Val-Dieu Grand Cru

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

750 ml, bb 02/09. Barely translucent chestnut with a small head that leaves some soapy lace. Aroma of raisins, prunes, cherry, brown sugar, light rum and chocolate. Flavors of caramel, lightly tart cherry, chocolate raisin, date, peppery oak and cedar, and some sour whiskey. Medium body is lightly carbonated, has a slight hop tingle, some nice alcohol warming and finishes dry. Lots of delicious big malt flavors, but also good balancing flavors found in this one.

Pours a nice deep brown color with notes of molasses, cherries, and dark fruit. It was fizzy with good lacing, with flavors of dark fruit and sugary goodness. Excellent beer.

Appearance: Very dark brown, hint of red. Little bit of off-white head. Aroma: Dark malt, dark fruit. Slightly sweet. Hint of alcohol. Taste: Dark fruit and dark malt. Warming. Nice aftertaste. Big bottle for one, though. Info: 750ml bottle, 24/9-2009, 31/100

On tap @ City Beer, pours beautiful deep ruddy brown with a thin, tan head. The nose is excellent, with full dried fruit aromas, caramel, brown sugar and vinous fruits. The flavor follows suit perfectly, with a interesting woodsy, oak finish although this wasn’t barrel aged. VERY nice and hid the alcohol in well, but I definitely felt it half way through the glass!

tap, goblet. Dark, thick, creamy head. Aroma is sweet and fruity, like prunes, no hop aroma. Taste is sweet, plum.prune, no hops. Medium-thick body, little dry finish, no hop bitterness. Great beer, I’ll try this again.

Bottle, 75cl @ YNWA. Pours a golden dark mahogany with a small, creamy and slightly grey-beige head. There is a stunning level of lacing in this beer! Powerful aroma of dried fruits (raisins and plums) along with a dose of dark chocolate. Lightly oily mouthfeel. Flavour is sweet with a weak background of chocolate. Then a lot of burnt sugar appears, and it mixes well with the lingering alcohol at the end. There is a touch of tartness at the end.

Poured a nice murky brown color with some sedimenties that came out at the end of the pour. The head was nice, yet only respectable within the style, nothing outstanding. Lacing was good. The aroma was gentle, soft, nice meld of dark fruits, light yeast, some breadiness, and a candi sugar type sweetness. The flavor was ever so smooth, nice dark and light fruit activity (plums, cherries, yum), light cocoa, gentle spicing, all finishing with a touch of yeasty bready bitterness to finish pretty clean. Mouthfeel was lightly carbonated and gentle and smooth.

On Tap Hamilton’s. This ale is very dark with a nice froth head and the flavors dance around from that belgian candy sugar with a balance of fruit and spices similar to plums and anise. The nose isnt as presence as the flavor but this one is going real fast.