Val-Dieu Grand Cru

Brewed by Brasserie de l’Abbaye du Val-Dieu
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Aubel, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Bottle. Almost black wit red and brown tints and a beige foam.. Aromas are fruity, yeasty and malty with cookie dough and chocolate. Mellow berries, too. Flavours are malty with smooth chocolate. Spicy, yeasty and bready with liquourice and herbal notes. Alchohol on the finish with a good foaming palate. Very good.

Zythos Beer Festival, Sint-Niklaas, Belgium 2005. Brown colour with a baige head. Spicy malty alcoholic aroma and a sweet malty light alcoholic taste. Medium body and a sweet warming alcoholic finish.

This reportedly is the Grand Cru. It pours a muddy brown with little head. It is about three years old. Overall pleasant, and a drying rich taste. Definite dark fruit, pepper, and cocoa, well balanced.

Bottle from State Line. Pours hazy deep rubyish dark brown with 2-finger khaki head. Aroma of spicy nutmeggy malt, figs, toffee, cognac, port wine. Tastes roasty malty, with figs, sweet dark chocolate, nutmeg, prune, some funky yeasty notes. The palate is dense, smooth, amazingly complex, and I didn’t notice a lick of alcohol in this. Wonderful.

750mL bottle. Poured deep, coppery-brown with a tall cap of beige head.. set itself up nicely in the glass. The aroma picked up a great blend of raisins, plums, and molasses with accents of peppery yeast and banana.. warmth brought out more spice and candied fruit.. good stuff! The flavor found molasses and raisins above all else at the core, with caramel providing some support.. tangy earth and peppery spices joined banana and dusty yeast notes around.. peppery spices and warm raisins amplified by alcohol on the long finish. Medium-plus bodied moderate-plus carbonation on the palate.. everything was very well balanced, and I’ll be glad to drink this again.

750 ml corked and caged bottle poured a clear reddish brown with a lasting tan head. Aromas of toffee, cola, dried fruit and light spice. Palate was light to medium bodied and crisp. Flavors of toffee, cola, prunes, dates and light spice with a crisp lingering dried fruit finish.

Bottle. The best i’ve had under the Val-Dieu line to date. Pours a dark brune body with an off white head. Dark fruit esters, modest warming, plums, dates, licorice, with a sweet warming. Spiced yeast character hints of cinnamon and woody notes. A very nice ale.

Bottle@Københavnske Øldage. Lots of sweet sugary candy sugar flavours in here, too much, caramel, candy sugar and yeast. Yipes. Overly sweet.