Avery The Beast Grand Cru Ale

Brewed by Avery Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Boulder, Colorado USA

2004 bottle of the original batch. I was lucky enough to get it straight from Adam Avery’s cellar while he was visiting St. Louis. Dark brown color with off white head. Sweetich caramel aroma with bitter chocolate . Very rich. It has aged incredibly well and I wish I could have tried it side by side with a newer bottle.

on tap at papago on 12/10/2009... unsure of the vintage. hazy auburn colored pour with a lasting dense near white ring of foam. there’s a pleasant aroma of dates, vanilla, oaky spice, brown sugar and grain underneath a blanket of floral alcohol. the palate is sticky and sweet up front yet alcohol seems to clear it up fairly well. there is a flavor facade of applewine, brown sugar, florals/esters, oaky vanilla, dates, wood and tons of spiciness blocking the massive amount of boozy burn near the finish. full bodied, very hot and cloyingly sweet... rather like drinking a poorly manufactured port . fyi, don’t let the barkeep mix this 50/50 with dfh 120 to ’balance it out’! 7/4/5/2/13/3.1

I’m not a fan of the other Avery demons, but this one works, in a syrupy malt-bomb kind of way. Deep brown pour with a sticky yellow-brown head. Aroma is surprisingly faint, just some caramel and alcohol. First sip identifies it as a malt bomb, primary fig, date, dried fruit flavors up front, transitioning to more sugary flavors, molasses, caramel, toffee, as each sip proceeds. A bit of dust on the finish. Full bodied, syrupy, but not really cloying. Surprisingly, the flavor contains the alcohol content, and it remains sippable throughout. Except that the alcohol kills the palate before the glass was half over, and all I really tasted after that was a brown sugar wine. Beer doing its darnedest to be rum.

2005 vintage. pours deep brown with red highlights. no real head. aroma is sweet fruits, raisins, molasses, a touch of soy, slight chocolate, caramel. chilled there is no alcohol noticable but very concentrated sweetness or dark fruits, sugars, caramel, dates, fig, chocolate, toffee, and a touch of soy. as it warms alcohol comes into the picture a little but not overbearing. drinks very very smooth and the age has done wonders. I think much more time on this vintage would lend more soy oxidation.

Where do I begin with this one? The color is a mix of orange,red, and brown, with virtually no foam. The aroma is big and complex. Barley, malts and grains. Sweet and smooth. The ABV% makes this too hard to drink quickly. Sip and enjoy.

WOW! the beer menu says 14.9%, so this must be the 2005? is this a barley wine, a quadrupel ipa or a weird belgium? not sure, but don’t really care. served in a 6oz. glass for $7, making it one of the most expensive i’ve had. the nose is hugely sweet sugar with mild floral notes. taste is dense like telling a girl you love her and hearing nothing in return. thick and sweet and heavy. sweetness comes next with bready after notes. this one hides the heavy alcohol quiet well... wish i had this in college with the ladies.

"Nicely cellared and mind blowing, this beer could do no wrong. Appearance was a bit weak with a flat amber/copper body followed by no head or lacing, but at 15% and well aged I wasn’t expecting anything more. Intriguingly fruity nose with a complimenting faint band-aid scent, it doesn’t sound appealing but it was nice. Very rich mouth feel, slow and steady with this one. Yeasty fruit flavors all jumbled together with a sweet rum like quality. Wonderful."

2006 bottle. Drink on the 19th of january 2010. Pours a dark amber with a nice creamy beige head. Heavy sweet nose of maple syrup, candied sugar, candied oranges, something floral, like dark honey. Full body, syrupy, like a big glass of date juice, with loads of caramel, everlasting sweet finish. This is not for the faint of heart. Tasty, overly sweet, port like, yet satisfying, if you share a bottle with at least 3 people. Unique brew...