Val-Dieu Grand Cru

Brewed by Brasserie de l’Abbaye du Val-Dieu
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Aubel, Belgium

My Bottom Line:
Doughy yeast, toasted malts and berry-infused caramel coalesce in this pillowy Belgian Strong Ale, leading to a leafy, wet earth-like hop bitterness.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A sheet of white foam laces atop the burgundy-laced dark brown.
-Alcohol is amazingly well hidden.
-Bubbles are plentiful yet soft on the palate.
-The mouthfeel is not too heavy for a beer this size; dextrins are levelled and dried out just enough in the finish.

Bottle.

Draught chalice at Redbones on 2/17/07
Purple-maroon-mahogany body has overtones of cola and is quite bubbly. Medium-beige head is small, precariously retained at cover and creates only minimal lacing at best. Clarity is medium-high.
Expressive, yeasty nose is full of smoothed out esters and phenols, with plenty of medium/dark malt complexities. Light clove, anise, allspice, light bananas, touches of citrus and prunes. Sticky, nice and caramelized thickness to the aroma, but still properly attenuated, it seems, from the nose. Light notes of cola and chocolate, with a touch of slick alcohol, redolent of Godiva raspberry liqueur. Really nice, the alcohol, for its size, dosent harry the nose too much and the key here....it’s not too bready/acidic or hard/crusty in the nose unlike St Berny Abt 12 on draught.
Much as expected, a competent, if somewhat predictable Belgian Dark Strong/ABT. Not as soft, chocolatey-sweet and malty as Westy 12. But darker, softer and more vinously fruited than Rochefort 10. Similar, but not as lacking in soothing texture as St. Berny 12. There’s a nice chewy/stickiness, though, importantly, it’s not syrupy/cloying or underattenuated. In fact, it might even be a touch loose on the end (though you can never be sure if that’s the beer or the draught nature. Most likely just the draught nature). Vanilla, cola, anise, prunes, and light clove dryness on the finish. A pleasant citrus-raspberry note plunges through the medium-dry chocolate and vanilla creaminess, strengthened by some insidious alcohol. It’s well-concealed for its strength, but it still has some effect, drying the beer out on the end and cutting some of the maltiness. Soft bananas and vanilla linger on. Very, very drinkable for its size. Excited to try it from the bottle.

Called "Grand Cru" at ZBF. Thanks to madsberg for finding this out. Draft. Murky nearly opaque brown bosy. Small tan head. Nose is cocoa, sweet malts, dark fruit but seems a bit too weak for what I was expecting. Taste is much better! Sweet, creamy malts, caramel, alcohol-soaked ripe fruits, light roasty notes, and a decent spice profile. Body is medium with light alcoholic warmth. Finishes the same but is seemingly much sweeter. Light spice, caramel, dark fruits, and a noticeable alcohol flavor.

Bottle pours dark brown with a hint of plum, large foamy sand colored head, with attractive lacing.   Fruity aroma, bready, sweet with a touch of alcohol.   Malty/bready up front, candy like sweetness, with a licorice based aftertaste.   Drink this one at slightly below room temp otherwise the sweetness is very cloying, like cough syrup.   Decent body, but rather average mouthfeel.   Finishes sweet, bready, with lingering bits of licorice.   Decent, but perhaps a bit overly sweet.

On draft at Okeefes in Milwaukee. Pours a dark murky brown with a thick creamy beige head. Aroma of watery dark fruit. Taste of malt and watery dark fruit.

Starts off with a strong head and aroma is quite fruity with citrus and tropical overtones. taste is highly malty, like a deep dark Sangria. Flavors are plentiful for a fruity Christmas dessert

Bottle. Dark brown with a thin head. Nose-metal, light banana, whisky. Taste-maple syrup, some lotion, brown sugar, very good Belgian Strong Ale qualities, a little on the sweet side, light tobacco.

ZBF 2005. Pours dark brown with a cream coloured head. Aroma is spicy and of alcohol. Taste is sweet malty, with notes of prunes. medium bodied, with some alcohol burning.