St. Sebastiaan Grand Cru
Brouwerij Sterkens N.V.

St. Sebastiaan Grand CruSt. Sebastiaan Grand Cru
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From:
Brouwerij Sterkens N.V.
 
Belgium
Style:
Belgian Pale Strong Ale
ABV:
9%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.72 | pDev: 13.71%
Reviews:
25
Ratings:
34
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 01, 2017
Added:
Oct 19, 2005
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  4
No description / notes.
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Rated: 3.67 by desint from Belgium

Sep 01, 2017
Photo of josanguapo
Reviewed by josanguapo from Spain

4.6/5  rDev +23.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
From Alcampo. In La Trappe chalice. Watching Silicon Valley 2x08-09. Ive enjoyed it a lot. The alcohol is well hidden and it doesnt feel sugar at all but smooth and pleasant
Jun 26, 2016
 
Rated: 3.77 by HopBelT from Belgium

Apr 29, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by iRun2Beer from Minnesota

Sep 02, 2015
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Rated by nelsonsaigon from Viet Nam

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Saigon (bottle)

I like this beer and look forward to my next drink.
May 02, 2015
Photo of patre_tim
Reviewed by patre_tim from Thailand

2.38/5  rDev -36%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.25
A: Straw with a light haze, a moderate amount of slow rising fine bubbles, 5 fingers of light yellow tinged white head that fades slowly. Random flakes of lacing.



S: Fruity pears, Belgian yeasts, light smokiness, alkaline battery, electric race car track.



T: Light, like an amped up AA Lager with fruity qualities and Belgian yeasts added. Initial extreme disappointment. Reminds me of the Poppy Day one by Kasteel. Clean linen, metallic note, pear juice, a hint of smoke.


M: Thin and watery. A little fine bubbled carbonation. Relatively dry.



O: Great bottle, but that’s the best part. Really disappointed, just a thin body, a little flavor putting it above a Budweiser, a slight rust taste. Got in Kunming, drank March 26, 2015.
Mar 26, 2015
 
Rated: 3.8 by mattfancett from England

Sep 02, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by WynnO from Florida

Apr 07, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by BKotch from Texas

Dec 31, 2013
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Reviewed by amendt from Italy

3.76/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This tastes exactly like the St. Denise, which I reviewed just a bottle or two ago. This one's a bigger bottle, and I wouldn't hit on any bloke with that bald-pate haircut. Though I might wear a tunic or a frock and race around smacking mothers, shaking infants -- in short, being holy.

Citrus. It is the one 'note' cited again and again for all these beers. They sell them in Italy because the Italians -- the lush ones -- may yet put two and two together and pay slightly more for the bigger bang than their Morettis. Citrus. Are we in the tropics? Have I Moorish blood? --Did I spend Tuesdays with Morrie?

The operative question here is: how on earth did I come by this beer? --Is it a beer? Or a special category of drink: faux-Belgian-beer-for-Italians?

It's golden. And it gives me that fragile delirium that I crave, which I suppose puts me in the category of those saints who used to suck on stained opium pipes back in the days when Empire meant something for Britain. I don't like British twats and their stale class distinctions -- but there was a time when they were the apex, the tip-top-top of the food pyramid, and you could go to London for forty cents and slash all the best hookers --

But I digress. Another sip. Tastes just like the last twenty. I don't see how 'citrus' is a fit with Belgian beers at all. Time to go listen to a few funeral dirges.
Oct 11, 2012
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Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington

3.83/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Review from 10/2010 notes. Poured into a Nostradamus flute glass. Pours a clear orange amber with a thick off-white head and lacing. Medium bodied. Light malt, fruit and sour aroma. Sweet malt light fruit, mild Belgian spicing and some floral flavors. Somewhat sweet/sour flavor. Finishes dry. I kind of like this. A bit more character on the finish and this would be quite nice.
Jul 15, 2012
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Reviewed by StJamesGate from New York

3.53/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Cloudy lemon with rocky bone white head. Melon, some wax and buttermilk biscuit on the nose.
Unripe nectarines, a bit of wax, some candy sugar and spicy hops to end.
Fruity end and a yeasty tang. Light, smooth, and round.

"Grand" nothing. Totally average Belgian blonde. Starting to suspect this is a nondescript label of Duvel's.
Jun 19, 2012
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Reviewed by XicanoBeerRun from Texas

4.5/5  rDev +21%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
16 ounce flip top ceramic bottle. These are good to have around in case you crack open a big beer and do not feel like finishing it in one sitting.

