AleSmith Grand Cru Ale - AleSmith Brewing Company

odeed

California

3.2/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

after drikning a 2000 bottle a few weeks ago i must say this was a bit different.(good thing i bought 2 as im going to cellar the other one)
first thing i noticed is this one did not have a cork in it as the 2000 bottle did.
i dropped this one in a pint glass and it gave no head at all.
had a nice drak amber color.
overall taste?it was still smooth but the alcohol was a bit overwhelming twards the end.i could see the same taste as the 2000 bottle trying to come out but hey...what do ya expect ya know?

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2004 08:08:57 | More by odeed

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle purchased at Whole Foods for a nice price. Split with Oglmcdgl, into some Duvel snifters. Been two years since I had a aged bottle and I think this is fresh(er).

Dead red plum juice drizzle with light brown bark rounding out the hue. A stealthy healthy pour yielded a whole hand of vanilla white foam that stuck together quite well, but not on the glass. Just some small sqiggly streaks and a ring around the glass.

For a BSDA this does not have the moxy or the dark fruit and sweet presence for the style. This smells more like an American Strong with all that booze in there, it's not hiding, it's not scurred. There is some dark fruit with light plum and apple but it comes off some what rotted or decayed. Some melted banana and strange yeast.

A big bite of banana in the morning that's whooomp, up there. Some applesauce with sprinkled cinnamon, rotted plums and bready yeast that leaves a strange taste in my mouth. Along with all of that is the booze which is kinda killing this for me, or the beer for that matter. Some sweet toasty malt but it needs more and more fruit for that matter.

Grand Cru is nice on the higher side of medium that is boozy and some heat comes from that, especially warmed. The warmer it got the drinkability went down, although the fruit comes out more, but so does that booze. A semi dry finish where I would expect a smoother ride. It does kinda fit the strong ale category in feel along with other areas. A sharp bitey carb on the tip of the tounge.

I remember liking this more when I picked it up an aged bottle in NY a few years ago, a bit more complex then. I don't think my palate changed, I just think this beer may need to grow up a bit and mature. Split these 750's or sit on em, this could be good in at least two years, not my bag now. Will update in the future.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2010 04:40:46 | More by onix1agr

hannydawg

Illinois

3.13/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

750ml bottle into Duvel tulip.

A- Rich mahogany color with reddish hues. 2 finger off white head sticks around for a while with minimal lacing left behind.

S- Dark fruits dominate with figs, plums and raisins present. A peppery smell is also present, as well as caramel malts.

T- Sweet caramel malts, plums, raisins, and a bit of alcohol present that was hidden on the nose.

M- Medium bodied, with ample carbonation, but the alcohol comes through too much, something the Belgians seem to hide much better.

O-Not a bad BSDA, a but too sweet, and the alcohol is more present than I care for.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2012 03:53:06 | More by hannydawg

sweemzander

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev -23.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

750mL bottle poured into a tulip. Got this awhile ago from a generous trader, but I cannot remember who, but thank you!

(A)- Pours a reddish amber color. Produced a decent off-white head that dissipated down to bubbles.

(S)- A rich earthy clay with some dark fruits and subtle raisin.

(T)- Lots of raisin-like dark fruits. Mildly earthy.

(M)- A good carbonation level. Dry and earthy with some bitterness in there too.

(D)- Its a decent belgian strong dark. A tad thin, yet rich in a sweetness sense. Rather straightforward for the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2011 01:18:15 | More by sweemzander

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

3.08/5  rDev -24.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to sweemzander for another bottle to sample.

A: Cinnamon brown with red edges. Small amount of dirty white head. Soapy lace.

S: Caramel malt and sort of faded hops. Bready with a mix of dark fruit. There's a bit of spice in there but the nose is rather subdued.

T: Mild caramel malt and faded hops. A bit of dark fruit and wet leather. Strange spices float around in there as well.

M: Medium body with modest carbonation.

O: Overall very average at best.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 23:59:38 | More by beerwolf77

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.05/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle, aged ~1 year. Pours a deep brown with a small white head. Aroma of raisin and sweet malt. Flavor is vegetal, quite malty and heavy in the palate. A little better as it warms, but it's super sweet. This is supposed to age well, but I didn't like how it turned out. Meh, not a fan.
6/4/7/3/13 (3.3/5

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2009 04:57:23 | More by LilBeerDoctor

drpimento

Wisconsin

3.03/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Ok, but not great. Poured with a nice light tan, foamy, frothy, head that lasts a long time and a little lace. Color is a cloudy amber brown. Aroma is solvents, malt, caramel, yeast. Flavor's much like nose, with sweetness standing out but a little confusing to me as it matches sweet solvents. Body and carbonation are ok. Finish is like flavor, of average length and no hint of booze.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2011 02:15:21 | More by drpimento

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle courtesy of Black95tt: Poured an hazy dark amber color ale with a medium foamy head with good retention. Aroma of candi sugar, sweet malt and alcohol is pretty intense and reminiscent of Gouden Carolus Keizer. Taste is quite hot at first, which does not really suit my taste. The presence of candi sugar is quite evident as well as some dry figs characteristics. Yeast is totally overshadowed by the malt and the alcohol. Body is just above average but could be fuller and carbonation was appropriate. Overall, I really don’t see the big fuss over this beer and would prefer to taste a Gouden Carolus Keizer, which is similar, but more balance overall.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2006 18:21:46 | More by Phyl21ca

fragilemacabre

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

While I'm pretty new to this style of beer, I don't like this incarnation. I really enjoy the dark smokiness of it, and it is rather pretty. Its smell is flat to me, almost like stale pumpernickel bread soaked in a stout overnight and left to try. The alcohol content is fairly apparent (read: you can tell there's a smidge, but not necessarily that it's a 10% smidge), and the carbonation seems to me to interfere with the taste. Considering that I don't like its taste as much as I was hoping (and that I want to try other beers in this style), it is still surprisingly drinkable... Doubtful on my chances of ordering it at a beer bar, but it hasn't convinced me to give up on the style (unlike 99% of pilsners)

