Ding Points: 73.00

Pour: 80.00, Nose: 80.00, Palate: 70.00, Mouth: 70.00, Global: 70.00

Tasting Notes:

Very heavy, thick 500 mL bottle with a large dimpled bottom. Must add significantly to the cost. Corked & Caged. Brewed with Agave Nectar and aged in bourbon barrels. In the region of $12-14.

Opens with a hearty pop. The pour is a golden, well carbonated body with little head, lace or retention.

North Coast Brewing Co., Grand Cru

Big, sweet pineapple notes greet the nose.

Tastes are less well-defined in terms of the specific fruit, BUT it is extremely sweet and still ‘fruity’. Mouthfeel is a little cloying for my taste, and the beer seems a little unbalanced in terms of the sweetness. I actually like the way the bourbon and oak come through in a very small, restrained and subtle way. I’m just not a big fan of barrel-aged and liquor infused beers, so the smaller the influence the better for me. Obviously, those that are looking for larger elements connected to liquor will be a little disappointed, but I was happy and satisfied with the lighter vanilla note.

A few sweet grape notes in there too, and there is, for a second, a champagne quality about the beer even if it is enormously sweet and heavy compared to that beverage.

I get some honey notes from the agave (presumably) and a yeasty finish. The end is quite bready, and the yeast tastes seem to exceed the normal parameters of the style. However, I don’t dislike it at all.

OK, but very poor value.

Other: 12.9% ABV, Belgian Strong Pale Ale