AleSmith Grand Cru Ale - AleSmith Brewing Company

pmarlowe

California

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the brewery.

A: Pours a brownish, caramel color with dense brown head. Incredible retention (as with many of their tap beers) and displays generous lacing. Superb clarity for a darkish beer.

S: Sweet bubble gum and cherry, and a bit of red fruit.

T: Sweet and a little tart with cherry and dark dried fruit. The fruit or yeast is reallly pronounced which contributes to the tartness.

M: Medium-full body--a bit syrupy--with medium-light carbonation. Hides the alcohol well.

O: Pretty good. A touch sweet for my tastes, and very fruity.

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2012 21:20:19 | More by pmarlowe

UCLABrewN84

California

3.88/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Tony's Darts Away in Burbank, CA.

Pours a slightly murky orange-brown with a foamy khaki head that fades to nothing. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, brown sugar, spices, wood, alcohol, and an unmistakable woodsy cologne scent. Taste is of malt, brown sugar, spice, banana, and an alcohol kick on the finish. There is a mild spice bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that tastes better than it smells, especially with the cologne deal going on.

Serving type: on-tap

06-28-2012 04:58:58 | More by UCLABrewN84

HopHead84

California

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

8/4/2011

On tap at Alesmith

A: Dark amber with a creamy beige head.

S: Plum and grape with a dash of raisin and orange. Aromatic and perfumy, with sugar and subtle spices. Malt is of bread and a little caramel. I get some vanilla as well.

T: Sweet baked bread with Belgian candi sugar. Very fruity, reminiscent of plum, grape, and raisin. Lower moderate level of earthy bitterness. Lightly spicy with alcohol warming in the sweet, bready finish.

M: Upper medium body with moderate carbonation. Mouthfeel is smooth and sticky.

Overall: An enjoyable fruity Belgian Strong Dark.

Serving type: on-tap

08-05-2011 00:25:12 | More by HopHead84

mrkun

California

4.1/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at the brewery.

A: Very dark amber/brown with nice head and good lacing.

S: Very fruity and sweet with noticeable Belgian yeast presence.

T: The taste follows the nose. Lots of fruit is present, especially bananas, Belgian yeast, spices, brown sugar.

M: Light/medium carbonation and very smooth.

O: There was barely any alcohol detectable at all in this stuff making it dangerously drinkable. Very nicely done.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2011 17:29:32 | More by mrkun

DoubleJ

California

3.23/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

On-tap at 38 Degrees, another beer that nearly got away. On to the beer:

Looks dark amber with a translucent look. Small amounts of lace are dotted around the glass as the beer is consumed. The nose says GRAPE! More specifically, dark grape. Somewhat medicinal too.

Isn't it funny how I think of medicinal and dark grape in the nose, yet in the taste, it reminds me a lot of children's chewable grape pills. I remember liking the flavor of those pills, and while I'll admit to still liking that taste somewhat, it isn't the most optimal note to taste in a Belgian-style ale. Cocoa notes are a distant second. The alcohol shows only a fraction of itself. The medium heavy, chalky mouthfeel is the best characteristic of the beer.

AleSmith does a lot of things that I like, but the Grand Cru isn't one of them. A beer with this kind of monotonicity needs a really good flavor to carry the weight, but in here, while tolerable, isn't enough.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2011 04:53:59 | More by DoubleJ

rye726

Colorado

4.1/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Up for review is a 750ml bottle of Alesmith Grand Cru. Poured at room temp into a St. Bernardus Goblet. Botle was around $10 in Michigan. Great American example of a Belgian style, well balanced. But I would expect nothing less from Alesmith. Go get a bottle, try it for yourself.

Serving type: on-tap

02-21-2011 04:25:31 | More by rye726

charlzm

California

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Consumed at Encinitas Ale House in Encinitas, CA on December 29th, 2010.

Beer is a clear, deep shade of brown with ruby red highlights. The head is composed of very fine, uniform bubbles that provide nice sheeting on the glass.

Aroma is unfortunately all metallic.

Mouthfeel is a bit chewy. Flavor is juicy and fruity: plum, pear, dark chocolate, caramel malts and a hint of nutmeg. Moderately sweet. Finish is dry, clean save for that metallic note. Slight warmth at end.

