Avery The Beast Grand Cru Ale

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

2004. Poured a slightly hazy light cherry color and a small off-white head. Aroma is sweet and thick. Fig, brown sugar, and the inside of a very plump raisin. Flavor is sweet, malty and fruity. Starts very sweet, moves to dark fruit, burns my esophagus and finishes with a mixture of fruit and some pepper from the alcohol. I think as this warms the alcohol will become more evident in the aroma and flavor. Full body. If it is hard to drink I can’t rate it high even if there are nice flavors.

Bottle (12oz - 2005 vintage). Shared with blankboy, GregClow, jerc and Tupalev - my bottle, thanks to my friend Dave B. Poured a beautiful clear bright refractive ruby with a small creamy tan head. Huge nose of apricot and woody, sweet alcohol - wait, didn’ we try this already? Wait, that was the Dogfish Head 10 Years Alt - similar beers, but this one seems smoother, some how. This one has a hint of lactose and mushrooms. There’s definitely a huge hit of alcohol on first sip (yes, SIP it), but not really overwhelming to me - I tasted dark steeped fruits (sweet), wood, yeast, a fair amount of resiny hops - very nice! - this has a long and big alcohol/bitter finish, but it seems barely still under control. Mouthfeel is pretty much all alcohol and syrup, the other elements try to get involved, but in the end they sit back and watch the booze smother the hops with the help of the sweet sticky malt. Very strong, but I liked it - just a wee bit more than the DFH Alt.

Sweet, malt, woody aroma, some brown bread. Appearance of brown -ruby red. Small white head . Some yeasty front, some woody element mixed with spice. Alcohol is very visible, crude low quality alcohol. Such high content made this ale hard to drink. I would suggest softening beast a bit and we would have here a winner.

Mahogany red color. Small head. Aroma is sweet malt and dark fruit. A full bodied ale, syrupy and thick. Malts are heavy and sweet. Hops are spicy and floral. Nicely balanced. Thick and syrupy like a sherry or a port. No trace of the 15.7% alcohol, there is a little oiliness but there is no alcohol bite or burn. Very smooth. Lots of sherry like qualities. Tastes of dark fruit, wood and smoke. Dangerous beer as the alcohol will up and smack ya one. Excellent beer. Will love to try this one after it has some time to bottle age. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is smooth and a touch dry. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

2009-04-02. Pours a thick murky dark brown body with a modest beige head that fades. (3+) Aroma is a touch alcoholic up front but even that is a tiny fraction of fresh 2004 vintage. Fruity, dark fruit akin to grapes or dates. (7+) Similar flavour, some warming alcohol up front but a pleasantly sweet rich fruity malt core, notes of sweet dates or prunes. Sweet underlying malt, modest bitterness in the finish over a lingering molasses like sweetness. (8+) Smooth medium to full bodied palate is lightly carbonated. (3+) Nice! Apparently four years is sufficient to tame the beast. I kind of wish I had more to age! 8/3/9/4/17+ - 4.1 2005 Vintage. Bottle from trade, Probiere?

2005 Vintage Rated May 2005. Gorgeous ruby brown body with a small tan head (3+). Big boozey sweet caramel aroma is FAR more restrained than the 2004. First flavour impression is tingling alcohol across my lips, sweet sugary caramel malt, with unexpected bitterness in the finish magnified by dry alcohol. Smooth syrupy medium palate. 8/3+/7/4/16 - 3.9

2004 Vintage Unknown batch. Tiggmtl’s post Mondiale tasting. Reddish body with a moderate beige head. Sweetly alcoholic aroma with some volatiles making an appearance while it melts the hairs in the nose. The alcohol vapours from holding the glass to my nose while deciphering the aroma actually seemed to be burning my eyes. Big sweet malty complexity makes a glorious but brief appearance before being ravaged by the stampeding alcohol determined to burn a path across your tongue. Leaves the mouth tingly like you have just gargled with mouth wash. There is a subtle beauty to this beast, hiding quite deep down, only offering us tantalizing peaks at the huge potential that is overshadowed by the alcohol. Needs to age, or be restrained a few percentages. Seems to draw prosaic inspiration from the French film Le Pactes Des Loups, in which a harmless creature is dr

Bottle, batch 3. Pours a dark brown body with a thin tan head. Huge ethyl alcohol aromatic character, very sweet molasses, sweet malt, alcohol latent fruits and sugar. Lighter raisins, plum, and tobacco. Very aggressive body with a strong warming. Wow intense brew.

Congrats to Hotstuff on number 1000! Let’s hear it for her! This massive monstrous bottle brew from 2004 poured a medium sized head of fine to large sized mostly lasting light brown colored bubbles that left behind a good lacing. The body was a softly carbonated transparent brown color. The aroma is very aromatic with a mix of scents. Present are cinnamon, raisin, and roses. WOW! The palate is massive. It is very vinuous at the start and lingers with a mellowing finish. Very potent stuff. The mouth feel is tingly from start to finish. It a 5 on the palate simply for its audacity! Wow! Did I say Wow? Ball cried the queen is I had two I’d be king! Nut cried the prince I have two and I am not! This brew is the queen! It has balls! Big hairy ones! It is definitely a hairy beast! It is very flavorful vinuous with strong malt and hop notes with brown malts and woody roasted malts mixed in. Very flavorful! Definitely a top brew! Did I say wow?

Bottle. Very expensive, but I do think this was an amazing experience. Reminded me somewhat of a good port wine. Small off-white fizzy head that mostly diminished. Good lacing to be observed. Body was clear and color was amber like. Quite complex aroma with notes of raisins, apricot, spice, toffee, hint of raspberry, vanilla, syrup and light hoppy notes as well. Full bodied with a sticky texture. Alcohol can be detected over the palate. Flavor was heavy malt sweetness, with some bitter notes. Finish is lingering sweet syrup like. Excellent.