Brooklyn Grand Cru

Brewed by Brooklyn Brewery
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Brooklyn, New York USA

Objectively speaking: Authentic Belgian-style ale that was not as satisfying as anticipated.
I like: Well-integrated alcohol. Gentle wheatiness. Soft palate, reminiscent of a tripel all throughout with its pleasant noble hop background.
I dislike: Totally clear body. Smallish white ring. Heavy malt foundations fail to deliver the desired crispiness, this rapidly feels a bit heavy and the yeast heads towards banana purée territory, but luckily, the grassy, hay-like hops come into rescue to avoid excessive sweetness.

Draft @ redlight reflight. Pours a hazy blonde with a smallish white head, leaves a little lacing on the glass. On the nose coriander, candi sugar, cloves and bready yeast. In flavor this is sweet with a spicy/herbal hop and coriander presence. The sweetness is a little cloying, could use a little more lift in the mouthfeel as it ended up on the verge of being too heavy.

Draught at Stockholm Beer Festival. Hazy golden, creamy head. Almondy fruity nose. Soft and caramelly. Medium sweet with gentle, rounded mouthfeel. Delicious seemless flavour of custard, estery bubblegum and marzipan. Mildly warming.

Tap at Cloverleaf Tavern. Pours a slightly hazy light golden with a thin lasting head. Aroma is yeasty, spicy phenolic with light banana belgian esters- somewhat reminded me of a cross between a choufe and the brooklyn one- I wonder if this is a fucked up batch that wasnt quite what they wanted? Either way it was very good though. Good ligth bubblegum phenolic flavors, light vanilla hints, clove and low ont eh banana ester in the flavor- nice fresh doughy malts all around and finishes very clean and dry with a light phenolic bubblegummy aftertaste. I liked this one.

On tap at Stirling Hotel. Cloudy orange with small head. Aroma is fruit and sugar and minor funk. Thicker and harder to drink that it looks. Taste was yeast and citrus and sugar. Taste was confusing and not well balanced. It was under carbonated as well. Never again.

This was a very nice beer, and somewaht different than expected. The aroma is very fruity, like pears and peaches. The appearance is a cloudy orange/amber color, white head. The flavor is definitely fruity, tart, sugary. The palate is sweet and sour at the same time. Great beer overall.

As a Belgian beer fan, I was expecting something more out this brew from one of my favorite brewers. Ratebeer user FREDANDBOBOFLO really hit my thoughts on the head when he called it an "unrefined tripel." Not enough carbonation for my palate, that being said it is a quality Belgian style, but not great.

Tap at Ginger Man. Aroma of tangy fruits, rubber, alcohol, flowers. Flavor of bitter fruits and melon rind. Mouthfeel of an overly aggressive, unrefined tripel, sort of a touch syrupy and a touch watery at the same time. Yikes.