Avery The Beast Grand Cru Ale

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

Clear, brilliant ruby with an extremely small, off-white head. Intense, lightly toasted and quite sweet malt nose. Big alcohol, lightly toasted bread, chocolate, caramel, molasses, honey and intermitent fruit. The body is full and supple with plenty to offer. The flavor is strong and sweet with a warm, biting alcoholic kick that makes the experience more enjoyable. There is a relatively moderate bitter hop balance that keeps the sweetness from becoming cloying. An interesting beast of a Belgian with great flavors and a spicy yeast strain. The heat may be a bit too warm, but just barely, and the complex malt structure is nearly divine.

2004-22oz bomber-pours a nice garnet red hue with mild carbonation. very little off white head around rim of snifter. Lots of ripe fruit on the aroma-green apples, belgian candy sugar, yeast esters. So much sweetness. WOW! what a huge flavor. Sticky and viscus palate. The aroma is mild compared to the flavor profile, which is very robust and slightly hot due to the high abv. This could use some aging, but its a definate treat. long smoke tobacco finish. good brew from Avery, but needs some time in the cellar.

Dark brown, raisin, rum, black cherry, alcohol present. Very port-like taste and mouthfeel. Finished with a sweet cherry taste. Warms up the chest and pipes. Best at room temp. Thanks Ern.

A lovely SWEET and malty beer from the good people at Avery makers of one of the world’s great brown ales. Stylistically I would put this close to a barley wine.

Bottle. Batch 3 (2005). This one has aged enough I guess. Pours a deep ruby red with light brown head. Aromas are sweet and full of sugared berries and candy with light hop notes to spice it up. Very interesting nose on this one. Palate is sticky as hell, honey and syrup like, and tough to wash off the glass. Flavors are deep and full of more malty sweetness than raisin/fruit sweetness although the dried fruit thing is here as well as a touch (small one) of the artificial cough syrup sweetness but only because I look for it. Hop spice is abundant but nearly overwhelmed by alcohol warmth and chewy candy like malty sweetness. Finish is warm and cleaner than I expected. I’d have another glass for sure, but not today.....this is a big big brew.

Nice red color, no head. Light malty and almond nose. Some alcohol too. Nice warming alcohol and nutty malt taste. Spicey and hoppy in changing intervalls. Meat aftertaste, long lasting. Great.

I’m the Beast. So that’s what you call me. That, or Beaster, His Beastness. Or El Beasterino, if, you know, you’re not into the whole brevity thing. (with apologies to the Cohen Bothers and the Dude) Aroma of fresh fruit, alcohol (brandy specifically), dark copper appearance with a thin off-white head with a tad bit of lacing, Alcohol is hidden extremely well considering it is 18.1% - for that I am giving it a 5 for palate. (I have yet to stand up though). Flavor of rum-soaked raisins, baked brown bread, and alcohol. Would make a good winter sipper/warmer - don’t know why they put this in a bomber though! Expect a helluva hangover tomorrow!

Aroma of caramel, malt, ripe apples, bananas and grapes, alcohol, and mild phenols. Ruby amber color, thin tan head. Smooth and malty, sweet, complex alcohol flavors. Full bodied, syrupy, low carbonation. This is a sippin’ beer, very full, rich, and alcoholic. Would be good with a cigar. I had one 22 oz bottle and it hurt me in the morning.