Avery The Beast Grand Cru Ale

Bottle: Pours dark, amber with an off-white/ pale yellow head, that is mostly lasting. The nose is of malt, alcohol and dried, dark fruit. Very sweet flavour with malt, raisins and molasses. Syrup texture. Full bodied. Sweet and alcoholic finish. Nice brew, but too sweet for my taste.

Dark amber colour with small head.Aroma is sweet fruity most like dark dry fruits with real heavy alc.Sweet mouthfeels and strong finish.

2007 bottle. The pour was virtually clear mahogany and ruby with a super thin off-white head. Quite attractive. The aroma was hoppier than I expected with plenty of syrupy sweetness, light yeast and some woody earthiness. The flavor wasn’t the sugar bomb I expected. The hops came through along with some light tart fruit but the molasses and brown sugar cetainly led the way. The mouthfeel was full without being over the top. Nice.

rating #600 2007 edition. Orange with a thick baige head. Aroma is extremly malty, lots of grain and brewmash and its almost like you can smell the alchohol aswell. Flavor is overwhelming. Heavy thick body with flavors of caramel, suger molasses grain and alchohol. Its alot more like a strong barleywine than a belgian beer i think, which was abit disappointing.

2006 bottle. Intense on the nose and in flavor. Knocked out by the sweetness and my head is swimming from the alcohol. Drinking this one alone could be dangerous.

7-6-08 bottle (2004) shared by strelnikov
Semi clear, yet thick red brown with no head. Smell is alcohol and molasses and a touch of nail polish remover and a touch of pie crust too. Flavor is a touch boozy with more alcohol in the finish that I wanted. A hint syrup like but mainly because of the alcohol heaviness. Not horrid but a touch difficult to go down.

Bottle. Pours a deep translucent dirty copper with a dark beige, quickly diminishing head. The aroma has a ton of barley with lots of sweet honey and some subtle notes of darker fruit . Alcohol is noticeable in the nose as well. The flavour is initially has lots of honey and caramel, and very sweet. Roasted nuts add a nice complement. The alcohol, however, becomes slightly overwhelming. Towards the finish, the roasty, nutty notes become slightly more dominant as the alcohol flavour fades. Honey follows closely in intensity. This is much more like a barley wine than a belgian strong ale, in my opinion. It’s too sweet for my tastes, like many other barley wines. It’s not much towards my interests, but it’s tasteful for a barley wine style. The honey sweetness is a nice touch, and I like the roasted nuttiness.

What a beast (no pun intended). Not very characteristic of a Belgian Strong Ale. The alcohol overpowers this one, but it is still enjoyable. Lots of raisins and dark fruit. Finish is sweet stays awhile. Overall, a good beer.