North Coast Cru dOr (Whole Foods)

Brewed by North Coast Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Fort Bragg, California USA

copper hue with almost no head, it has nice aroma of fruity bubble gum hinted with melon and clove. the balance is not quite there, not enough complexity to justify the sweetness.

Bottle. A reddish brown color with a quickly diminished tan head. A spiced caramel aroma at the front of the nose but it finishes malty simply at the finish. A ginger, clove, candy, raisin and generally spiced flavor.

12 oz bottle. Worked to get a tan head; quickly gone. Clearish brown with orange edges. Orange, cloves, coconut and caramel. A subtle complexity. Light carb, medium body. Fruitcake fruits and some banana. Kind of dry with a whisper of sour cherry.

Beer pours orange/amber with nearly white head. Bubbles are very small and lace the glass very well. The beer smells like sweet malty bread, corn syrup, and perhaps roasted sweet corn. The beer taste is dominated by earthy, sweet malts. There is some yeast flavor, and an appropriate level of bitter hops. However, the yeast flavors aren’t typical of Belgian style beers - not fruity, funky, or strong enough. The beer finishes with a little more bitterness and slight amount of fruit, and it is full-bodied. The beer is quite palatable, but doesn’t taste appropriate for its self-proclaimed style (belgian style ale).

Burnt orange color with a small diminishing head of tan bubbles. Lots of aromas, unfortunately I am not that attracted to, or likely better said, they don’t seem to mix into anything that I can get very excited about. Strong esters, with drunk cherries, overripe melon, rotting grass and green tea with a light spice and herbs tossed in. Flavors come across a bit less subdued and palatable. Light fruit (apples and pears) dipped in a light cream caramel starts the flavors, Lightly herbal hops mid quaff, with a touch of thyme and sage. A mild caramel and lightly toasted malt flavor comes in the finish. Linger returns to a herbal spice and dry pale malt essence. Reminds me of chewing on a tuscan herbed bread. Perhaps I need to let this set in the glass a touch before inhaling, as the scent is not nearly as foreboding, but I think I will keep my original score. Interesting, but less than thrilling.

no head, dense brown red body, bitter alcohol nose, piney lightly biiter flavor, a little raosty, complex and interesting but nothing too special

Pours clear amber, no sediment. Small but lasting off white head. mostly just a ring around the outer edge. Anyhow... Aroma is fruity, big yeast, your typical Belgian stuff. Flavor is fruity and malty. But it lacks a certain quality that keeps it from tasting authentic. It’s quite good, though, and well made. It does kinda lose something as it sits, carbonation mostly. So it’s kinda flat by the end of the glass. It’s not gonna knock your socks off if you have had some of the finer Belgians, but it’s alright stuff.

Bottle @ Sunset Grille. Ok nose, sweet. Dried fruit, fig/date/raisin, ABV gives it a bit of a paint thinner scent. Sugar. Lite spice. Tad hazed orangy brown, little to no head. Sweet flavor, like aroma with the fruity part being strongest. Lite body, creamy oily mouthfeel, sweet bitter finish. Nice brew, though I can’t say I’m seeking another out, that lost a little as it warmed.