Brugge Brasserie Old Dog The Grand Cru

OK this was a major letdown for me, on tap in Indy. Would have never guessed this to be a Grand Cru or belgian strong, it was more like a cheap american red. No spice and no sour, just watered down and a touch of belgian sweetness. Maybe brewed for the mindless masses (and lord knows, IN is full of them), but this needs an overhaul.

Tap at brewery: Slightly hazy golden hue with a fading head and spotty lace. The aroma has notes of grains of paradise, clove, cardamom, ginger bread cookies, wheat and some noted alcoholic vapours. The taste is weird, there was a slight note of vinegar twang around the edges before the base malt and sweet fruits come to play. The finish again is spice driven and what appears the be ginger becomes a tad overpowering, a bit boozy on the palate as well. This beer is all of the place, part of it I liked and part of it is discombobulated.

GABF 2007. I don’t know if I was drinking the same stuff as you, but I found this impressively horrible. It was impressive in the strength of the flavor and the sheer amount of spice (and variety of spice) in it. Unfortunately, the spice was overwhelming. I really wanted to buckle down and pick out all the things I was tasting, but I couldn’t get around the fact that it was gross, and that I didn’t want any more. Cardamom, white pepper, clove, and ginger on the nose was enticing, but was already hinting at excessiveness. The utter lack of any balance in the mouth was beyond disappointing.

(Draught) Pours a clear golden body with a moderate off-white head. Aroma of grains of paradise, orange peel, clove, and pepper. Flavor of toasted/rich malt, caramel, and fruit.