Avery The Beast Grand Cru Ale

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

Bottle (2005) shared with blankboy, jerc, HogTownHarry & tupalev - courtesy of HogTownHarry. Beautiful burnished ruby-amber colour. Big aroma of sweet malt, buckwheat honey, brown sugar and alcohol. Flavour has lots of alcohol heat, along with sour cherry, wood, molasses and dried dark fruit. Good stuff, but I sure couldn’t imagine drinking a whole bottle myself.

22 oz bottle, Batch 2 from 2004, 18.1%. Pours a crystal clear dark copper body under a thin head composed of large bubbles that quickly run to a thin ring. The nose is quite alcoholic, as I expected, with a pretty hefty amount of oxidation. Some dark cherry, caramel, dates, figs, and candi sugar. The first sip takes me aback. No way I’m finishing half of this bomber, let alone 22 ounces. Big, huge alcohol and bigger oxidation overlay heaps of risidual sugars. Lots of bitterness on the rocket fuel-esque finish. The mouthfeel is not overly thick, medium to full bodied, but not sticky or cloying. Most likely because of all the ridiculous alcohol actually thins it out some. Kinda like adding paint thinner. Moderate slightly fizzy carbonation. The finish just burns all the way down the esophagus. Overall, this was pretty horrorshow. I can’t believe that Avery thought a 22 ounce serving of this was a good idea.

12oz bottle mine says 14.9% abv via trade with cbkschubert - Thanks Craig! So I’ll presume 2005 - Pours copper with very little head at all. Aroma of raisins, caramel, candi sugar, and lots and lots of alcohol. Flavor is big raisin, candi sugar, some caramel, prunes, yeast, some toffee notes and again some alcohol. Palate is thick sticky sweet and chewy.. A big alcohol burn there on your lips as you sip this. No doubt about it this one is a beat. Big and bad just like the bottle suggests.. I think I’ll get another bottle to stick in the cellar for a couple of months and see what happens..

Pours a deep dark red-garnet color, it is very clear and is topped by a reasonably persistent amber-tan head. The aroma is strong, sweet, fruity, malty, hint of alcohol, and a hint of smokiness to it. The taste is thick and sweetish. The alcohol is still hot, but it should mellow with age. This beer is definitely fruit, there are notes of plum, banana, and raisin. There is some serious malty action going on here as well, almost approaches the soy-sauce factor. This is most certainly a sipping beer. How can one person finish a bottle, very slowly over the course of an evening, is my answer. This beer is interesting, but I am not sure if I really like it. The beast is certainly an apt description for this beer, perhaps this beer is just a bit too much.

Bottle, Batch 2
Holy Cheech and Chong this stuff is potent! I had a full lunch at Babin’s (a local Cajun seafood restaurant, for those of you not from this area) beforehand and this STILL had a kick. However, unlike cheap liquor, this kick had a purpose. This is an extraordinary beer; one that deserves attention by all serious beer afficianados. The first contact with the tongue provides a sweet begining, but like the eye of a hurricane, it’s only the calm before the (next) storm. Once the alcohol kicks in, hold onto your seat and enjoy the ride (on your couch, not on the four-wheeled variety). Take your time with this one, but enjoy every last sip. Cheers! Bottle, Batch 3
Pours thick and syrupy with little had. Cognac and raisin are evident in the nose. Flavor is a rush of molasses, raisin, and fermented grape. Slight hint of peach in there as well. Very chewy mouthfeel. The alcohol really doesn’t come into play as much as last year, but the flavor and feel is still awesome.

Red Coloring with White Ring. I’d Be Lying if I Said the Immense Alcohol Wasn’t Noticeable, But in Actuality, It’s Much More Balanced Then one Would Think. Fruity, Alcohol Aroma.. Some Bread Dough. The Alcohol is the Domineering Character... Very Enjoyable Beast!!

Nice red color, no head. Light malty and almond nose. Some alcohol too. Nice warming alcohol and nutty malt taste. Spicey and hoppy in changing intervalls. Meat aftertaste, long lasting. Great.

Well, I don’t know how to rate this, cuz it doesn’t fit a Belgian Strong style by my estimation. I opened this thinking it was a Belgian. The first whiff of aroma upon opening the bottle (not even right up on the bottle) was all dark fruits, indicating a potential winner. The pour generated a near perfect head in my Chouffe glass, looked super authentic: deep red-brown with nice well-suspended particles, good carbonation rising to the surface of the thick goo. Unfortunately, the only Belgian character I got in the first 2/3rds of the drink was belgian yeast. I instantly thought this was all Barleywine and consumed it such. Peaches and other fruits with a definite hoppy finish. Perhaps to sweet and thick and syrupy, but certainly bitter enough in the finish with pine and floral hops noted, perhaps some bitter spicing. Some of the darker fruits started to come out later in the glass (the last third, prunes, plums, raisins), but it was too late (and this thing was consumed over 45mins of time at a starting temp of 48F). I rechecked the bottle, and it was the Grand Crue (14.9%, 2005 bottling). Thought I got it mixed up with Samaels, but no sir. This was a pretty good barleywine, but a weak Belgian Strong. Given my previous experience with The Rev, I’m not buying Avery can do Belgians. Man, and at these prices, they should be NAILING the style for 8 freakin’ dollars per 12 oz.