Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Grand Cru

Style: Grand Cru
Brewery: Sierra Nevada
Package: Bomber into Bruges
ABV: 9.2%
IBU: Unknown
Location: Citywide Downtown S.B.

Aroma: Mild flowery hops, caramel malt, slight fruitiness and a hint of oak. I'm definitely smelling some of Sierra Nevada's flagship pale ale coming through.

Appearance: Frothy, foamy off-white color cap on top of a reddish brown brew.

Taste: Rich, sweet caramel with only a fleeting warmth from the alcohol. Very well balanced with citrusy and flowery hops.

Mouthfeel: Mild carbonation and a medium-to-full body. Very smooth, only a slight bitterness.

Overall: A might fine brew, smooth and balanced well with no one ingredient dominating the overall taste. Quite complex with the mixture of different brews involved, but not messy.

Notes:  Although I bought the previous 30th Anniversary bottles, and planned to buy this one, it still came highly recommended by Dan at Citywide downtown, and I completely agree. For those that haven't heard of this, it is a mixture of some of their most popular beers, Celebration Ale, Pale Ale and Bigfoot, then "generously" dry hopped. Sierra Nevada is one of my top 5 favorite breweries, and they did a great job with this, probably the best of the four anniversary beers that they did.

Grade: A-

Great Divide Grand Cru

Style:  Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Brewery: Great Divide
Package: Bottle into Bruges
ABV: 11%
IBU: Unknown
Location: Citywide

Aroma: Sweet caramel malt with fruity undertones. Nothing much to this.

Appearance: Very dark brown with reddish highlights. Thick tan head and sticky lace that clings to the glass.

Taste: Very sweet caramel flavor with brown sugar and spices. Hints of fig, raisins, and plums. 

Mouthfeel: Medium body, medium carbonation.

  Overall: Smooth, but way too sweet, so much so that it was tough to get through this one.

Notes:  My first Great Divide brew, and I wasn't very impressed. Belgian Strong Ales aren't my favorite brews, however I tried to stay objective. It wasn't terrible, I just was not a fan of this particular beer.

Grade: C+