Southampton Grand Cru

Brewed by Southampton Publick House
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Southampton, New York USA

hazy ornage app with small, thin white head; a hoppy, caramely aroma full of spices and sugars...flavor was very sweet with mild hops, fruits, and spices...good palate; good stuff

Bottle at Chris’ place, thanks to joet for sharing. Pale and cloudy. Flavour is sweet, malty and roughly spicey. Distinctly unpleasent, offensive, overhyped American dross that can’t touch almost any true Belgian.

Bottled at The London/Joet Gathering Chez Chris_O. A hazy pinky orange coloured beer. The aroma is funky and fruity with a little spice present. The taste is spicy and peppery with hops and a little wood. Very much a Belgian style beer brewed with an American slant. Not bad but I didn’t quite get the hype.

2004 vintage. Rating #1000.
Many thanks to Larry (goldtwins) for providing me with beer #1000! Amber/light copper body, slightly hazy, thin off-white head. Lots of white grape and apple in the aroma as well as a touch of plum, orange, sweet breads and crackers. Yeasty mustiness in the background. Flavor was very sweet with plenty of candi sugar, apple, white grape, coriander, and spicy yeast esters, with a touch of prune and caramel at the finish. Reminded me a bit of those 8 oz fruit juice cartons that were popular lunch-time items in elementary school. Biscuity finish with hints of alcohol. The sweetness was unbalanced and a bit cloying; I find that beers this sweet are best when the sugars are balanced by chocolate and/or dark fruit character. Full-bodied and dense. A good beer, but not one of the best I’ve sampled. One thousand down; how many to go?

Apr. 2004 vintage, 750ml. Heady, sweet, flowery, citric aroma, some tropical fruit, spice and estery yeast with notes of orange, lemon, pear, honey and coriander, along with much lighter suggestions of pepper, dough, leather, musty wood and green, leafy herbs. Lightly cloudy dark golden color, with a thick, lasting cap of foam and a dense web of lace. Flavor profile is sweet and sugary to start, becoming fruity, citric and tart before a long, complex, lightly warming, spicy and juicy finish with a hint of white grape and freshly cut wood appearing late. Creamy and smooth on the palate with a touch of tangy acidity and a full body. Alcohol is nearly imperceptible. Intriguing.

10.31.04 750ml bottle. Glowing, hazed, amber pour. White head. Grassy on the nose with a decent dose of peppery, grassy, farmish aromas. Rather heavy feel but plenty of astringent and spicey barnishness, anise. Lots of coriander gets a bit much as the glass wears on. Good stuff though I can’t pin down the reason I like it.

Hazy gold/orange colour. A beautifully balanced brew. Although the high alcohol content is noticeable in a volatility in the aroma and a warming aftertaste, it complements rather than overwhelms. There’s plenty of spices (cloves) sweetish body, but it doesn’t get too much there’s sufficient citric (orangey) hop presence to set them off. And underpinning those elements, there’s a restrained musty, woody and slightly sour character that pulls the whole thing together. Damn fine beer. Bottled at the DC gathering on 20 November 2004.

Pour is a pale orange almost peach color. I drank this at room temperature. I can smell the orange peel in the aroma along with what I would call "funk". The mouth feel is sharp with a lingering bite that hangs around in the back of my throat. I am not terribly impressed. The flavor is decent with the coriander coming through. Not what I expected, and I have to say I am disappointed. 6/3/6/3/12

RERATE: 2005 750ml bottle aged 2 years. Pour is a pleasant melon color with plenty of floaties. Aroma is apple-y and quite funky. Flavor is fruity and a little sour. Body is about right. Interesting but not feeling the excitement of a 98 percentile beer.