Avery The Beast Grand Cru Ale

Brewed by Avery Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Boulder, Colorado USA

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.

Aroma is sweet, a hint of alcohol, and the sent of the inside of dried fruit (like figs, dates or raisins). Appearance is translucent brown with a slight reddish tint. Small head that quickly dissipates. Taste - bold flavors, spicy, sweet, caramelized fruit, alcohol and the slightest hop. Pretty malty, great mouth feel. Overall, delicious beer - just beware of the 16% ABV, cause man does it pack a punch.

Pours a coffee-like color with a heavy, foamy head. 14.6% abv. Aroma is sweet, like a mixture of berries, with bread. Very interesting, which I would, and should, expect from a $10 beer. Whoa, what a flavor. Tastes of a rich raisin and plum with a strong wheat bread accent. Absolutely superb flavor. A little hot going down, which I would expect from such a high alcohol content. There’s even a slight chocolate kick that’s absolutely amazing. This is easily the best beer I’ve ever tried and I’m glad I purchased it. This beer I’m drinking now was brewed in 2006 and I’m sure that the aging has had some affect on it’s potent flavoring. It’s also clearly a sipping beer.

2007 bottle shared. Poured clear brown with thin beige head. Aroma of booze, dark fruit, malt. Taste is heavy booze, fruit, sweet malt, yeast. Very nice. Body is sticky. Very nice for sipping and sharing. Finish is alcohol. Overall, a very enjoyable brew.

12 oz bottle from Bev4less. Pours a translucent brown color with a small khaki head that soon dissipates to fine film. The aroma is strong with raisins, dates, plums and alcohol. The flavor is similar to the nose with emphasis on the alcohol( It is not well hidden). The mouthfeel is full and malty. The finish is long with a bit of alcohol burn. Overall: This would make my top 50 if only they could figure a way to hide the alcohol better. That aside, this is a good beer to drink on Halloween.