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2010 06:39:22 | More by fragilemacabre

toeknee

Georgia

2.88/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Purchased this bottle in LA area Summer, 2006. Carried back to Atlanta where it has been in my basement since.

Not much fizz when I popped the cap. Pours a very murky amber with surprisingly weak head.

Big, rich, malty aromas with almost candy-like sweet notes. Smells almost of creamy cotton candy. Big and sweet, but with little complexity.

Very sweet, malty flavor with not much carbonation at all. I find I'm having to search really hard on my palate for flavors and that should not be the case. Perhaps it's too cold. Regardless of temperature, the flavor starts slowly on the tongue, ramps up nicely, but then fades away before any sort of defining climax. All that's left on the tongue is the telltale vinuous coating of oxidation.

I've heard / read this beer can be hit or miss, but I wonder if it is a quality control issue or if people are cellaring improperly or what. I took pretty good care of this bottle and I can't imagine this is what the brewery intended for me to drink.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2008 04:08:47 | More by toeknee

ccrida

Oregon

2.73/5  rDev -32.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 750ml bottle into my large Gulden Draak tulip glass, The Grand Cru is a light muddy garnet with a big khaki head with large bubbles that quickly dissapates to a slight collar, leaving no lace. The label makes a few mentions of yearly vintages and aging potential, but there is no date that I can find, and only a blank crown cap and foil wrapper, no dated cork.

The smell is fairly rich, and is an interesting mix of BSDA dark fruit and barelywine malt, with a hint of booze. It can take you back a bit at first, but the fruit seems to take charge and it is ultimately pretty good, albeit funky.

The taste follows the smell, being an unusual mix of BSDA with a punch of barleywine. However, it's the inverse of the nose, in that the barleywine malt and diactly seem to take precedence over the BSPA fruit and spices. The finish is very vinous and a bit cloying as well, coating your mouth like red wine.

The mouthfeel is pretty thin, with very light carbonation at all. While I like my Belgians to have the light body that lends to the digestibility, this one comes off thin and watery and is not very satisfying.

Ultimately, this was not a very impressive brew. I'm not sure how old it was, but I've seen them at the store for a while, and this was the last bottle, which had been refrigerated. I love AleSmith's IPA, and with all the talk on the label about being the 1st place winner at the California state fair, I was disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2007 07:10:57 | More by ccrida

jujubeast6000

Texas

2.7/5  rDev -33.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Reviewed 1/31/2008 (bottle):

Pours a brownish red color body. Cloudy. Small head, off-white, quickly diminishing. Floral, dark fruit, sweet, some alcohol fumes when inhaling. Not too strong. Watery, woody, alcoholy. Warming up...Dark fruit, still some alcohol. Flattish. Might be another bad bottle from AZ.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2008 00:13:42 | More by jujubeast6000

DavoleBomb

Ohio

2.63/5  rDev -35.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a snifter. 2010 vintage. I reviewed a fresh bottle (which was lost in one of BA's "lost review" moments) and didn't care for it much. We'll see if this is any better with some time on it.

3.0 A: Opaque medium brown color. Two fingers of fizzy beige head. Retention is below average and no lacing is left.

3.0 S: Brown sugar, caramel, and a rum soaked raisin type booziness. Fig and prune fruitiness. Some toastiness in there as well. Peppery spiciness. Light bready maltiness. The flavor profile looks better on paper than how it actually smells. The aromas don't balance each other out that well. Still, not bad.

2.5 T: This has mellowed to the point of being boring. Brown sugar and caramel are the strongest flavors. Almost tart fruitiness featuring dates, figs, and raisins. Light peppery spiciness. Booze is in check though.

2.5 M: Medium body. Carbonation level is right, but it's a "passive" carbonation as opposed to the spritzy Belgain yeast carbonation that I like. Seems almost oily. Smooth though.

2.5 D: Didn't care for it fresh and I care for it even less with some age. It's not undrinkable, but it's boring with a subpar mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 05:11:45 | More by DavoleBomb

Lnedrive14

Massachusetts

2.03/5  rDev -50%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1

Disclaimer: this beer was part of the shipment that came to Boston in the fall of 2005. I had heard that something had happened to these, and from my experience, that is true. So i am not entirely sure how accurate my review is of the beer, aside from my idiosyncratic experience was.

It was flat out undrinkable. Pours a reddish brown with a medium sized head. Very thin, almost watery appearance. The beer started off well on the palate - lots of citrus balanced with a touch of hops and some crystallized sugar sweetness. Then the back of that was just horrible. It was like drinking really gross medicine. It wasn't sweet, it was just stinging; piercing. I had to spill a portion of it out - i just couldn't get it down.

I hope that i just didnt have a good bottle and that if i get another chance to try this beer i will be able to change my review.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2006 17:45:19 | More by Lnedrive14