Val-Dieu Grand Cru

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

(Bottled, 0.75l, re-rate, same score) Very dark brown color, medium, tight and tanned, lacy head. Slightly alcoholic, very malty aroma with dates and apricot, and a hint of toffee. Sweet, rye-pudding-malty, fruity flavor with raisins, toffee, spices (anise, licorice, orange-peel etc.), and a slight touch of alcohol. Not much hops present, and the flavor is a bit straightforward, too. Very velvety-smooth, slicky mouthfeel. Quite full-bodied palate with soft carbonation. Alcohol feels warming, but is very well hidden in the flavor. A very tasty, very smooth, very drinkable and warming brew. Sure, it’s sweet, but still it definitely gets my silky-smooth-full-yet-easy award. Offer this to someone new to Belgian beers, and he/she sure is sold!

This beer is soft and long. There is no indication that it packs ten percent alcohol. Nice lacing, plenty of head, and a lovely caramel brown color. Aromas are mature: dark fruit, raisin, yeast. Flavors are bright and sharp on the hop and fruit side, doughy and slow on the candy finish. It does have a very long finish. Excellent example.

The aroma was earthy and citrusy with a peppery spice phenolic. Dark fruits of raisins and prunes were notable along with some dark caramel character. Alcohol wafted slightly bringing the citrus esters and the spice to the forefront. The beer poured into the chalice crystal clear deep brown, black actually. The head was white and rose moderately lasting enough to lace the glass. The flavor was malty with a strong presence of prunes and raisins along with a sherry presence. The flavor began a bit sweet and earthy and then those sweet malt and fruit characteristics became entrenched with earthy flavors and light peppery spice. The flavor was well done and quite complex. The finish was just dry with lasting impressions of dark fruit, dark raisins and prunes, with a very light pepper spice into the aftertaste. The body was medium-full and the beer had a moderate level of carbonation. The alcohol warming was substantial and lasting. A really great flavor on this one, the aroma could use a slight boost in complexity. 750 ml corked and bailed bottle.

Wheaty aroma with dark fruit, toffee, rum. Slightly alcoholic flavors but not a sharp burn. Nice complexity here and a good abbey style ale. Nothing that sets it apart from others in this style, but I could drink this all night and be happy.

Drunken 750ml uncorking at The Penguin with Dirtman. Mahogany with red edges beneath woolly, climbing beige. That nutty sourish hazelnut yoghurt, parsley and chocolate Westy thing aroma. Cherry liqueur chocolates, lingering fleshy cherry in fact, marzipan, prunes, yeast, mown grass hop and a slim beige collar 2 HOURS after the pour. Incendiary, (only just) sub-Trappist Belgian heavyweight provoking some unusually robust early morning debate.

On tap at Stone. Dark brown with a large creamy white head. Dark fruit and yeast aroma. Bright palate. Fig and chocolate taste with a sweet alcohol and vanilla taste to the finish.

scura buona schiuma persistente al naso molto fruttato come una passata concentrata di frutta in bocca un buon corpo ben bilanciata con un retrogusto tendente al secco

Evening all. This is my first ever rate. And a good way to start. Lovely beer. And that’s as technical as my rates go. It was my first beer of the night but that has nothing to do with it’s high rate. Or the fact that this was my first doesn’t affect the rate. It’s that good. It smells sweeter than a clean baby. It has the appearance of a dirty baby. Or if your dirty babies are a different colour than the one’s I’m used to, it’s colour is like the inside of Merlin’s sleeve. Fucking nice tasting above all. Beer is for drinking, when there is stuff this good about why waste my time rating crap? I might only rate this one beer, if it was a desert island beer I wouldn’t be sorry. Great beer ratebeer.