Great Divide Grand Cru

Brewed by Great Divide Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Denver, Colorado USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Presentation: It was poured from a (foiled and capped) brown 650ml bottle into a tulip glass. The label has a nice description of the beer, the abv (11%) and a freshness/born on date. ("BOTTLED ON JAN 31 2011") Appearance: The body has a deep ruby color with great clarity when held up to light. From the vigorous pour I got a small one finger cap that fades quickly. This sets up a wispy thin off white film with a ring of lace at the edge of the glass. Smell: The first sniff is a bit odd and muddled. As it warms a bit, it opens up and I can start to pick up its many layers of sweetness. First up I get the fruit with notes of raisins, prune, blackberries and black currants. Next up, honey and spicy peppery notes mixed with herbal liquor like boozy sweetness. This is all very interesting and deep. Taste/Palate: Just like the aroma, my first sip was overwhelming and cloying. As it warms up dark fruit notes begin to pop out of a cloyingly sweet maltiness with notes of maple syrup, black currants, raisins covered in honey and prunes. A peppery alcoholic warmth wraps around the palate and it finishes with a touch of spicy clove, mild herbal hops and tons of residual sweetness. The palate is full thick and sticky with light carbonation. Notes: As it warms it opens up many layers of complexity. However all of it is super sweet, unbalanced and boozy to the point of it becoming hard to finish. I am a big fan of Great Divide brewery but this one needs some work.

Bottle @ Bierzwerg.de. Pours dark ruby amber with a creamy white head and lacings. Nose is caramel, dark fruit, vanilla, port and oak. Quite complex. Flavor is brown sugar, caramel, spices and alcohol. Full bodied.

Bottle from bierzwerg.de. Red brown color with medium beige head. Aroma of prunes, marzipan, brandy, caramel, red fruit. Taste, sweet malt, burned sugar, raisins, alcohol. Strong alcoholic finish. Excellent beer.

Bottle. Color dark amber with medium head. Aroma malt, caramel, yeast, alcohol. Taste sweet, malt, caramel, alcohol.

Bottle. 22 oz. Pours a faint maroon amber with a thin, sticky laced beige head cast over the surface and slung down the sides. Aroma of peanut butter, molassess, caramel, brittle, and dark, ripe plums, raisins, and Belgian candied sugars. Medium, playful palte, with a soft carbonation and easy, well-rounded mouthfeel. Notes of peanut brittle, caramel, grape juice and honey mingle on the tongue and finish with a slow, easy, calm warming. A bit sweet in the end, if a bit too much, but overall a very well balanced, tasty, easy drinking brew. This is incredibly smooth for an 11% Belgian strong. Go on, give it a try!

Appearance: deep, deep brown, with reddish purple highlights and a short light tan head. Aroma: warm cherries in a sherry sauce, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, leather, chocolate. Taste: raisins, molasses, cherries jubilee, with notes of caramel, chocolate, and buckets of candi sugar. Finish: sweet, only slightly boozy, with a surprising light dryness. Notes: Great Divide does it again. A wonderfully rich Belgian-style ale.. Dark, sweet, and tasty. Amazing that this is 11% abv, because while it’s rich, the booze does not burn or overpower in the slightest. A great dessert sipper.

Very good version of the Belgian Strong Ale. Darker bodied and a fuller flavor than most continental varieties. Peach, some plum, and some caramelly undertones.

Bottle, bought @ Bierzwerg,de.
Pours deep red to black with a small, frothy, off-white head. Aroma has raisins, chocolate, light peach and liqourice. Fat caramel malts. Light pear wine gums. Medium carbonation, fat and oily mouthfeel. Flavour has lots of complex dark sugars adding caramel, liqourice. Raisins, light chocolate. Mild viniousness but a good, lingering dryness. Very sugar-based, but has a good complexity still.

22 oz bottle purchased at Premier Gourmet in Buffalo, NY. Dated 1/31/11. Pours a deep, clear reddish-tinged brown. Smells sharply of cinnamon, whiskey, cherries. Strange smell, very intriguing. A little bit of spice in the taste as well.

650ml bottle @ home shared with Dutchdrebus. Clear amber-brown color, average sized off-white to beige head. Smell roasty, dark malts, a bit wort, hints of chocolate. Tastes about the same: roasty, dark malts, wort, hint of chocolate and raisin. Medium body, medium carbonation.

Bottle thx to Benzai. Copper to amber brown colour with a decent sized slightly off-white head. Smells slightly smoked and some bacon (only in the beginning), yeast, strong glue, some red fruits, some chocolate. Tastes sweet, slightly malty, raisins, a small amount of coffee and some chocolate. A little bit low on the carbo, medium to full body, silky and oily. Hard to judge this one. I don’t even know for sure whether i like this one or not. I think i do, but i wouldn’t like to drink the whole bottle on my own.