Flavor is assertive and unusual but not terribly complex; I'm glad I didn't have a big glass of this!

Serving type: on-tap

01-03-2011 22:57:16 | More by charlzm

nomomentwasted

Oregon

4.33/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap at Porter's Pub at UCSD in an 8oz Tuilp glass, and was shocked to see it in there. Just replaced the Old Numbskull on tap in there, received fresh from the brewery just days before I was told.

Appearance: I've read a lot of reviews calling this beer brown, and I was more thinking darker orange, like coppery-amber. Little head in the tulip glass the filed itself away pretty quickly.

Smell: Sweet, sweet, and more sweet. I smelled a sugary, apple, and grape notes which I have little experience with, but having had a few Belgian style I can say is much stronger than say the Stone Cali-Belgique style. Total Belgian sweetness though, with a hint of maybe a plum?

Taste: Whew, like the nose and then some. The sweet reminded me of apple/grape juice, except if it was a beer with Belgian yeast. The flavor keeps coming in waves, with the sugary characteristic on full display, running the gamut of fruits. Not a ton of citrus here, but more like plum, apple, and grape.

Mouthfeel: Sticky and slightly resin-y, and not too bubbly. Again, left me with the impression I'd just had a sip of apple juice with that texture remaining.

Drinkability: For a ten, it's almost perfection on the drinkability front. Catches up with you on the back end but not at all when it's being consumed. Only thing I'd say against it is the sweetness does eventually slow you down, but not in the first glass. Tasty, sweet, and a beer relatively unlike most of everything else I've had. Definitely worth a run.

Serving type: on-tap

07-03-2009 15:48:34 | More by nomomentwasted

SShelly

California

4.08/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at the brewery.

Off the tap a dark brownish amber color with big pillow of foam.

Smell has great malt character, with a little yeasty, banana thing going on.

Malt dominant with lots of dark fruit, spicy yeast character and some residual sugar.

Feels great in the mouth, very lively with great carb, leaves a little residual sugar in the mouth.

Excellent offering from alesmith, my wife and I left with a growler.

Serving type: on-tap

04-05-2009 15:56:44 | More by SShelly

sloejams

California

3.58/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

on tap at Pure Luck, Los Angeles
$5 for a 20oz glass - beat that price!

I'm glad I go to have this again to get around to review it and on draught, no less.

It's a copper color ale with virtually no head from the barkeep's pour. Raisin and currant are the predominant scents. The taste follows with more dried fruit - apricot and pear. Caramel sweetness comes across later and even a hint of fig.

I enjoyed it but I was in a bit of a rush and sadly didn't finish the entire 20oz.

Serving type: on-tap

01-24-2008 18:43:05 | More by sloejams

Halcyondays

California

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Beachwood BBQ, in Seal Beach, CA,

A: Pours a dark red-brown, with a full off-white head, with fair lacing in the end, but looks good right off the bat.

S: Medicinal herbal esters, mixed with dark fruit and malt.

T: Malty at first, then the Belgian character kicks in, one of the most medicinal, phenolic beers I have had out there, but not in a Ren and Stimpy, "All Purpose Icky-Tasting Medicine", kind of way, but a complex herbal character that really added to the enjoyment of the beer. Also, I got flavours of orange and tangerine, mint jelly - which was weird, some cherry as well, maybe some Luden's flavour, but it is slight, a sweet flavour of malt and dark fruit end the beer.

M: Smooth and phenolic, easy to drink for 10% for sure, tastes more like 6, though there is some warming solvent character to this brew for sure.

D: Another excellent beer from Alesmith, they just consistently put out good beer that is easy to find in California, one of the better and more interesting American-made BSDA's out there.

Serving type: on-tap

01-24-2008 00:25:54 | More by Halcyondays

jasonjlewis

Texas

4.45/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

What a great brew. I saw it on tap at hollingshead's in orange, ca. I tried a sample with my dad and he got it. He doesn't like a lot of beers that I like because they are too hoppy or whatever, but even he appreciated the delicate complexity of this brew. The alcohol presence is there and strong, but it is not overpowering. This is one hell of a brew. Nice chocolate maltiness and belgian funky undertones. I could drink this all day.

Serving type: on-tap

03-13-2007 01:29:20 | More by jasonjlewis

bignick

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap @ TPH. Served in an oversized wine glass.

