Portsmouth Grand Cru

Vintage 2007 Pours clear orangy-gold, with a humble quarter-inch head of white. A few dots of lacework and no real retention to speak of. A placid surface throughout. The aromatics are laced with tropical fruit, bubblegum, and phenols. Tangerines and passionfruit with hints of golden raisins and light rum. Medium bodied, a bit sticky and syrupy. The low carbonation detracts. Quite juicy and fruity on the pallet. Peaches with shades of Grand Marnier, pear bubblegum, and cracked coriander. Alcohol is barely apparent, and the beer drinks quite fast. Finishes with lingering ripe fruit, lightly sweet malt, and warming alcohol. I was relatively unimpressed with this beer young, but after almost a year it has really cellared into something special. Too bad on the low carbonation. If this was carbonated like a Belgian should be, it would be over the top!

Draught snifter at the brewery on 7/6/07
Definitely an interesting take on a "Grand Cru" though there certainly are other examples of mid-gravity Belgian grand crus out there.
Medium clarity throughout an auburn-mahogany body that is topped by a small, fully dissipating beige head. Light carbonation in the liquid.
Rather sweet, simple caramel-toffee sweetness in the nose has some candi sugar hardness attached to it. Soft vanilla and other light spicing is apparent, though I cant quite put my finger on what it is exactly. It’s very distinctive though, something like allspice or heavily candied ginger. Moderate esterization is evident on the finish, and quite pleasant, though the nose certainly dosent display any vast complexity. The yeast didnt seem like it did a whole lot of work here, though not to say that this is underattenuated. Just seems like a very Belgo-American hybrid beer, with lots of focus on the caramel, toffee and spicing. No flaws.
Sweet again in flavor, with some dates, raisins and hints of chocolate on the finish. Toffee throughout most of it, with vanilla and clove/allspice spicing adding some intrigue. Very low, exceedingly loose carbonation is its greatest fault, giving the beer too little apparent body and showing some thinning/wateriness on the end. Alcohol warmth is sligthly apparent, though certainly not problematic or fuselic.

(draft) Cloudy dark amber topped by the scintilla of an of-white head. Aroma is moderately sweet, candi sugar, some orange, light alcohol. Taste is medium sweet, candi sugar, some orange, light clove, cardemom, alcohol. Low carbonation, medium-full body.