RateBeer
New Belgium Abbey Grand Cru 3.8 167

New Belgium Abbey Grand Cru

Percentile
98
overall

bottled
available

on tap
common

Regional Distribution
Find this beer

Add Distribution Data
send corrections | shelftag |
RatingsAverageScoreSeasonalABVStyle PctlServe in
1673.84/5.03.8/5.0Winter9.5%98.1Trappist glass
Commercial Description:
Before there was New Belgium Brewing, there was Abbey Ale. It was the first beer of home brewer and New Belgium co-founder, Jeff Lebesch. So the love brews deep for Abbey Grand Cru. To date, Abbey Ale has garnered no less than 16 medals at the Great American Beer Festival–7 of those being Gold. Take that award-winning recipe, precisely increase the hops, malt and fermentation time, and the result is a Grand Cru worth collecting. And that’s exactly what many of us at New Belgium, as well as a growing number of fans, have done. By saving it for a few years, Abbey Grand Cru will continue to improve and age deliciously. Optimal storage is a cool (40-55°), dark place where the bottles can remain undisturbed. But lest we forget, it is a great beer and great beers deserve to be enjoyed. Best served at cellar temperature in a wide-mouthed glass. Toast to the monk’s virtue and have a heavenly experience.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 DuffMan (2784), the land of bitumen, beef & beer, Alberta, Canada
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/103/515/20
Oct 21, 2008  
GABF 2008. Lovely deep copper orange. Big aromas of caramalized banana and clove. Silky estery palate of cooked dark fruits, banana, and spices. Sweet, but not too sweet. Full bodied. Very nice.


 theisti (1693), Leawood, Kansas, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/103/515/20
Oct 20, 2008  
22 oz bottle provided by beastiefan2k for the 10/18 tasting. Eugene believed this was the 1996 Vintage. Pour is cloudy cola, orange-ish, only a few soapy bubbles floating around. Aroma of nutmeg caramel sweetness. Taste is slightly oxidized, malty caramel, nice yeastiness. Buttery, brown sugar, honey sweetness. Full palate, mouth coating and satisfying. If this was a 1996, it held up very well, though maybe a bit past prime but not too far. Thanks for sharing this one Eugene.


 FunkyBrewster (536), Chicago, Illinois, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/103/513/20
Oct 8, 2008  
Pours a deep orangish-red color with a small off-white froth. Aroma is very sweet and malty with a very strong bubblegum sensation. Small hop presence. Flavor starts like it might first present some fruit tartness but quickly becomes overwhelmed by the sweet bubblegum flavor. Finishes with some spices and Belgian yeast notes.Medium body and moderate carbonation. I was a bit disappointed that this beer was so sweet and so bubble gum oriented. It seemed unbalanced on the malty side.


 ABUSEDGOAT (1934), California, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/514/20
Oct 8, 2008  
Ruby colored, aroma is berries, raisins, bananas, some caramel sweetness and sugar. Medium bodied, somewhat sweet, pretty enjoyable. Reminded me somewhat of Chimay Blue.


 Snojerk321 (2027), San Diego, California, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/104/515/20
Oct 8, 2008  
On tap @ O’Brien’s San Diego. Pours a medium amber color with a slight red hue. The small head was beige in color and left little lacing. Nose of dark fruits and Belgian yeast. Flavor was also sweet with ripe cherries and other pit fruits rounding things out.


 hombrepalo (780), Chicago, Illinois, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/516/20
Oct 8, 2008  
On tap @ Maproom, Pored a dark reddish brown color with fluffy head. Aroma is of rich malts, nice yeast, dark fruits (cherries/plums) and notes of caramel and alcohol. Taste is of rich malts and fruit (cherries/plums) with mild, earthy hops. Smooth finish, nice balanced brew, wish this was out more often here.


 drfabulous (1280), Columbia, Missouri, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/515/20
Oct 7, 2008  
On tap at Sycamore in Columbia. I thought this was a Lips of Faith series beer, but maybe not (following the description here). A bit carbonated, but overall, a nice sweet Dubbel. As it warms it gets better. After two, it tastes great. Lots of molasses and candy. Well balanced and while I can feel the high ABV...so what. The Ratebeer pic shows a bottle....I had this idea that the Grand Cru was not available in bottle. I wanted to go off on how wonderful these Lips of Faith only on tap beers are...the notion that the best New Belgium beers are La Folie and whatever else they don’t bottle....but still, another example that New Belgium can do high quality beer when it wants to. If only it would dump the crap tire and stick to these nice styles they can do in small quantity.


 rayOfBeer (319), El Cerrito, California, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/103/516/20
Oct 7, 2008  
Poured from tap at Stone brewing a brown with reddish tint and a small off-white head. Aroma was sweet with bubblegum, dark fruits, and some yeast. Flavor was syrupy sweet with candy sugar, molasses, bubblegum, banana, caramel, some citrusy orange and a clove spice note. Palate is sweet with alcohol warmth and vapor at the end. Overall nice flavors with some spicy notes missing. But I would drink more.



We Want To Hear From You



Join us! RateBeer is made by beer enthusiasts for the craft beer community. Your basic membership is free and allows you to read all beer ratings. Click here to create your account... and give your opinion!

Join Us »

View Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Share Your Opinion!
Get started reviewing beers at RateBeer.com now.

First, choose your user name

About RateBeer | Add A Beer | Log In | Edit Personal Info | 100 Beer Club | FAQ | Feedback?
Copyright © 2000-2010, RateBeer LLC