Tun Grand Cru
Tun Tavern

Apparently this is Tumbling Ted's last brew at the Tun. Tim gave me a bottle at the AC Beer Fest in 2007 and told me to sit on it as it needed to build some carbonation. Well, a year later and it hasn't really done much. That said, it barely builds a head, and doesn't leave any lace behind. If you've got it, give it longer. A little (or a lot) more aging may help to smooth it out a bit as well. There's a lot of alcohol here. And a lot of malt.

In the nose it's fruity with notes of berries, some mild cherry (more like marachino cherries with the sugary malt behind it), and tropical notes that include coconut and papaya. Some oxidation.

The flavor is wider, and certainly more malty, with a distinct graininess and medium caramel character. The oxidation actually lends itself to the maltiness. It's easily as rich as a Samichlaus, and fuller than Thomas Hardy's. Some leafy hops are present as well, but this is really about malt and yeast. The fruitiness comes through too, and along with the sharpness of the alcohol, it helps to cut through. It's alternately sweet and then hot, with flashes of yeasty fruitiness interspersed; and the finish is a combination of all of them with sweetish caramel malt coating the tongue and teeth, and the heat more at the back of the throat.

As implied, the body is full, and very malty. The carbonation level on my corked and capped bottle was around 1.8 volumes of CO2/liter - more appropriate for an English style barleywine than a Belgian style, and to be honest, I think it really is more of a barleywine in its current state than anything else.

Overall, I find it remarkably enjoyable "as is", once you get past the initial 'heat' and 'malt'. I should have saved this for a chilly winter's night with a good book, but I've opened it in the middle of August and still have no problem with it. I guess that goes towards drinkability. There's just so much there that it's compelling to look for more. And the malt and fruit balance is superb, and really kind of unique in its tropical character. So, not necessarily done very well, this beer somehow manages to land upright on it's feet despite having fallen down the stairs (unlike Ted, who seems to keep falling down). Worth trying. Are there any more bottles out there? I'd love to cellar another until 2012.

Gold color. Lasting little white lace and slight head. Fruity sweetness to the taste. The brew seems a little overly sweet like they added too much sugar. Smooth mouth . Big ABV/dry finish. I was not overly impressed.. The sweetness got to me. The lack of rounded taste hurt its drinkability.

Came to the table with a one-fingered finely bubbled white head. Clear medium gold colored liquid with a candi sugary, malty nose. Taste is sweet...almost too sweet, some fruity tones, some light biscuity notes, substantial mouthfeel also. Finish is sweet still, with a brief flourish of hop bitterness at the end, but it's the slightly cloying sweetness that dominates. A well made interpretation, but a tad too sweet to really enjoy.