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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The beer arrived in a handsome bomber, courtesy of BA dogfoodog. After removing the gold foil, I was expecting to use the corkscrew, but the plain old crown cap made liberating the beer a much easier proposition. I was also surprised by the green glass, which seems to be more of an exception for and American craft brewery use. The Duvel tulip I had appointed for imbibing awaited, so without further looking, I poured the beer. The body was Burgundy in color and quite clear. There was very little head to start with, and it faded right away. Despite the D etched at the bottom of the glass, there were no streamers, and the beer sat very still.

The smell was richly layered with dark malt goodness. I could smell raisins, figs, red beets, and grapes. The taste was pretty much the same, except some hop bitterness and oak wood like dryness became apparent at the end of each sip. This and a hint of sourness kept the taste from being too sweet. I was expecting a little more complexity from this beer, but overall this ended up being a little bit bland. It was slippery and smooth on the tongue, and not as thick as I initially suspected. By the end of the drinking session, the 10% ABV started to wear me down a little. A good pick up however for a Saturday night like this, where I can stay in bed late tomorrow.

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).