Avery The Beast Grand Cru Ale

Dark amber color; small creamy head. Nice aroma, malt, very sweet, Barley Wine-like. Medium thickness, oily; malty taste, sweet in the beginning, balanced by a quite strong bitterness later. Too warming alcohol, light metallic aftertaste and not much complex. Good anyway. And powerful, of course.

Bottled. (14.9%ABV). Almost clear, copper-colored with an off-white head. Hops, hops, sweet malt, raisins and some alcohol in the aroma. The flavor is quite hoppy also, with alcohol, dried fruits, beef-stock and lots of sweetness. Oily, light astringent in the mouth. A very long finish with lots of hops. Even though it is very hoppy, the sugar-level in it makes The Beast a quite balanced beer. Definately not a session beer, but lovely as a winter-warmer I guess. (060704)

I had the 15.7% version. This baby is a monster in every sense of the word. The pour is deep ruby red with a tan head. The head dissipated rather quickly. The aroma is alcohol with some chocolate and sweet malt mixed in. The mouthfeel on this one is great--sticky and thick. Flavors are mostly of very sweet malt, dark fruits, chocolate, and alcohol. This beer reminded me of a port. It had that same sticky sweetness and alcohol flavor--which I personally enjoy. "

Batch 1. 22 oz. Bottle. Pours a pleasant clear ruby red with a great off white head and creamy lacing. Very aromatic nose – Flowers, spices, hints of smoke, and bread dough. Smooth sweet fruit flavor and first and then my tongue started to tingle from all the alcohol – then comes the burning. Lots of malt as well but it is very, very hot. We shall see how it does in a few years.

Thanks to Walt for this one or as he was known at the time of the trade...Kawa. Split this with my roomate King David. Bottled 04 (18.1%) Batch 2. Poured brown/orange with a off with head. Aroma is sour, nutty, some honey and carmel. Flavor is sweet, nutty, belgian yeast and even more nuttiness. There is definately an alcohol warming here. The 1st sip sent shivers through my body like a 1st beer of the day normally does, but I was on my way to heavy buzz at this point. Potent and flavorful, but not overpowering. This is a slow sipper here. Let me do flavor again as I re-experience it. Brown sugar, honey, maple syrup albeit weaker than the other flavors, nuts (perhaps a cashew/walnut mixture), alcohol, slight fig, and yes burning. A unique "Beast" but enjoyable in its own way. The Batch 2 I wouldn’t call a belgian strong. Thanks again Walter.

this beer was pretty good, not the best, but having one of the first batches ever made, after ageing it for 3 years, thanks eboats, knowing that I was cheating a bunch of people out of drinking this helped both the taste and the overall enjoyment. cheated.

Batch # 2, at 18.1% abv. Appears a cloudy, dense amber with a small off white head that slowly fades out into a collar. Small spots of lace are left around the glass but washed away by the oily looking concoction upon the sips. Smell is of rich caramel, yeasty bread, cherries, tropical fruit, raisins, and dough. Taste is of the mentioned aromas with a warm, fruity, and doughy taste that is full of rich, sugary malt and plenty of fruity Belgian yeast that’s been made happy by the sugar and temperature. Moutfheel is full and warming, much to the effect of a barleywine but what do you expect at over 18% abv? She’s definitely a sipper, much like the other monsters of ale brews that Avery made. I’m glad I split the 22 ouncer with egajdzis and my bro-in-law. Potent and yummy but look out.

This is an ’04 bottle that has beenproperly cellared. I had been looking forward to drinking after letting it mellow for two years. Unfortuanately, I don’t think it has gotten anybetter. About all I could smell was dark cherry, almost like cough syrup. Virtually zero, light-brown head with a fair amount of lacing. The body was a bit hazy. Flavor was incredibly sweet that stayed a long time. I could definitely feel the alcohol as it went down. I was not impressed with this. It was tough to drink the whole bottle. I have a few more in the cellar, but I’m not sure what to do with them.