Wow, this is a very good beer. It smells fruity, of apples, oranges, and apricots. The taste is wonderful. I love the fruitiness of it, with a subdued yeastiness that doesn't interfere. Overall, this is a very good beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-21-2006 06:01:58 | More by bignick

OStrungT

California

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This beer pours a clear redish brown color with a light brown head. The head fades fast, leaving a thin lacing.

This beer has a spicy, clovey aroma. It smells slightly of alcohol. It has a citrusy hop aroma. It has a sweet caramel malt aroma also.

This beer tastes sweeter than I expected. It has a spicy slightly clovey flavor. also, it has a pleasent citrus hop flavor to it. This beer has a slight dark fruit flavor to it also. Raisins, and prunes.

This beer warms the throat as it goes down. It is surprisingly smooth, leaving a slightly spict aftertaste.

This beer might be a good session beer but the alcohol is a little high. It tastes great, but I wouldnt drink tok many. It is a very good beer though.

Serving type: on-tap

05-26-2006 20:47:32 | More by OStrungT

oggg

California

3.85/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Sampled on tap at Liars club in a Belgian goblet

This beer pours a dark brown with auburn edges. The head is minimal and barely covers the beer. The aroma is distinctively "Belgian", with lots of complex fruity aromas and some caramel. The initial carbonation is restrained well, and is followed by caramel and and mild roastiness. Low to no bitterness. Melon and other fruit. Sugar. Alcohol is apparent but not strong. Medium to full body. I rather downed this fairly quickly, and it went down surprisingly well.

Overall I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed this beer

Serving type: on-tap

06-21-2004 04:53:26 | More by oggg

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

4.04/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

750 mL capped bottle, no date.

popped the cap, and it fizzed over. pours a clear chestnut brown. the bubbly head fades fast. the smell is a nice mix of slightly earthy Belgian yeast and bready malt. taste is bold yet smooth and easy drinking. good balance, starts biscuity and slightly sweet then finishes dry and a bit boozy. thin to medium body, higher carbonation. could be a little less fizzy.
overall - quite good, only the over carbonation is an issue.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 03:47:22 | More by jmdrpi

superspak

Michigan

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle into chalice, no bottle dating. Pours crystal clear reddish brown color with a 1 finger fairly dense cream colored head with good retention, that reduces to a thin lace cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with some moderate streaming carbonation. Aromas of raisin, prune, banana, grape, clove, caramel, dark candi sugar, toast, bubblegum, and earthy yeast esters. Very nice aromas with good balance of fruity/spicy yeast esters with candi sugar maltiness. Taste of raisin, prune, banana, grape, clove, caramel, dark candi sugar, bubblegum, toast, and yeast earthiness. Lingering notes of dark and light fruits, clove, caramel, dark candi sugar, bubblegum, toast, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice balance and complexity of fruity/lightly spicy esters with malt sweetness; and almost zero cloying sweetness present after the finish. Medium carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a slick, lightly syrupy, and lightly prickly mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is well hidden with only a small warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a damn nice Belgian strong dark ale. Very nice complexity of fruity/spicy yeast esters with candi sugar sweetness; and quite smooth to sip on. A very enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 04:13:46 | More by superspak

SLeffler27

New York

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Clear, dark ruby with a short-lived, off-white creamy head. Leaves a viscous film on the Brigand oversized wine glass.

Part cherry and candy sugar comes out front with raspberry and crisp apple presenting with warmth. All are rather subtle.

Opens with light, tart cherries and sweeter than expected. Light earthiness, banana, plum and faint oak in the middle. Lots of faint flavors oscillate between spicy and fruity character. The finish is almost absent. Warmth adds little.

Soft, fine carbonation and silky texture compliment this medium-bodied beer. The alcohol is well below expectations.

This is an easy sipping beer and, while quite tasty, lacks the pop expected of this style. I enjoyed it as part of the pre-Super Bowl festivities.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 14:55:27 | More by SLeffler27

Vixie

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Pours a nice ruby red color with a decent sized tan head. Fair amount of carbonation.

Smell has quite a bit of brown sugar to it. Can also detect a hint of chocolate and toffee.

