Southampton Grand Cru

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

Enjoying a bottle of Grand Cru is like opening a bottle of Cristal - totally pimp'in. With an amazing aroma & sweet flavor it is the quintessential belgian beer with an american craft tradition for experimentation with speciality flavors. It is a perfect beer.

#800! Big thanks to zathrus13 for sending this one my way. The cork alone was quite the challenge. For some reason I always have interesting experiences on these milestone beers. Despite breaking this stubborn one in half, I managed to extract the stump with my trusty waiter’s tool. Poured a lightly hazy light amber color with a gorgeous pillow white head that lasted throughout. The light color, however, was in no way indicitive of the massive amounts of complexity packed into this brew. Huge nose of orange marmalade, wood, yeast, and dark fruits. Flavor is composed of slightly sour blackberries, blood oranges, anise, oak, and hyacinths. Layers of complexity that I cannot begin to do justice to in this description. Perfect mouthfeel. This was absolutely stunning, worthy of its place in the top 50, and a memorable milestone beer. Wow. NOTE: This rated version was from the Southampton bottling. The PA bottling, while still excellent, lacks some of the complexity, most notably lacking the depth of dark fruit characters. This is more reminiscent of the Hoegaarden Grand Cru. I’ve left the original rating up.

Gorgeously dulled in tone in a pure shade of coppery orange jelly with a active core that keeps a lava lamp of activity along the sides of the goblet. A perfect, nearly gelantinous, thick, tall, creamy substance of a head sits with a firm, steady, lathering of yellowish foam that insists on not moving until touched by the lips. Lacing is big and drippy in large sheetings across the glass. Nose is quite fair and round with a fine yeasty spice of white pepper and corriander. Perhaps a flinting of ginger. Moderately malty and kinda candyish with some soft pineapple and tangerine along with some bubblegum esters. Taste is wonderfully rounded in malty richness of thick, deep, and dulled, tropical-like candy chewyness smacked with the perfect touch of fun spicy notes that really balance well. Actually, this is quite superbly balanced! A totally perfect melange of tamed, but huge malty goodness that reflects all that is thick and candy, toffee rich. Much like a fresh, and softly, slow baked bread and some bubblegum. And the spices that are added in are terrifically interwoven into the composition with a craft and care that endures wonderment and tasty awe. It’s a bit hard to pin it down exactly; the spice is a tad peppery, yeasty of course, and a feathery tad citric as well. Especially as it trails off into the finish as there’s a small little oompf of pithy bittering lemony/orange bite. Exacting the finish with length that’s strong with malt and drying late with some yeast, citric hops, and a malty reign of candyied chewy leftovers. Awesomely Yummy! Huge, chewy, malt body that brings a large and in charge candied impression of bubblegum ascented with tropical fruits. At first it didn’t seem as full, but as it went along this got bigger and bigger, fuller and fuller. Is that even possible. Well, if not, than this just proved the impossible Cuz this just plain out was huge and chewy with a very favorable smoothness and a pleasingly dulled sense of commonality and balance that screamed "Drink me you fool, drink me!" ...And so I did, and then some. Wow, an amazing brew! Way better from what I remember from when I first had it a couple summers ago. Totally worth every penny and every sip you can get. Phenomenal stuff! And a pure gem by Southampton!

Pours a sparkling dark orange that leaves a bubbly body foggy and inviting that has a clingy tan head. The nose is candied orange, wheat, grass, lemon peel, honey, tartness, fresh spicy hop aroma that is elegant and delightful. The taste starts malty, candy fruit, citrus rind bitterness that is rounded out by a clean palate cleansing from the carbonation. The finish is bitter and slightly boozy but that alcohal is smooth a little rough but it is quickly offset by the fruit backbone making this is a phenominal ale one of the best I’ve had the pleasure of having.

750 ml; no label: Glowing orange shade. Rocky, dirty white foam. Lovely flower laden, soft malty aroma. Pale malt, must, nutty yeast notes, toffee, dough, white grape, phenol, cilantro, and melon. Whispers of pepper and lemon zest. At the time the barny notes emerge, they’re squelched by the perfume, tropical fruitiness, and toffeeish malts. Extremely fluffy, expansive carbonation. Bottle conditioned to perfection. Lightly perfumey flavors trailed by lemon rind, dough, candy sugar, fig, toasted coconut, slick, round citric notes, and a gently coarse earthy bitterness at the back of the throat. Teasingly rich flavors with a perfect layer of complementary acidity. Finishes appetizingly dry and richly creamy with persistent nutty, slightly fruity yeast notes alongside faint diacetyl and leather aspects. It’s hard to find anything wrong with a beer that is chock full of clean, delicious yeastiness, gentle hop backbone, perfumey ester, and raw maris otteresque, bready, pale, toffeeish malts. I'll take this over this year’s Abbot 12.

750 ml Bottle: This Belgian-style strong ale pours a cloudy, copper color with a medium sized, long lasting, white colored head. It has a strong, musty aroma of hops, yeast, lemon, and malt. It has a medium body with lively carboantion and a wonderfully smooth mouthfeel. The flavor is tremendously fruity with notes of grapes, apricots, apples, and oranges. The flavor is unbelievably fruity considering the aroma gives no hint that such fruitiness will be found in the taste. The head lasts the entire glass and leaves nice lacings. The finish is long, sweet, fruity, and slightly hoppy at the end. This one is creamy and unbelievably delicious. This is the best American brewed Belgian style ale I have had. Simply magnificent. I'm going to go cry now because I only bought one bottle while I was in Ney York and probably will not make it up there again any time soon.

(750ml bottle) Pours a large, white head with a deep amber body. Highly carbonated. Nose of hemp, barnyard, yeast and very Fantome-esque! Sweet, peppery flavours with a leafy-hemp undertone. More malty than Fantome in flavour. Absolutely to die for. Great stuff - a new favourite. Thanks MaiBockAddict for this experience!

2003 750 ml. Pours an amber to copper color with a thick, fluffy persistent, lacing head. The aroma is both subtle and amazingly intense. Peach, white grape, melon, lemon, orange zest, lively yeast, buttery dough, slight must and superbly soft hops. The alcohol is hardly noticeable in the nose or the mouth. So smooth, delightful on the tongue. The flavor has a little spicy sweetness to open, leading to veritable pastures of fruit, chocolate, and toffee. The finish is remarkable, subtle and smooth, magnificent. Slightly bitter, but in the best way possible. One of the best beers I've had in many, many months. I cannot thank Trappist Ales Rule enough for allowing me to experience such brilliance in brewing. A sheer masterpiece...