Avery The Beast Grand Cru Ale

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

Clear amber color with a beige head. Aroma of sweet malt, caramel, smoke and some dark fruit. Flavor is sweet, malty, raisons, dates... The alcohol is pretty well hidden except for the warming effect. Has a hoppy finish.

Batch 4 (2006). I was a little scared by this beer at first. I wasn’t sure what to expect with it being 14.6%. Surprisingly even with the alcohol presence, this beer was extremely smooth and had a wonderful sweet flavor to it as it warmed.

Wonderful spicy and sweet aroma, with a little bit of alcohol in the nose. No head really, on a dark copper body. Wow, holy crap sweetness in the flavor. More so than most other Belgians I've had. It masks the alcohol quite well. A very decent beer all around.

Beautiful mahogoney color with an initially thick light brown head. The head is quickly consumed, I’m assuming by the massive ABV. Aroma is thick, rich, and intoxicating. There is a lot of complexity here: tons of dark fruit, figs, raisins, lots of candy sugar, and rubbing alcohol, though it is not obtrusive. Flavor is to me, highly delicous. Lots of high sugar flavors, candy sugar, some raisin and prune. Again the alcohol is there, but IMO, highly restrained for this ABV. Must be very careful with this one, my precious, yes very careful. Incredible brew. Two more in cellar for years to come.

Dark copper appearance with a fairly large head and very little lacing. Yeasty, biscuit-like aroma with a caramel topping. Lush, fruity taste and a candy sugar sweetness that leads to a light alcohol burn in the finish.

Sweet. Malty. Intense alcohol content. While I’ve had this one long ago, much props to my brother in law for sending me a new bottle from his trip to Colorado. Very nice American Grand Cru.

This one is just pungent and tough. I know these are popular beers but I just can’t get into the style. Sweet plum sauce taste with a bitter finish. Portwine tastes and aromas overpower with an alcoholic backwash. Interesting beer just not my speed.

From a 12oz Bottle, Batch 4. Deep, translucent shades of cherry highlight clear ruddy amber body, atop which sits a marvelous sustaining head of thin bubbled cream. Fruity aromas of strawberries and peach cream waft from the glass, spiced by some fruity esters and celery-ish hops. Very perfumy with some sherry notes. Prolunged exposure reveals a tickling of alcohol heat in the nose. Full bodied, very sweet mouthfeel with a tickling carbonation. Lots of light port notes come through at first, along with some sweet strawberry fruits. There’s definitely a dark cugar component too - tastes a bit like brown sugar covered raisins soaked in spiced rum. Some tobacco molasses character as well. This is complex and interesting, but a difficult one for me to get into. Its definitely too sweet for my tastes up front; the light spicy fruits aren’t tamed by a dark or dry enough malt base, creamting a bit of an unbalance for my palate. After the initial sweetness fades, the earthier, spicier, more intriguing characters take over - this is the stage I enjoyed the most. Sadly, the third wave of flavor left an unpleasant medicinal cherry residue on the tongue, replacing the fleeting stage of enjoyment. Interesting overall, but not a good fit for my tastes.