This is a fairly sweet beer, I am describing it mentally as liquid candy. There is a lot of brown sugar and toffee to it, if a Heath Bar was in liquid form, it would taste a lot like this. I can also detect some Belgian candy sugar, and there is just a hint of a hop bite at the finish. The alcohol is very well hidden in this one, just a touch of warming at the back of my throat.

Feel is just ok, I think should be a little more solid for the style.

Overall a pretty good beer. It is lacking a bit in complexity, but has a nice flavor and is easy to drink for such a strong beer. This one is deceptive, it doesn't taste like a 10% ABV beer, handle with care, but worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 01:59:33 | More by Vixie

ksimons

New York

3.93/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A-a clear amber with ruby highlights and two fingers worth of white head that sticks to the edge of the glass

S-dark fruits, rum soaked raisins, caramel, Belgian yeast, and a bit of alcohol

T-very similar to the smell. Caramel malt, apples, raisins, plums, lightly spiced, with well hidden alcohol

M-thin to medium body, carbonation seems a bit on the lighter side as well, very smooth sweet finish

Overall very malty with good yeast character, but not as good as other BSDA's I've had, especially for the high price.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 22:35:59 | More by ksimons

mmapes

Colorado

3.53/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Bought in September, opened in March. Bottle suggests cellaring for 6 to 24 months.

Pours a big head of medium-sized bubbles. Amber/peach colored, very clear. Smells of dried fruit -- apricots?

Tastes very much like it smells. It's nice but a little one-noted. Sweet finish after a tangy start. There are some sweet malts but not much in the way of hops. The apricot smell/taste is prevalent -- is that from the Belgian yeast?

Nice, but not very complex.

Would buy again if it weren't too expensive. We have one more bottle in the cellar. Will see how it ages.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 23:59:00 | More by mmapes

srhoadsy

Florida

3.88/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured slightly chilled into a fluted tulip.

Pours a deep chestnut brown with about half an inch of light brown head that quickly recedes with moderate lacing.

Aromas of carmelized sugars, dried cherries and other stone fruits.

Taste follows through the aromas with a light sourness and I got a slight hint of smoke in the background. Almost like a slightly sour scottish ale.

Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Alcohol present but not overwhelming.

All in all a good beer, with what seem to me to be a bit of an identity crisis.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 00:00:58 | More by srhoadsy

KFBR392

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -20%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Appearance: Very similar look to a barley wine style ale, dark amber color. Clean look with a much smaller head then I expected. Had to aggressively pour this one to get a more traditional belgian head, which subsided quickly.

Smell: A very bright yeast aroma, not what I expected out of a Belgian Strong Dark Ale. The booze is hidden well behind the again very strong belgian aroma.

Taste: A smooth clean taste, again, not what I expected from this beer. There are some slight exotic fruit flavors at the front of this beer but subside quickly to a traditional yeast taste. A very thin body to this beer, certainly didn't make me remember or favor this beer.

Mouthfeel: Thin. Drank like a regular belgian beer. No flavors stood out on the tongue.

Overall: I had higher hopes for this one. Alesmith brings it with most of their brews but I won't recommend this one. Maybe it is unfair I had Unibroue Maudite a couple days before so it had some high standards to meet. Solid beer but did not live up to my expectations or the price tag.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 06:03:26 | More by KFBR392

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle to snifter.

A - Very dark amber/brown in colour; basically opaque with only a slight shimmer of ruby glow around the edges. Half a finger of cream coloured head formed and slowly dissipated.

S - Belgian yeast, spice, clove, candy sugar, raisins, figs, toffee and a hint of chocolate. Fairly complex nose.

T - Big spice presence combined with Belgian yeast and cloves up front. The mid-palate adds caramel, candied raisins and toffee. The finish is dry with a touch of chocolate. Very easy drinking.

M - Medium body but a touch thin at times. Light to moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 15:28:01 | More by TheSevenDuffs

retry4z

California

4.33/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Served at room temperature in an AleSmith Decadence glass.

A deep and dense Burgundy color with a beautiful three-finger persistent head.

Smells of raisins, caramel, alcohol, and some spices.

Taste is sweet, dark fruit, some spice, and a nice alcoholic finish. No bitterness present.

Full-bodied, with high carbonation.

Overall, I would try this again. It's sweet. This is one of the finest examples of Belgian strong ale. Would go very nicely with a fresh hearty burger.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 05:02:28 | More by retry4z