Flying Fish Grand Cru Winter Reserve

Brewed by Flying Fish Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Ale
Cherry Hill, New Jersey USA

The clearest golden pour since last I saw a glass of budweiser - moderately spicy, almost saison-like aroma, but it doesn’t denote a very complex beer - a wee bit peppery, some lemongrass, a hint of honey,and light grain on the back end - light and refreshing - not really something for winter - perhaps if they had it as a summer special release, it would seem more apt.

Cold 12oz bottle: Pours a hazy dark golden color with minimal ivory bubbles. Light, sweet malts, bread and grass with a hint of lemon. Light bodied, smooth and moderately carbonated. Ending is of sweet malts and bread.

Sampled with Beerdrenched. Pours generic gold that is crystal clear with a minimal white head with no retension. The aroma is yeasty, spicy, pale malt, some banana and nectar fruitiness. Very light body with some slickness and a bit of carbonation on the finish. Taste much like the aroma with more sweetness. Far too thin and being filtered doesn’t do the beer any favors at all. The description on ratebeer says it is bottle conditioned - I call shenanigans to that, this seems to have as much bottle conditioning as Bud Light. Mediocre beer, not offensive but not anywhere where the style should be.

bottle-thanks to vyvvy for the sample-pours clear bright orange with a small soapy white head. really doenst look very nice due to the clear "lightly filtered" (thats bogus) appearance of this belgian. nose is kinda unique-floral, yeast, grainy malts perdominate with a touch of banana and clove. i didn’t get the bottle conditioned appearance or in the yeast notes. flavors are pretty boring for the style-clean sweet malts with some fruity notes as well. lots of grainy malts in the flavor all the way through the finish. kinda boring and needs work.

Commodity beer yellow with a thin white head. Aroma is a bit grassy with some belgian spiciness. Taste is rather spicy, and a bit heavy on clove. The underlying fruityness reminds me of Leffe Blond

Clear amber with a huge head. Fair lacing. Smells of clove type belgian yeast, bananas and some spicy hops. Tasted some light fruits, pears and apricots, maybe. Light/medium body.

Pours golden with a frothy off-white head. Aromas of light fruit, some spice, yeast, and some very light hops are present. Flavor follows the aroma very well. Starting out a little bitter and quickly fading into yeasty spice, and light fruity sweetness, with a bit more alcohol than expected. Smooths and balances out a little more when served at cellar temp. though. Bitterness returns in the finish, but only slightly. Fruit and spice linger on a light effervescent palate. Not great, but interesting, alcohol is not hidden well though. After about 6 months of aging, flavor gains a more malty/woody quality but retains a little candy sugar sweetness, and a bit of fruitiness.

12oz bottle via trade with Dorwart! - Thanks Jason! - Pours golden and quite cloudy with a short white head that fades quickly to a ring and laces a little from there. Aromas of yeast, spice, and alcohol. Flavor is candi sugar, light raisin, some yeast, and a touch of spice before the alcoholic finish. Medium body with a dry but quite alcoholic finish.