unknown

Regional Distribution
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Ratings	Average	Score	Seasonal	ABV	Style Pctl	Serve in
615	3.9/5.0	3.89/5.0	Winter	10.6%	96.7	Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Commercial Description:
Bottle conditioned.
AleSmith Grand Cru really needs to be tasted to be truly appreciated. Toasty, caramelly flavors, as well as flavors imparted by the Belgian yeast strain, predominate over a tapestry of subtle nuances. Winner of the blue ribbon at the 1999 California State Fair, it is a thing of beauty. It is available in 750 ml. champagne bottles. Appearance: Crystal clear (when served properly), with a toast-brown color. Flavor: Starts with the tangy flavor of our championship Belgian yeast, then fades to a medium-light flavor of vanilla, caramel and chocolate. Finishes dry and well-balanced with a slightly toasty flavor. Aroma: Vanilla and chocolate aromas predominate, along with the Belgian yeast characteristics. Mouthfeel (body/texture): Clean and crisp, medium-bodied. Warmth from the high alcohol content makes it feel like a fine wine.

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Jvittorio4187 (255), Boardman, Ohio, USA

3.9	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.9	7/10	4/5	8/10	4/5	16/20

May 16, 2007

Pours a carmel brown with a slight white head. Taste of sugar, dates, syrup, rasin, slight bourbon, and malt. Nice smooth mouthfeel. Finishes bitter and dry with some heat. Good beer.

glkaiser (1171), Seattle, Washington, USA

3.8	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.8	7/10	4/5	7/10	4/5	16/20

May 13, 2007

Cloudy dark amber small head. Sweet yeast aroma....very nice raisin sweetness taste. Quite mild and drinkable. Very sweet...but not overboard. Good; but not great.

henrikb (1303), Aarhus, Denmark

3.7	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.7	8/10	3/5	7/10	3/5	16/20

May 13, 2007

Hazy orange brown body, small head; Very, very fruity nose, cold pressed apple juice, overripe pineapple; Big bubbled a little sharp carbonation, bitter, slightly salty; Medium long bitter slightly salty finish, malty warm, nutty and apple like.

badgerben (3599), Blaine, Minnesota, USA

4.1	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.1	8/10	3/5	8/10	5/5	17/20

May 11, 2007

2003 Vintage, tasted April 2007. Courtesy of Nuffield. Murky brown color with no head. Nice aroma of molasses and brown sugar. Very sweet taste with plenty of sugar, syrup and thick malt. It didn’t seem overly complex, but I love the taste of this.

badlizard (2345), Berkeley, California, USA

3.7	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.7	7/10	3/5	8/10	3/5	16/20

May 2, 2007

750 mL bottle. Sweet woody caramel aroma. Bright crisp medium bodied palate. Tangy initial flavor transitioning to vanilla and caramel tastes and finishing with an alcoholic warmth.

churchill00 (154), Austin, Texas, USA

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	7/10	3/5	7/10	4/5	15/20

May 1, 2007

Hmmm. A quandry. I can appreciate how much craftsmanship is behind this, but honestly, I didn’t find it that enjoyable to drink. Very yeasty and sweet, with a hint of watered down bourbon. Goes down warm and spicy. A little raisin, brown sugar and caramel. I love that AleSmith makes a product like this, but now that I’ve tried it, I probably won’t rush to get another.

Nuffield (2724), Roseville, Minnesota, USA

3.9	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.9	7/10	4/5	8/10	4/5	16/20

Apr 30, 2007

I shared my 2003 bottle with a tasting of Minnesota raters in early 2007. Garnet/brown, hazy, low carbonation. Well-rounded flavor, raisin, caramel, mellow, grape, subdued alcohol. Not super thick. A good and very drinkable blend of elements, being both Belgian and American in character.

Angeloregon (2025), Portland, Oregon, USA

3.3	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.3	6/10	3/5	7/10	3/5	14/20

Apr 26, 2007

I must’ve gotten an off bottle. Very minimal carbonation with a pungent alcohol brown sugar/candied nose and the flavor...wow! Thick, syrupy heavy duty sweet gut bomb. I could see this one ruling otherwise...

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