Avery The Beast Grand Cru Ale

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

Pours beautiful deep mahagony color with light tan head. Nose if big of caramel, alcohol, plummy and figgy. Biscuity. Body is rich and strong. Belgian candi sugar is quite revealing. Alcohol is very present. Finishes strong, dry with a sting.

Deep copper colour with a small light brown head. Light roasted malty aroma with chocolate hints and a nice dark fruit sweetness. Sweet chocolate and fruity flavor, faint hints of liqourice and some hops. Sweet warming alcohol finish.

Bottle. Reddish/brown hue with large light brown head. Aroma and flavor very complex of hops, citrus, caramel and alcohol. Medium to full body with long finish and a bite of alcohol. Very good brew. 12/30/07 Bottle Batch 2 from Dilly Delli. Much better balanced beer with a strong sweet flavor with a good burn. This is a now a stand out brew.

Big thanks to Brock_Landers for this. Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat.....you WILL taste alcohol in this. You will also taste intense dark fruits, including figs, berries, slight spices, cherries, berries, hops, cognac, scotch, cabernet, and even smoked meat and cheese...very complex taste. Deep copper pour with a big white head. The aroma is of big dark fruits, hops, and slight rauchiness...very complex aroma. Dense, very firm palate with a super fruity, somewhat astringent finish. Very complex, but this is a bit harsh. This is not a beer for pansy asses. Rather, it is a truly beastly, badass beer. I’ve never, ever seen this on shelves, but if I do, I’ll hoard it like a miser hoards empty soda cans.

Bottle. Dark brown, thick-looking. Candy-sugar taste, thick maltiness. Apples, pear, intense sweetness. Goes well with the cheese queadilla kind of thing that JoeT and JenT make. My only complaint is something a bit off in the aftertaste. What a night this was, with two drinks above 15% and a 20%!

Sampled at From The Vine beer tasting Jul 9th, 2004: Pours a ruby brown color with a medium thick and creamy beige head. Decent lacing. You know you are in trouble when you smell this one. Raisins, port wine, malt and chocolate abound. The body is very thick yet startlingly smooth, with flavors of dark fruit, malt, hops and dark chocolate. The alcohol is felt on the throat more than it is tasted. The finish is sweet with roasted malt and caramel. I was really suprised at how easy this beer is to drink, but taking on an entire bottle by myself might be a chore.

Bottled. Deep ruby, clear, small head. Big aromatic, vinous toffee aroma. Rich, soft maltiness. Sweet, but not disturbingly so. Almondy with a hint of licorice and some raisin. Thick, deep, syruy mouthfeel. Peppery hoppy finish. An enourmous, over-the-top ale that works well - at least in small amounts. This beer would do well from aging (and being available in smaller bottles).

We make a a good pair, this beer and I. Beauty and the Beast. I do believe carnal relations with this creature is illegal in most states. 12 oz. bottle (’05 15% rendition), all I could handle. May be the most ridiculous beer I’ve had yet, which may be saying something. This or Founders Devil Dancer IIIPA. Heavy portly fumes, very slick-syrpuy with fruity undertones heavy on the sugar. This one doesn’t even bother trying to hide the alcohol. How does one even rate something like this? Along some dimensions it’s fabulous; along others almost sickening. It’s akin to a barley wine with a bunch of figgy sweetness crammed right in there. I give it a couple extra points just for being so ridiculous. The Beast may be foolish and ignorant, but it’s got guts, and that’s good enough. Carry on, ladies.