Avery The Beast Grand Cru Ale

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

12oz-batch 6. Beautiful dark amber color, small white head. Malt bomb, raisiny as well, lots of sugar. Big warming alcohol, kind of like a fruty liqour going down and coating the back of your throat, wow. This is the kind of stuff you look for, pretty damn good.

Pours a deep reddish brown with just a tiny little white head. Aromas of brown sugar, and dough with flavors exploding on the palate. A little thick on the tongue, the fisrt flavors are of an overbearing sweetness, nit alcohol. As it warms, more flavors come through; very barelywinish with hints of a belgian strong ale.

Crimson with yellow edges. Rather small head. Aroma of spices and raspberries, subtle hops too. Rather full mouthfeel with a vapor that creeps up into your nose with each sip. Flavor was spicier than the aroma, I tend to look for something a bit less "in my face" from a grand cru, but this shit is pretty good, lots of fruit and chocolate in the taste, with rather prominent alcohol notes.

Nice solid red color and a thin head. Sticky thick smell to it, cherry, plum, fig, oak, clove, a bit of ginger and some alcohol. The flavor is odd, as it reminds me first of a wine (not to bitter or sweet) for the mouthfeel, then it switches over to some strong barley treatment. Im somewhat disappointed at first with the taste of the beer, because the alcohol takes over, but ther aftertaste is something to behold. It has the you-just-drank-lots-of-alcohol feel to it, but it has the belgian strong ale good sweeter side. This reminds me more of a liquor with the feeling that you taste a lot of alcohol first, then the flavors of the drink second. Alterantively, I find that if I hold it in my mouth longer than usual the hops are felt more, along with the candy-like sweetness. Afterwards the slight burn from the alcohol is felt. Quite an interesting beer, I just wish I could afford to buy a second to hang on to for a while.

2005 bottle. mostly clear ruby amber color, but many micro flaoties of yeast throughout the body. light tan thickish foamy head, short and goes quickly. aroma is heavy sweet syrupy malt, a little ginny like juniper berries and a bit of vodka. flavor is very sweet syrupy malt, slightly vinuous but pretty high octane. heat kicks in like a brandy, and keeps the palate warm. sweetness is close to cloying but not too far gone. the syrupy malt is kind of like sweet vermouth, and the finish is clean but I can feel the heat all the way down the gullet! a little bit of the honey malt comes through, dark sugar too. some of the sweetness is like peaches soaked in 151 proof rum.

Old rating Drank in March ’06? 2005 bottle. Maroon color. Plummy, alcohol aroma, also some turbinado sugar, vanilla, and raisins. Taste is caramel, apple cider, turbinado sugar, and cinnamon. Mouthfeel is thick and chewy. I think this is a rather enjoyable beer, though one I would only want to have at the end of the night.

thanks to richlikebeer for the 12 oz. bottle. this is a BIG beer! nose is of caramel and yeast with alcohol present as well. the pour is syrupy thick with a fast fading head that dwindles to a ring of lace. taste is of caramel, molasses, yeasty notes and sugary sweet, lip smackin candi on the lips. the alcohol was ever-present and even though quite good, this bottle would have benefitted from another 6 months of age.

12 oz bottle batch # 3: Medium coppery brown w/ a small lighter tan head. Peppery yeast and solventy hairspray alcohol notes. Highly raisiny and lightly bready malts, muted by mostly alcoholic notes. toasted malt a bit when it warms. Highly estery flavor and balanced to sweet toasty and bready malt. Big time raisiny dark fruit flavor and an alcoholic, sweet, very malty finish. Some sherry notes as well, but alcohol is throughout the flavor and aroma profile. Actually a bit of a turn off. There is also a little honey sweetness in the aftertaste as well. Full body, thick, chewy m/f, low carb., hot alcoholic m/f. Not a favorite of mine from them, they seem to do the smaller beers pretty well, but the only really big beer I’ve liked from them so far has been the Mephistophiles.