Avery The Beast Grand Cru Ale

2005 Bottle from Eagle River Liquor in Fulton,Il. Pours murky nutmeg brown with tons of light tan little particulates, a decent sized beige head that fades after a minute or so to form a skin, and leaves specks of lacing. Aroma is full of dark fruits, yeast, roast, caramel, apricot, molasses, date bread, candied nuts, floral and spice hops. Oh and of course a decent amount of sweet boozy alcohol, but not too much for the abv of this bad boy. Flavor is sweet, very sweet, has a candied yams with tons of roasted marshmallows taste that I noticed in Samael, and Kaiser as well. I love candied yams so thats o.k. by me. Molasses, baby carrots, prunes, raisins, dates, candi sugar, a hint of roast, honey, plenty of sweet grainy malt, toasted french bread, pitted fruits, fried apples, floral and spicy hops, plenty of peppery yeast and some musty wet leaf notes. Theres more in there, I just dont have the ambition to type more. Obviously a comlex beer, the age might have something to do with the overally smoothness. Definitely a sipper and a good warmer, probably 1000 calories a bottle too. I liked this beer alot. Probably too syrupy, spicy and sticky for most.

Sampled at the brewery, the batch 2 at 18,1%, cloudy amber hue, with a thick beige head, yeasty, sweet honeyed caramel malt, spicy, fruity, raisiny, date nose, with some alcoholic effluvia, hints of candied apricot, orange peel esters, with a molasses, candi sugar, fruitcake aroma follows through a full-bodied palate with a yeasty, sweet fruity raisiny, figgy, plummy, caramelized, toasted malt , syrupy warm character, with some date, sultana, dark molasses, candi sugar flavors, with a mild flowery hop leafy, candied tangerine,orange peel, apricot accent, leading towards a malty, raisiny, plummy, warming finish.

12oz bottle-pours a thin tan head and pink tint and red/orange color. Aroma is sweet dark malt-molasses/ashy, dark fruit-prune/raisin/fig, alcohol. Taste is very sweet cane sugar/candy sugar, woody, sweet dark malt-molasses/ashy, dark fruit-prune/raisin/fig, alcohol, some hops partially offsets the sweet. Occasional. Thanks jwc215 for picking this out.

Bottle from Total Wine. Brown pour. Aromas of vanilla, caramel, raisins, honey and good solid malt with a hint of hops. Flavor is sweet with caramel, toffee, dried fruits and a good hit of hops.

Bottle@Home, vintage 2006. Raisin, roses, fruity, flowers and molasses aroma. Orange/red colour, yellowish head, good lace. Very very sweet, raisin, floral, tangerine, pretty bitter. Sticky and full.

Pours a deep red with a thin, lacey brown head. Powerful aroma of spices, hops, dark fruits and berries. Once it hits your lips its so good.....The first sip explodes with dates, raisins, Belgian candy, molasses and any other type of dark sugar. The malt presence follows, with hints of roasted and biscuit flavors. Hops are also detectable, although the sugars dominate most of the palate. Oh yeah...the alcohol. Not present in the first sip, but you feel it in the throat, and then the overwhelming warmth that follows. Mouthfeel is incredibly thick. The only downside is that it should be aged (this is for the 2008 vintage). The overall flavor profile needs to mellow for a few years.

pours a cloudy amber with a thin tan head. Raisin, cocoa, alc, honey, dried apple and bready malt tones in the aroma. Flavour is sweet and sour...molasses, fruity apple and raising. toasty malt tones and a sweet sticky alc finish. Actually pretty drinkable for the alc% and not nearly the trainwreck I had been led to believe.

Copper orange, hazy thick aromatic pour. Vanilla, apricot, alcohol, caramel, citrus aroma. Sweet, complex sour. Strong alcohol after taste.