A: Golden yellow
S: fruit, cotton candy, booze
T: I picked up on brandy and dates, which I associate with a quad, but I also tasted wildflower honey. It was a good balance.
M: medium carbonation
O: I love this style of beer, and this is a solid contribution. It is pricey for just a pint, but it is a fantastic brew and well worth it. The alcohol, at 10 %, sneaks up on you so all you need is one.

I’ll have another.
Jun 18, 2012
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Reviewed by OWSLEY069 from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a hazy yellow color with a an off white head. In the aroma, dry candy sugar and a small note of bananas. In the taste, dry banana, notes of spice, and light carbonation. A small bite and a medium to lighter bodied mouthfeel, with a dry banana and a note of spice in the aftertaste. Almost like a bold hefe, with a the banana and spice.
Jun 01, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by bonbini26 from New Jersey

Jan 12, 2012
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Reviewed by xylophonica from Australia

4.45/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Firstly must point out that the label states this as 7.6% rather than the 9% listed above.
Poured from a 75cl bottle into a chalice.

A - Lovely rich golden coloured ale. Small head with an assortment of carbonation bubbles.

S - Straight out of the bottle this one was very promising. In the glass it's slightly sweet at first but also quite solid without being overpowering. Malty with strong hop-flower aromas and some sugary notes verging on aniseed.

T - More delicate on the palate than expected, quite subdued compared to other Grand Cru beers but still notably spicy. Distinctly bright hop flavours and a subtle malt background combine with a mildly bitter bread-like aftertaste with just a hint of that aniseed/mint from the aroma.

M - Quite vibrant on the tongue initially but subsiding as the malt coating develops. Carbonation is still fairly strong but not as noticeable while drinking.

O - After drinking quite a bit of Hoegaarden Grand Cru lately I was keen to try another example of this sub-style. This is very different to the Hoegaarden but thankfully still thoroughly enjoyable. The scent as soon as I removed the cork was outstanding; the complex array of aromas and tastes serves this beer well. If you can look past the dodgy label this one is well worth further investigation.
Jan 06, 2012
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Reviewed by Mar02x from Netherlands

3.17/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
First: this bottle was a 7.6%?!! My uncle Peter shared this beer with me, so eternal thanks Peter.

A - It looks like a Pilsener! A bright yellow fluid with a white topping.

S - The smell is fresh and contains grain and malts.

T - Again; fresh and malty.

M - A medium carbonation and a light creaminess.

O - Not bad at all, although I think it is better and nicer to drink this beer in the summer. And for a Grand Cru I expected something more.
Dec 06, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by Rochefort10nh from New Hampshire

Nov 25, 2011
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Reviewed by dgilks from Australia

3.65/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Moderately clear golden colour with a moderate white head. Poor head retention and no lacing.

Sharp, spicy and harsh citrus aroma. Distinct spicy notes. Moderately sweet.

Malty, light and fruity. Good citrus notes and a touch of spice.

Medium body with moderately-high carbonation. Distinctly easy to drink.

A nice drop and easy to drink. The flavours aren't perfect but I will happily drink this.
Mar 14, 2011
Photo of biboergosum
Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)

3.8/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
500ml swing-top ceramic bottle - 7.6% ABV in this particular offering, and part of a gift set alongside the Dark.

This beer pours a slightly hazy, medium golden straw colour, with a teeming amount of puffy, and thinly foamy eggshell white head, which settles very slowly, eventually leaving some random streaks of sudsy lace around the thoughtfully included St. Sebastiaan tulip glass.

It smells of peppy, almost funky yeast, bready wheat and pale malt, stale citrus pith, a bit of weakly spicy clove, some middling metallic alcohol notes, and subtle earthy, weedy hops. The taste is more zingy wheat malt, booze-soaked bready pale malt, candy sugar, some attendant citrus and applesauce fruitiness sweetening things to a further degree, and a meek drying, leafy hoppiness.

The carbonation is moderate, and just a bit noticeably zingy in its barely-tempered frothiness, the body a stocky medium weight, and a tad astringent in its smoothness - booze trumping sugar, it would seem. It finishes airy and warming, the whole experience starting to blend into a straight spiced wheat graininess.

A decent enough BSPA, overall, though having obtained this bottle via the St. Sebastiaan gift pack during the Yuletide, I can't help but pontificate on the tasting notes on the back of the packaging: "...just a little bit naughty. Meant for the spoiled beer drinker." I love the dichotomy of this saucy and assuming text, and the rendering of a holy man pouring a beer right above it. Spoil me good and rotten, Pater!
Feb 20, 2011
St. Sebastiaan Grand Cru from Brouwerij Sterkens N.V.
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 34 ratings