Michigan Brewing Celis Grand Cru

Brewed by Michigan Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Webberville, Michigan USA

Light golden body, quickly dissipating white head. Aroma rather mild, with some clove and a bit of yeastiness like a small tripel. Yep, this is basically tripel-lite, with some banana and clove in the flavor with some doughy yeastiness. Finishes dry and sweet with coriander and fruity notes.

Hazy yellow-orange body, thin off-white head. Tangy, fruity aroma of white grape, pear juice, crackers, pepper, and coriander. Pear juice, orange, cracker, and yeasty flavor, finishing with coriander. Thin and rather tart. A bit thinner than most Tripels or Tripel-wannabes, but the components are here (tart citrus and bitter/earthy spices). Mostly just comes across as thin and acidic, unfortunately.

Original Rating (2-Apr-05, 4-3-4-2-7=2.0): Mildly spicy with light pepper/citrus tones in the aroma. Clear blonde with lasting cover of white head. Candy-like flavour with with mild balancing bitterness. Strong carbonation. Somewhat slick in the mouth. While I did not find this to be awful, it was pretty simple and overly sweet and I’m not really sure it deserves the Grand Cru designation. Bottle sampled with MartinT, muzzlehatch and Rastacouere at the Sunset Grill in Boston.
Rerate (3-Jun-05, 6-4-4-4-8=2.6): Floral, lavender and coriander in the nose. Clear blonde body is topped by a generous and lasting bright white head that recedes to cover with some lacing. Mild sourness and diacetyl mar the floral, coriander, grainy flavour. Strong carbonation to the mdium-light body. Sampled at Mondial de la Bière 2005.

New England Road Trip Easter ’05 with MartinT, tiggmtl and Rastacouere, beer #72. Very very pale yellow, no head...a Grand Cru? no...sour, spoilt milk nose..uggh, and after a sahti!...simple cane-sugary nose, little else...like dirty sugar water. What happened to these beers?

A disturbingly transparent pale yellow offers grain, corn meal and a light lactic and watery void...Either the bottle we had was a new dreadfully vapid version, or a name can really influence people...

Bottle at Sunset Grill. Totally clear.. this is a grand cru? Straw yellow, lasting white film. Subdued corn and grain aroma, offensive. DMS dominance on the palate, raw barley taste, worty and very poor flavour profile. Bready aftertaste joins in a butteriness in an unpleasant fashion. Dull prickly carbonation doesn’t help.

Pale yellow, slightly hazy appearance with a small white head and little lacing Yeasty aroma, spicy, with a little fruit. Well carbonated, medium-bodied mouthfeel. Taste was spicy, with soft fruit and a touch of sweetness. Dry, peppery, short lived finish.

bottle...Pale piss yellow pour, this is CLEAR!! This looks like a BMC light! Not a good 1st impression. Banana, vanilla, light spice on the nose. Creamy, banana start, a little prickly in the middle, very mild spiciness. This is strangely oily, and finishes a little bitter. Thank God this tastes better than it looks! Still, something seems artificial about it...