Avery The Beast Grand Cru Ale

I think this is only my second perfect beer in rating them for over 2 years now. (I was keeping notes long before I joined this site.) 22 oz. brown bomber bottle, with a red foil seal over the crown. No freshness date seen, but none needed either at 15.7% ABV. WOW ! What a whopper of a beer! Poured out a deep burgundy / mahogany color into my Chimay chalice. (What else would you serve a Grand Cru in?!!!?) Extremely red in color around the edges. The head was a dark tan color, and lasted until the bottom of the glass. It’s a miracle they even got a head out of a beer this big. Aromas are of rum soaked dark fruits, prunes, raisins, dates and the like. Big hop aromas along with fresh malts. It smells like fresh ground malt in here. Molasses, dark brown sugar, and Belgian candi sugars round out the aromas. And, they are only the beginning of the flavors. Big, chewy malts here, along with the rum soaked fruits and the big hops make for an interesting combination. I’ve only had 2 or 3 sips, and I can already feel the alcohol kicking in. Funny thing is, there’s none in the flavors or tastes. It sneaks up on you, and literally takes your breath away. I’ve never had a beer do that until now. Thick, rich, chewy even in mouthfeel. This is most certainly a meal in a glass. Finishes rich and caramelly. One whizz bang of a beer here gang! Get some, IF YOU CAN. Does this beer deserve such a high score? Damn right it does. It’s THAT good. 2004 Batch Update (18.1% ABV) Well, let's see what this monster of a beer is all about, ok? Poured out a deep garnet color, with a huge head, once I used my beer engine on it. Aromas are mostly of alcohol, some macerated cherries & dark dried fruit as well. Tastes are of pipe tobacco, damp earthy basement, aged sweet potatoes, higher alcohols, lots of fusels, slightly dry oak barrelled brandy, some vanilla notes, lots of sugars, but not regular or Belgian Candi sugars, more like demera or palm sugars, and a slight smokiness to it as well. Very warming to the stomach, almost too much so. This beast is meant to be sipped slowly and savored, not gulped down for a fast buzz. It does need to be aged until Christmas. Christmas 2015, that is.

very sceptical at first because of the High proce, 8 dollers down here but the alcahol content for me but when i first open this beautiful drink i wish it was a never ending fountain of this flavor that i have never tasted in my life,, this beer reminded me of samitchclause (prob spelled wrong)but this is one of my favorite beers ever experianced.

Pours a coffee-like color with a heavy, foamy head. 14.6% abv. Aroma is sweet, like a mixture of berries, with bread. Very interesting, which I would, and should, expect from a $10 beer. Whoa, what a flavor. Tastes of a rich raisin and plum with a strong wheat bread accent. Absolutely superb flavor. A little hot going down, which I would expect from such a high alcohol content. There’s even a slight chocolate kick that’s absolutely amazing. This is easily the best beer I’ve ever tried and I’m glad I purchased it. This beer I’m drinking now was brewed in 2006 and I’m sure that the aging has had some affect on it’s potent flavoring. It’s also clearly a sipping beer.

Sickly sweet beer! It had a syrupy honey aftertaste. Don’t get me wrong, this is one damn good beer! Thanks Mike K!

Nov. 2005 bottle, sampled Jan 2008 Jesus God, this was one of the best beers I have ever had. Aroma is sharp sherry and heaps of dark ruby fruits. Almost no head, deep molasses and amber color. Taste is a touch salty and very bright berries, like an Apis Jadwiga. Obviously I get some honey out of this beer too. This is like a beer, port, and mead all put together. I’ll call it Avery’s More Powerful than Mead, Beer, and Port All Put Together. Palate is still slightly fizzy and alcoholic with whispers of the belgian yeast spiciness still present. World Class and terribly underrated. AGE THIS --- re-rate Batch 3 Jesus, this is still amazing. Having this beer currently. Bright red fruit, acetone in finish aroma and flavor, but it WORKS! Finish is slightly cloying with dull hops. Sweet caramel malts, some hop bitterness and higher alcohols. This beer is nearly perfect. If I had to drink one beer for the rest of my life, this is it.

Ruby/brown color,small tan head that faded quickly but left a decent lace behind.The aroma was a bit smokey coming straight from the bottle but in the glass i detect malt and fruit like raisin and plums with a mild alcohol coming through and decent hop presence.Theres almost a bubble gum like hint to the aroma as it warms up a bit,and it seems sweet as well.sweet malt and sugary taste with a nice fruit presence and the alcohol is nicely done with a mild burn coming as soon as it hits your tongue,and a warm feeling going down.The hops really come through nicely with a nice hop bitterness and semi sweet after taste.The smoke i detected off the bottle does manage to make it into the taste but very faintly,but never the less detectable.I don't think i could just tip the glass high and start hard core schweeling this is definately a sipper.Very nice brew and more then worth while to have a few around for a little cellaring.

Oh my god what a beer. Reddish/brown in color iwtha frothy head (in a Duvel glass) Aromas of dates, raisen, molasses, honey, and oak. I could not taste the 15.7% alcohol. It is extremely well hidden. I'd sure like to come across another couple bottles of this stuff.

15+%: Deep garnet with burgundy shadows and ruby-red highlights. Sweet-smelling nose with hints of candy sugar and fresh yeast. In-frickin-credible mouthfeel: as smooth as rabbit fur, weighty, thick and rich. Perfectly carbonated. Malts were extremely complex. No single flavor jumped out, but there were a myriad of tasty nuances like candy sugar, cookie dough, caramel, toffee, raisins and dates, with everything melding and getting along nicely. Hops were wholesome, earthy, rounded and complex. Not a lot of "high," wafty hop aromas; mostly "low," rich hop flavors, with some hop bitterness blended in. Dump truck-loads of malts tamed the high IBUs like broken sled dogs. Soul-warming alcohol nips were just painful enough to be extremely pleasurable. In the aftertaste I was happily left with a residual sweetness on my lips, a lingering bitterness on my tongue, a cozy warmth in my throat, and a serious desire to take another sip. Thank God for the fine folks at Avery Brewing -- you guys did it again! This beer kicks ass! 18+%: Deep amber-apple glow. Sweet-smelling nose. Initially, very smooth and weighty on the tongue. Becomes tingly and carbonated. Then it gets warm, and eventually hot. Burns a little at first, but becomes much more drinkable as it warms. Subtle sweetness of candi sugar attempts to surface. Hotness continues well into the aftertaste. A little whiskey-like. I finished a bottle on my own without too much trouble ... don’t know what all the fuss is about. That said, I prefer last year’s batch much more, and my rating reflects it.