Avery The Beast Grand Cru Ale

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

Batch 3: What the ? This brew pours like liquid caramel, soupy and opaque brown. Gives off a decent head that reuces to a full creamy ring of lace. Aromas are strong and sweet w/ a defined herbal essence. Viscous and soupy full texture w/ mild carbonation. This stuff is so thick I could choke. Big fat caramel malts so decadent it could be describedas bacon fat. Flavors of molases, cherry, kiwi, cocoa, ripe peach nectar, leather, grapes, melon, the list goes on and on. The finish never stops giving as this brew is very generous. Theres a bit of peachpit and a slight tartness on the finish. Overall: this is a Barleywine, no if’s, and’s or but’s about it. It’s sweet as jellybeans and chews like gummy bears. Not much of a hop presence.

’05 vintage batch #3, sampled from drewbeerme. so why do they call this the beast. Well let me give it a try oh right, i remember, its a big terribly mean thing that calls itself beer. Last time I had it I ate spicy food the same night and the combination of the two gave me gastritis where I tasted aluminum after everything I consumed for two weeks. so lets try this again. .... Amber orange in color with a tan ring of a head. Syruppy red fruit thick malt aroma with a distinctive background of alcohol. Sweet sweet flavors syruppy, red fruit, a hop bite and lots of alcohol underneath. I think I like it at first few sips but the sweetness becomes too much, the alcohol, the sugar, maple syrup straight from Aunt Jemima, .... this is getting worse as it warms but i can’t drink it any faster ... points dropping, points dropping ... i can’t finish this.

thanks to mcbackus for the bottle. batch 3 from 2005. pours a very dark brown/ruby color. very small head that diminishes quickly. Aroma is super sweet, raisins, plums, figs, caramel, cognac, and alcohol. Flavour is again VERY sweet, with a strong cognac flavour that is LOADED with ripe dark fruit, and sugar. This is a super sweet beer. The finish is big on molasses, and you can feel the alcohol warming all the way down. This is definitely a BEAST of a beer. Sit down, sip and enjoy this one.

2005 vintage. Pours a dark muddy caramel with a small light brown, beige head. Sweet aroma of dates, honey, molasses, raisins, plums, prunes, caramel and brown sugar. Taste is sweet with hints of dates, molasses, honey, raisins, figs, brown sugar and caramel. A very complex tasting brew, but a bit overwhelming at times. Very tasty, yet a slow sipper.

Bottle, Good nose, raisin, vanilla, oaky, cherry, abv. Nice reddish orange color. Good head that faded. Clean. Sweet, burnt, sugary, fruity, maybe a little piney. Oily, creamy mouthfeel. Very tasty, warming fruity, maybe a little hog heaven in there.

Got this at the Liquor Box in East Moline, IL before they unfortunately had to close. I didn’t take good tasting notes about it - but it bowled me over, to say the least.

2004. 18.1%. I’ve not had the 15.7% version, but there is a big difference between the 14.9% and 18.1%. They should have separate entries. Clear, dark amber/ruby. Surprisingly large, frothy tan head hangs around a few minutes before receeding to a thin layer. Nose is big, sweet, rich malt, candi sugar, strong but muted hop presence, alcohol (mellowed greatly with time), pungent, past ripe fruit, unnameable spices, earth, brimstone - the hellfire has faded away as far as the aroma is concerned. I think I smell a bit of heaven in there, also. Complex is an understatement. Sip. Candi sugar, fermented fruit, rich malt, indiscernable spices and botanicals, hops lurking in the shadows every now and again facing up to the palate just to let themselves be known, earthy brimstone - all the flavors pillaging and razing taste buds atop a deceptive layer of hellfire alcohol that shows its true nature only in the finish. RateBeer needs a GrandCru category. This is not a belgian strong - if it is, it’s The Terminator and almost every other belgian strong is Lord Dark Helmet. Full, balanced body. It seems to have gained carbonation while waiting for me to drink it. I love beers that take their style to the limit. The Beast (18.1%) is the epitome of grand cru.

BATCH 4, VITAGE 2006. [Bottle from Beermouth tasted with the hop-bros at Jess’ cosy inn.] Very sweet, too sweet and bad for us. We shold have brought it to the cellar for some years instead of tasting it now. Will def. be better!