Avery The Beast Grand Cru Ale

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

Much too sweet for my taste. Smell of caramel and very fruity. 2005 bottle did not imress me much. Cherry flavor after taste

2 x 12 oz. bottle shared by KAggie97 (2006) and Zinister (2005) at the "Double Tree Houston" tasting.

2005 - pour is an orangey caramel with a very limited tan head. Aroma is honey, caramel malt and dry fruit (raisin). Taste has the honey, raisins and alcohol, though it is mostly hidden by the caramel sweetness. Good balance rate - 3.7.

2006 - Pour is orange-caramel with a small-medium tan head that lasts for a bit. Sweetness, floral and then a ton of alcohol heat. Not quite ready yet - 3.4.

Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer poured a ruby chestnut color with a large tan head. The aroma was sweet, fruity, caramel and molasses. The flavor was sweet caramel, ripe fruits - cherry mostly, molasses and port wine. Very complex. Wonderfully thick and sweet. The alcohol did show through a noticeable amount. I liked this one. My wife thought it was a total beergasm and wanted to give it a perfect rating.

Batch 4 (2006). Beautiful, dark but clear ruby-amber with a medium-sized and lasting tan cap. Deep rich pine resin aroma blended well with chocolate, caramel, citrus fruit, honey and dark earthy molasses. Wow, flavor is initially very sweet with some nice alcohol tingle and spicy hop nasals that almost make me sneeze. Settling into it, the hops start to linger, and the big malt evens the score quite nicely. Probably too sweet for most Ratebeerians, but to me this is an excellent dessert beer. Flavors are more akin to some barleywines I have sampled rather than a Belgian. Alcohol is well-hidden. Palate is medium-bodied, sweet and pretty smooth.

350 mL bottle. Clear copper brown with a creamy off-white head. Aroma of caramel, malt, and alcohol. Syrupy palate. Very, very, very sweet candy and caramel taste with an alcoholic warmth in the finish. Way too sweet for me.

2005 bottle. Aroma is of dark fruits, vanilla, yeast, and alcohol. Flavor is quite sweet, but pretty complex with caramel, dark fruits, chocolate, molases, grapes, and alcohol all coming out. Pours dark brown with red hints, and a small tan head. Full bodied. Whoa, already feeling it after a half glass. Better than I was expecting, very good, and STRONG.

Appearance: Pours a clear rusted red color. Surpisingly, a rather full tan-colored head bloomed leaving a thick rings of lacing with each sip. Bottled in 2005, btw. Smell: Honey, tawny port, and with an alcohol waft that bristles the nose. There’s some fruit to be found in the aromatics as well, for me it was orange (zest) and cherries (the ones from the jar, swimming in sugary juices). Taste: Again, sharply honey-flavored initially, which then transitions into an intense malt profile sided with the super-sweet Belgian sugars. Of course there’s the mark of the dark fruits prevalent in so many of these types of beers. Hops provide a slight bitterness, but for me it can be hard to find at times amidst the stronger alcohol and sweetened components. Remarkably though, the taste of alcohol is rather "gentle" for the high ABV. Mouthfeel: Finishes like a velvety port wine, but there’s a noted astringency to it. Massive in body, almost obscenely (though lusciously) syrupy. There’s also, to absolutely noone’s surprise, a tingly alcohol finish. Drinkability: It’s delish - just keep it to one, and a 12-ouncer at that. If you enjoy succulent sweetness and higher ABVs, then I’d recommend this one. However, if you have an aversion to either of those, than I’d steer clear. All I really got to say about it is: whoopeee!

Vintage 2006 and I enjoyed it June 2007. The color is incredibly beautiful, dark red amber and the head is golden and creamy. The aroma is vinous with notes of raisins, dark fruit and a light sourness (pleasant). The mouthfeel is oily. The flavour is vinous, sweet and very complex. I find notes of raisins, candy sugar, a spicy hoppy bite and citrus. It’s kind of like a mix between a flemish sour and port wine. It’s truly nice! 2313