AleSmith Grand Cru

Brewed by AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
San Diego, California USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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(Being starved for good beer, arjoseph fends off a particularly sharp withdrawl pang by retreating to his "cellar" to procure some long-saved bottle, and drinking it.) 2003 vintage. 75cl into Duvel tulip glass. Thanks to cquiroga, as always, for a generous gift. The pour produces a smallish-medium sized head of yellow brown-gray ("gray" or "grey"? I never know) bubbles, some of which are dense and small and others (mostly in the center) are largish and soapy looking. The head diminishes not instantly but quickly, leaving a ring of the soapy bubles on the edge. Said bubles pop intermittently like an unenergetic witch’s cauldron. The head will revive if the beer is swirled, but it will diminish just as quickly. Lacing is almost nonexistent, but where the foam does cling to the side, it does so in an archipelago of irregular islands of very dense, almost imperceptibly small bubbles. The sub-surface "racing" is deep at first, and mildly energetic (by which I mean it doesn’t race to the top, but doesn’t rise sluggisly either). Color is ruby brown with orange-yellow highlights, both glowing in the almost-transparent transluscency. The aroma is strong; I can smell this thing almost immediately after the pour, even though my nose is at least a foot away from the glass (and two from the bottle). The nose is burnt leaves, buttered saltine crackers, brown sugar, burnt caramel; I can smell lots of sweetness and musty malts. This reminds me of autumn, like harvested corn in silos and sugars of various colors being baked in cookies and pies. The taste is just as sweet and musty as the smell. On the medium to full body, this might be considered syrupy by some, but I don’t think it reaches that level on sweetness or thickness. Flavors of candied apple and peach prop up buttery and sugary malts. Right after the swallow, acid emerges in the form of overripe prunes and apricot, mellowing into a light meringue sweetness with a strong vanilla character. About 5 seconds after the swallow, the finish kicks in: musty, burnt, almost smoky; the harvest impression of corn comes back (maybe even Indian maize); the alcohol wafts up the nose and adds an acrid bite. Some kind of hops add to the acrid/musty bitterness, which lingers for minutes. In all, this is a great beer. I think the age might contribute to the character and potency of the finish; if it were a bit younger, the acrid and overripe qualities might not be so prevalent, which I think would make it better (but only marginally so). In the end, I have no hyperbolic remarks (not even "dope"), only deservedly high marks.

Pours brownish red with no head or lacing. Aroma is plum, orange peel, alcohol, and currants. taste is plum, clove, grape and currants. finish is boozy and sweet. a lovely beer that I can imagine aging well.

Bottled:
Dark orangey amber colour. Large head. Sweet and malty caramel aroma with notes of oranges. Sweet, thick and oily mouthfeel. Flavour is sweet caramel, cherries and alcohol. Harsh finish. Just a little bit too sweet and boozy for me.

Bottle. dark red brown colour with a beige head. Aroma is roasted malt, berries, caramel. Flavour is is sweet and sour, roasted malt, licorice, caramel, berries, alcohol, dried fruits. Full body. Very nice beer.

Pours cloudy orangish brown with a great tan head. Head is smooth like well steamed latte milk with good retention. Yeast, barnyard funk and dark sugar on the nose. Taste is rich and smooth, with rich caramel, candy, yeast, hint of vanilla and a little citrus-like tartness. Med carbonation. Full bodied. After taste is rich sweet with some dry hops and alcohol. Interesting ale, a little on the sweet side, but very good.

Coppery amber in color with a huge foamy tannish head. Wine-like, with a tartness and a sour sweetness tempered with caramel like malt flavors. Fizzy and carbonated with a lot of deep fruit, the alcohol is definitely there.

Pour clear red/dark orange, with a huge creamy white head. Aroma of plums, prunes, caramel, Belgian yeasty funkiness. Also some brown sugar, bread, and perhaps some unripe cherries/berries, to ad some sourness

Pour clear red/dark orange, with a huge creamy white head. Aroma of plums, prunes, caramel, Belgian yeasty funkiness. Also some brown sugar, bread, and perhaps some unripe cherries/berries, to ad some sourness. Taste is sweet, with some sour notes. Medium body, with plenty of fizzy carbonation. Rather dry finish on this one.

Thanks to Deuane for bringing this ’06 bottle to Stakem’s Fish Fry. A - Pours murky brown with a half finger tall off-white head leaving small trails of lace down some of the glass. S - Smells of sweet caramel malt, brown sugar, toffee, dark fruits, figs, some cherries and a bit of spicy/sweet belgian yeast. The booze is all but gone from the nose. T - Starts off with a bunch of sweetness - mostly made up of toffee, brown sugar and caramel malt - slowly giving way to hints of dark fruits, cherries, vanilla and some spicy yeast. Only a tiny bit of booze creeps as it warms up, warming the end of each sip. Finish has some sweetness, lingering on the pallet long after consumption. M - Big body with a creamy sweet feel and moderate carbonation. The flavors are fairly sweet throughout with very little booze detectable. O - I liked this one. The flavors worked well and it was surprisingly easy to drink. It appears to be at its peak now, maybe beginning to slide a little bit.

Bomber from Andy--what a treat! pours a dark ruby. generally sweet, lots of dark fruit to it, cherry and plum, and a nice alcohol warming at the end. Good beer.

750ml bottle, shared with friends. Thin off-white head, fading to minimal. Clear red color. Dry texture. Lighter, smoother carbonation. Nice, sweet belgian-candy taste. Nice, rich dark fruit aroma. Some [complex lemony] notes. Friends liked this better than the AleSmith Wee Heavy (which I shared just before this bottle).