Avery The Beast Grand Cru Ale

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

Wow. Amber pour with a half-inch off-white head. Big malty nose with a spicy, floral character. Rich and complex flavors of dark fruits, sugar, honey, molasses and tons of other sweet things. Big alcohol bite. Great beer.

12 oz. bottle from Binny’s (Orland Park, IL) 2006 Batch 4 vintage shared with a friend. This brew poured a very interesting browish red with tan head and a nose that could be smelled a long way away. Aromas of sweet sugars, dried fruits, and alcohol. A sugary sweet mess on first smell. However, this beer was pretty deep on further inspection. A very sweet (Not quite cloying though) brew, filled with dark dried fruits, sugary candy, honey and molasses, but with a decent bitter hop finish that wins me back. I personally didn’t feel this alcohol was hidden. The sweetness didn’t hide it, although I expected it to. Sweet malt heavy but vindicated by a persistant bitter hop finish A very interesting beer that I am sure ages uniquely. Cheers!

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. "

Rating #666. 18.1% vintage. Poured a clear ruby with a semi-fizzy light tan head that dissipated completely. Intense aroma of grapes, plums, brown sugar, honey, molasses. Flavor is intensely alcoholic with some sweet vinous flavors, some molasses, and some piney hops. The alcohol is burning the inside of my lips and my gums, my esophagus, and my nasal passages all at once. The marketing on this is pretty appropriate. It has the majesty of a big beer without the elegance of a refined beer, so I’d say some demonic entity gnawing his way through my stomach and slurping up my esophagus like a piece of oily spaghetti is a pretty good analogy. I’m now really thankful I waited as long as I did to crack it open. I doubt this would be much more than intolerable if drunk fresh.

2004 Mondial de la Biere Ratebeer Gathering at Tiggmtl’s. Deep red amber colour with a thin tan coloured head. Dark fruit aroma but mostly alcohol. A touch of sweet fruit but mostly burning alcohol flavour. Syrupy and sticky mouthfeel. As it is, it’s pretty good. If the alcohol settled down a bit, this would be fantastic. Thanks to Rastacouere for yet another treat.

hazy copper with ruby head. deep malt aroma with hint of currant, the brew is rich is sweet. certainly can use some aging.

This bottle was acquired about 10 months ago from Aubrey, out in Colorado.

Rating # 650
First Release: Early 2004….. 15.7% abv
The Beast pours out a crimson body with a fluffy 2 finger off white head, this slowly dissipates and leaves a wispy cream collared ring and lacing in the glass. The aroma is sweet and has very little trace of that burly 15.7% alcohol level. I easily trace down the sweet fruity hints of dates, brown sugar, toffee malt, plums, figs, and big notes of raisins. From my many tasting, I do not remember the newer 18% Beast having this flavor…. Iron? It’s a very pronounced flavor in this vintage. Very bloody tasting, tangy and tart; like licking an open lesion. Adam had mentioned to me that there was an Iron note in this vintage… I just don’t remember what it was that he said caused it…. maybe the yeast… I don’t recall exactly, but it was something rather odd. Anyway, other than Iron, the 2 flavors that standout most for me are the syrupy, smoky, full flavor of Molasses, and the fruity, lightly tart but masked with sugar notes of Raisins.
I’ve gotta say… this beer is a sipper! Halfway through the bottle I was feeling the buzzing effects and by the end, 2 ½ hours later.. I was under the influence of The Beast!
No doubt that this is a complex brew! I must admit that I’ve never had anything like it, nothing that even closely resembles this animal! As a friend recently mentioned… and I’ll attest, “This resembles a Fruiter Fizzy Scotch!”
I’ll tell yeah, I’m really looking forward to aging out a few bottles of the late 2004 - 18% vintage.

12 oz. bottle, Batch 3. Deep amber/brown, medium light beige head. Vinous nose with some sour notes, and aromas of dark fruits. Rich, thick mouthfeel, very little carbonation. Sweet flavors of grape, raisin, caramel, and dark brown sugar give this a port or maeira like quality. Some bitterness in the finish that is quite persistant, but yielding to the sweetness. Alcohol is quite evident throughout. Best drunk slowly over a long period after dinner.