Grand Cru - Barrel-Aged
(has 2 batches)
AleSmith Brewing Company in San Diego, California, United States 🇺🇸
Belgian Style - Strong Ale Rotating Out of Production|
Score
7.41
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This Belgian-Style Ale has been matured in American and French oak red wine barrels for a year to add layers of complexity to its rich flavor profile of dark fruit and Belgian caramel malts. The oak and red wine flavors imparted by the barrel-aging process blend seamlessly with subtle hints of raisin, plum, and bittersweet chocolate from the beer. Enjoy now or continue to age in a cool, dark place.
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7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
750ml black foiled bottle pours with a brown-amber-mahogany colored body that supports a very short lived assembly of tan bubbles. The aroma offers brown sugar, figs and dates and then it gets pretty boozy with a dash of molasses. The taste starts with some mild tartness that has a fig sweetened red wine sensation moving sluggishly into brown sugar and molasses. The muted red wine bubbles to the surface midway and into the finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 02 May 2015
at 14:51
9/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 9
Bottle thanks to Ibrew2or3 shared at Anchorage Apr ’15 Tasting: Poured caramel brown with a bubble tan head. Aroma is sticky fruit, coconut, and sugary. Wow that red wine really stuck to this and flashes through from the start, really sticky sweet caramel malt lingers in the finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Apr 2015
at 21:09
8.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Capped 750 from Malt & Vine. Pours dark orange brown with a beige/tan head. Aroma is red berry and treacle. Amazing smell. Full bodied. Flavor is red berry, treacle, oak and arguably wine. Not a dry finish, but just sweet enough.
Tried
on 09 Feb 2015
at 15:31
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle: Poured an hazy amber color ale with a medium off-white head. Aroma of sweet malt with some residual sugar, some caramel and light dry fruit notes. Taste is also a well balanced mix between some sweet malt with caramel malt and light dry fruit notes. Body is quite full with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Enjoyable but not as complex as I was hoping and barrel was not as apparent as I would have expected.
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Oct 2014
at 12:10
7.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Sample from 2012 batch at Denver Rare Beer Tasting VI on 10/03/2014. Pours a slightly hazy reddish-amber color with a medium off-white head that diminishes steadily to an outer ring. Partial rings of lace. Aroma of oak, dark fruit and malt. Full-bodied with flavors of vinous oak, caramel malt and earthy yeast. The finish is oaky with a dark fruit aftertaste. Pretty good overall.
Tried
on 12 Oct 2014
at 14:11
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
A dark hazed amber ale with a thin off white head. In aroma, sweet fruity candy sugar malt with, plums, licorice, alcohol warmth, light grapeskins. In mouth, a sweet fruity malt with candy sugar, coriander, curacao, very nice alcohol warmth, nice.
Tried
from Can
on 27 Sep 2014
at 17:29
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
750mL bottle, pours a dark mahogany with a small beige head. Aroma brings out red wine, candied sugar, Belgian yeast, and a little caramel. Flavour brings out Belgian yeast, candied sugar, and very subtle red wine. The red wine is more pronounced on the nose than the flavour, where it's more subtle but still definitely there. Finishes dry and vinous. Wonderful stuff.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 May 2014
at 20:29
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Courtesy of Matt
Hazy dark red-amber color with small head. The aroma is vinous, with vanilla oak, brandy. Too much carbonation; the mouthfeel is weaker than expected; the malt flavor is caramelly, light residual sweetness, mild wine and brandy touch, a bit dusty too; the final is dry and a bit short.
Good but not impressive.
Hazy dark red-amber color with small head. The aroma is vinous, with vanilla oak, brandy. Too much carbonation; the mouthfeel is weaker than expected; the malt flavor is caramelly, light residual sweetness, mild wine and brandy touch, a bit dusty too; the final is dry and a bit short.
Good but not impressive.
Tried
on 09 May 2014
at 20:29
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Bottle, shared among friends. Pours clear reddish chestnut with a small beige head and some lacing on the glass. Aroma is oak, vanilla, vinous, spices, toffee, raisin, prune. Flavor follows, medium sweet, quite vinous, a bit of tartness on the finish. Medium body, just a bit of heat belying the ABV. Fuck. Not bad, but for some reason I keep getting disappointed by AleSmith BA beers.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Apr 2014
at 21:57
6.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Bottle @ Armin’s house, courtesy of womencantsail. Thanks! Pours a clear dark reddish appearance with a thin tan head. Tangerine, dark grape, light caramel, brown sugar aroma. A bit tannic, dark grape, plum, somewhat spicy, a touch tart flavor. Not bad.
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Jan 2014
at 15:15