Grand Cru
Celis Brewery

RB transfer

1-27-23 dated 12 oz can.

Pours light and near clear, moderate near white cap.

Yeasty nose with coriander and ginger coming to mind.

On the palate, it’s more ginger, more coriander and more earthy and nutty yeast infused notes.

Tasty Belgian…worth a try

 

 

hazy pale mellow gold body pours with an excited fluffy froth head that has low retention and leaves no lacing as it settles down to a thin halo

aroma is yeasty phenols with spiced bready malt and subtle cascade notes, with shades of coriander, clove, orange peel, and slight bright citrus

taking a sip, the spices push forward with a wave of bright citrus, yeasty phenols, and bready malt nipping at its heels. yeast is big up in this one, lapping up with bready pale malts dashed with brighter citrus (lemon; orange) and the spices really lean in throughout. lively. exciting. smooth.

moderately carbonation, and a full feeling medium body. smooth and slightly billowing carbonation, leaning towards fluffy and full feeling but has a nice dry counterpoint in the finish. slightly yeasty and light cracked spice leave-behinds.
carbonation is fleeting. longer you sit and let it warm up, it begins to flatten and feel a lot more thin.

overall:
solid. my favorite offering from Celis thus far, though I have admittedly only had a few of their brews - this is the first to impress me though. this spice forward tripel stands out to me specifically because of how spice and yeast distinct it is, while being wholeheartedly enjoyable and well rounded. it leans a little sweet for my overall liking, but that's to be expected for the style, so I've embraced it. very smooth and easy, especially for a 8.6'er. impressive all around.
4-on-the-floor. my advice is to just not let this one sit too long, as the carbo falls flatter by the minute once it's been mugged for 40-odd minutes. grab the sixer and play the long game *that* way.

 

 

Poured from a can into a tulip glass
Appearance – The beer pours a clear golden amber color with a one finger head of white foam. The head has a moderate level of retention, fading to leave a little bit of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the brew is huge of a yeasty smell mixed with tons of bready aromas and a decent showing of clove and coriander. Along with these smells comes some lighter notes of orange and lemon peel as well as a bit of grass.
Taste – The taste begins with a somewhat more bready flavor that is on the slightly crisper side. There is a lot of yeast and spice of clove and coriander right from the start, along with a decently moderate showing of orange, peach, and caramel. As the taste moves forward to the end flavors of a herbal and hay taste come to the tongue and with a touch of warming alcohol, one is left with a nice crisp and heavily yeasty spice taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is slightly thinner and crisper with a carbonation level that is average. The thinner body was great for the style, but a little higher carbonation may have been slightly better overall. In the end the feel was decent.
Overall – A rather flavorful brew. I see this as a hybrid of a classic tripe (in crispness) and a grand cru (in yeast, booze taste, and fruit). An interesting and rather tasty brew.

 

 

On tap at Provisions (Houston, TX) served in a shaker pint. Pours slight hazy golden yellow with a modest head of white foam and sparse lacing. Yeasty, spicy nose with some pale malt and sweetness. Flavor follows with fruity esters, spicy Belgian yeast, sugary sweetness, and slight alcoholic kick. Medium body with moderate carbonation. Lacks some of the depth of other Tripels, feeling like an “imperial” witbier (or maybe an outcome of the glassware?). But otherwise pleasant, balanced, and altogether too drinkable for its ABV.

 

 

 

Looks like a regular lager with a creamy head that dissipated quickly. Aroma is strong and the sweetness is obvious. The taste is outstanding. Again the sweetness is strong and delicious. Typical of a Belgian Tripel. No disappointment here. The mouthfeel is smooth and the tongue begs for more. Overall an outstanding U.S. example of a worldwide great style. On draft at Ron’s Corner Tavern.

Starts light, dry and finishes spicy.

Nabbed it for bang for buck reasons...$9.99 for a sixer of 8.6% ABV beer is tough to pass up.

Brewed with Saaz and Cascade hops.

Spicy phenolic Belgian yeast is evident, and there's faint fruitiness I guess from the Cascade hops, but it's aptly subtle. Pale malt gives this its backbone.

Tends towards the dry side, but it's still kind of refreshing even at its high ABV. Medium to full-bodied with plenty of weight on the palate; it's a filling beer without feeling too bready. Smooth. Approachable.

The spicy finish (hitting heavy on clove) is a highlight of the beer for me, but this still doesn't have an overt Belgian taste to it; the mixture of American and Czech hops as well as what tastes like an American pale malt foundation lend it a scattershot flavour profile.

There's plenty of banana up front through the midpoint, which would feel more at home in a German wheat beer than it does here, where it calls unwelcome attention to itself.

I'd prefer higher attenuation, more of a bone-dry feel, a more complex and varied malt profile, and a more traditional hop regimen. But it hides its ABV well and I can't complain about the price given the high alcohol percentage. It's a nice buy for those looking to get plastered on craft without breaking the bank, but I don't know that it's in line with Celis' other (better) beers. It doesn't hold a candle to the best traditional Belgian tripel style beers (e.g. Gulden Draak), but I'll enjoy polishing off the sixer.

Drinkability is limited given the filling feel of the beer as well as its ABV.

C / AVERAGE