Valley Brew Decadence Grand Cru 2007

Formerly brewed at Valley Brewing Company
Style: Sour Ale
Stockton, California USA

6oz nip, courtesy of aspidites. Thanks, Mike! Pours a clear, orange-amber color; off-white head with patchy lacing. Generous aroma, showing tart cherries, citrus, and vinegar. Medium-to-full, chewy mouthfeel: relaxed tartness and carbonation; dense cherries and red fruits; slightly astringent - reminds me of Rodenbach Grand Cru with less sourness; alcohol warmth pokes through a bit (but not enough to suggest 12% alcohol). Medium, cherry and candy sugar finish.

22oz bottle. Reddish-copper color. Aroma of a sour, hints of bread. Very tart body. Rich malty texture.

Bottle at Columbus Tasting 8 - Thanks Sliffy! - Poured copper with a short white head that didn’t stay long but left lace. Aromas of caramel, a touch of some cherry, maybe some grape, and some yeast. Flavor is doused with cherry, caramel, yeast, some definite funk, and a little spice. Warm throughout by the alcohol but not really a factor in the flavor or the aroma. Finish was quite dry but amazlingly smooth on the palate. What a quality brew this one is!!

a big thanks to Mitch (Beerguy101) for bringing this to noogfest III This poured honey colored with no head. The beer is sour up front w/ some back end balance

<b>7/28/2007</b>: Valley Brew Decadence Grand Cru has a golden color with a pink hue to it. Mellow, soft cherry, tropical fruits, some acidic sourness, and some vinegar grace the beautiful aroma of this beer. This beer is mildly sweet with tropical fruits, some malt, and a hint of alcohol (which pops out more when the beer warms up). There is a bit of white wine flavor in the mid-palate and some bitterness in the finish. It addition to the wonderful flavor, this beer has a soft, smooth, mellow, and milky texture. This is a really, really good Grand Cru!

<i>Sample from 6.3 fl. oz. bottle shared at the "Columbus Tasting: Ate, now with gramatical errors" event. Thanks! Rating #56 for this beer...</i>

Hazy apricot. Thin but ornately wispy white head with some rockiness. Bright straw and biscuity malt nuances are softly cloaked by iron and yogurt-covered peaches. Composed mustiness. Soft and fluffy carbonation caresses the palate. Succulently bodied. Firm minerally overlay immediately accentuates the brisk but understated iron-accented tartness. Slightly medicinal toward the center, and although it does continue to grow, the flavor remains brightly fruity enough to keep the medicine at bay. Snappy bandage-like phenols lift much of the residual sweetness to unveil some brighter yet artfully nuanced malt subtleties. Slightly flabby, but well-attenuated and plenty minerally enough to compensate. Alcohol is masterfully concealed. Finishes with teasing glimpse of straw-like malt, but primarily fruity, cidery, and coarsely minerally with lingering notes of pear and stewed peaches. Now if the acidity only packed a bit more muscle in order to better combat the ever so slight mushiness. Really pleasant overall, though, and a true testament to Steve’s giftedness as an artisan brewer. Nice work, bro!

Noogfest Thanks to Beerguy101 for bringing this one to share. Firm white head over a hazy medium gold body. Typical funky, sour Belgian aroma. Lightly sweet with a sour acidic bite.

Dirty sloppy brown color with a slight orange tint and nothing on top in the way of head. Very plump peach aroma with floating soil notes. Peach flesh flavors with hotness behind it...very chewy mouthfeel, quite meaty in fact. I’m having a really hard time finding y notes of a 3 yr old pomegranate lambic. It’s a nice chewy ale though. On another note, why would the Ratebeer spell checker not recognize the word "Lambic" or even "Ratebeer" for that matter?