RateBeer
   Home Sign Up or Login Advanced Search
   People Ratings Events Places Forums Shop Magazine
      Top By Category  RateBeer Best  Latest Ratings  Top 50    

Home > Brewers > California > AleSmith Brewing Company >

AleSmith Grand Cru

AleSmith Grand Cru

* picture credits
copyright may apply

 Percentile 
98
overall
A Belgian Strong Ale brewed by
AleSmith Brewing Company

San Diego, California USA

bottled
common

on tap
available

Regional Distribution
Find this beer

Add Distribution Data
Send Corrections

 Ratings  Average  Score  Seasonal  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in  Advanced 
5243.92/5.03.91/5.0Winter10.6%94.8Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler P  Stats

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.

Most RecentTop RatersHighest Ratings Who's Rated This?
 BlackForestCO (549), Fort Collins and Black Forest, Colorado, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/103/513/20

Jun 16, 2008  
Bottle shared by a friendly local. Poured a deep amber color with a thin beige head that faded to a ring. Aroma consists of a light, sweet maltiness, moderate fruit, and some yeast. Lightly tart, sweet entry with some moderate fruitiness (apple, light green grapes) leading into a lightly dry, yeasty finish. Smooth, lightly dry on the palate. May have been an off bottle, because I have heard better things.

 Schultsc (416), Henderson, Nevada, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/517/20
Oct 8, 2008  
2006 vintage - Thank you Peter and Jessica. Cloudy dark amber in color with a very slight off-white head--limited carbonation from the aging, but still enough to distribute the complex flavor profile delicately across the palate. The aroma is filled with caramel malt, fruity fermentation esters, and alcohol all melded together by a velvety aged characteristic that enrobes everything. The aroma characteristics flow directly onto the palate with the addition of well-constructed bitterness and some sweetness from malt and alcohol. Restrained fermentation flavors provide harmonious counterpoints for the substantial maltiness in the big body. Very well-constructed to have aged this long and still be so vibrant. This is a really fun "new-world" Belgian-style ale.


 thooper41 (234), USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/516/20
Oct 7, 2008  
750ml bottle: pours a dark amber brown with an off white head that fades to nothing in seconds, aroma is strong in raisons and spices, flavor hits the belgian style pretty well lots of spices raisons slightly sweet. Great beer


 nqualls (422), Tennessee, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Oct 6, 2008  
Bottle. Poured a cloudy amber color with a thin tan head. Aroma of fruit and chocolate. Flavor reflects the aroma. Medium/full body with mild carbonation.


 ironchefscott (246), long beach, California, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Oct 6, 2008  
2006 thanks peter for the rbsg gathering! Great nose of dried fruit...and cocoa...flavors much of the same....damn good....best free beer ever from the brewer yet!


 rederic (1444), montréal, Quebec, Canada
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/517/20
Oct 2, 2008  
750ml bottle, hazy dark amber hue, with a small beige head, yeasty, sweet honeyed, candied orange peel nose with some caramelized malt, spicy madeira candied fruity apricot, tangerine, dark dried raisin, date accents in a warmth aroma follows through on a medium-bodied palate with a yeasty, caramelized, toasted malt and portish character, with some madeira raisin and date fruitiness, a hint of black chocolate in a warmth mouthfeel, close to an old barley wine here by the taste, leading towards a sweet honeyish, caramel, fruity finish.



would you like to read more ratings?



Then join us! RateBeer is made by beer enthusiasts for the craft beer community. Your basic membership is free and allows you to read all beer ratings.

Desired User Name
*


Valid Email (Needed to verify your account)
*

Relax. RateBeer is 100%, guaranteed spam-free. That's our promise to you.

I agree to the terms of the RateBeer User Agreement

RATE THIS BEER

Aroma

rating assistance

Appearance

rating assistance

Flavor

rating assistance

Palate

rating assistance

Overall impression

rating assistance

TOTAL SCORE

Comments

More Belgian Strong Ales

Westvleteren Extra 8 (4.26)

Struise Pannepot (4.23)

Rochefort Trappistes 8 (4.13)

Lost Abbey Veritas 003 (4.12)

Abbaye des Rocs Brune (4.11)

Pizza Port Cuvee de Tomme (4.1)

Charlevoix Dominus Vobiscum Lupulus (4.09)

Struise Pannepot Grand Reserva (4.09)

Abbaye des Rocs Grand Cru (4.07)

De Dolle Oerbier Special Reserva (4.03)

More California Brewers

Back Street Brewery (Yorba Linda)
  Yorba Linda
Murrieta Pizza & Brewing Company
  Murrieta
Los Gatos Brewing Co.
  Los Gatos
Napa Smith Brewery
  Napa
Lodi Beer Company
  Lodi
Lightning Brewery
  Poway
Jupiter
  Berkeley
Belmont Brewing Company
  Long Beach
Hopmonk
  Sebastapol
Karl Strauss Breweries
  Carlsbad
Linden Street Brewery
  Oakland
Broken Drum Brewery
  San Rafael
Mad River Brewery
  Blue Lake
Butte Creek Brewing Company
  Chico
Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing
  Santa Cruz

About RateBeer | Add A Beer | Add A Brewer | Edit Personal Info | 100 Beer Club | FAQ | Log out | Feedback? | Copyright 2000-2008, RateBeer LLC