Avery The Beast Grand Cru Ale

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

18.1% batch 2 Bottle huge thanks to degarth. I forgot to write down the notes for this one as i was too busy dancing and singing and socialising as one does on a thursay nite wrecked at home with a chum, however it just so happens that this beer is soo hardcore that the chum didnt finish his so i can rate it again now. Aroma is everything i love about belgiun ale, sweet yeasty fruity, cellar, sherry, rum, brown sugar, plums, really intence and really appealing, the age is showing nicely, im guessing that this would have been a whole point less fresh. Taste is full on, i mean the body is nearly dark lord, coats the mouth sticky character, alround similar to the aroma, you can feel the alc far more than taste it, finish says come now your getting far too drunk again, however also says give me more!

2005 Vintage bomber shared by Indra at csbosox’s tasting, on 3/7/08. Pours a muddy brown with a thin beige ring around the edge of the glass. The nose is sweet and malty, dominated by notes of brown sugar and a solid punch of alcohol. Full-bodied, almost syrupy, with a warm alcohol finish. Brown sugar, candied dark fruit and alcohol. Appropriately named, this is a big warming monster of a beer. Thanks for sharing it with us, Eric.

Batch 5: Pours a beautiful dark ruby/copper, with an awesome thick and creamy light tan head. Ultra malty caramel aroma with very little else except possibly a hint of port wine poking through... Delicious caramel explosion right away followed by a strong but smooth port/spiced wine finish. This brew masks the high ABV well except for the heat radiating from my stomach and the fact that the bubbles cling to the glass like glue! Could have used some mellowing.

2006 bottle. Pours a deep burgundy to ruddy brown with a creamy very light tan head. The nose is immensely sweet. Alcohol, molasses, raisins. More like a liquor than a beer, not that I mind! Not a ton of complexity, but pleasant enough to smell. Thick on the tongue, bordering on syrupy. Lower carbonation, but not flat. The flavors are sharp and a bit more enjoyable than the nose. Big round sweetness. Full of caramel. Molasses, raisins, brown bread! Alcohol. A bit of something citrusy? Orange? Just a hint of that Belgian fruitiness. This is a nice enough beer really. A bit of a beast, heh, but there’s enough going on to support the ABV. Figs and some light dates or brown sugar pops out more as it warms.

12oz bottle batch 4 2006. Cloudy dark brown in color with a ruby hue. Well coated lacing was left on the glass. Big nose of alcohol, candied fruits, molasses and brown sugar. Tasted much more like a Barley Wine opposed to a Belgian Strong Ale.

This must be Batch 3, because it rates 14,8%. Intense aroma, Intense dark golden appearance, strong exquisite falvour, excellent aftertaste, this is an excepionnally good beer, perfect for Winter dinners.

Batch 4 bottle:Pours a deep cloudy (interesting) golden brown, thing white head. An aroma so interesting it almost burns my nostrils, extremely acidic, fermented grapes, strong alcohol. There’s a bouquet of other fruit in there, but I can’t get past the alcohol. God it’s so sweet. Prunes, spice, caramel, some oak, and combination of strawberry and black liquorice. The flavor has a lot of complexity but it’s sweetness is overwhelming. The palate is thick and unbalanced. Smooth but some what biting.

Batch 4 Bottle. Nose is heavy and deep with grapes up front, alcohol all around. Other fruit esters of strawberries, cherries, and a unique, but distinct tropical fruit presence of cantaloupe and pineapple. Lots of spice and oak, some caramel and chocolate. Ruby with a huge frothy off-white head that bobs and swirls and laces with purpose. Flavor is cloylingly sweet, almost headache-inducing, like slurping down corn syrup. None of the depth of the nose, just sweet candy-like cherries and alcohol. So much potential down the drain. Syrupy palate, nice but not enough to balance out such an outrageously unbalanced flavor.