North Coast Cru dOr
Originally brewed for Whole Foods. Belgian yeasts are legendary for the fruity flavor and floral bouquet they
give beer. Hundreds are used by Belgian brewers and each is unique. Cru
d’Or, a Belgian Style Abbey Ale is an homage to this magic ingredient and
the result is a world class beer that is lush and profoundly aromatic with
a warming finish. Being organic, Cru d’Or is brewed with the same reverence
for pure ingredients as the Abbey and Farmhouse Belgian ales of the past.
Delicious.
give beer. Hundreds are used by Belgian brewers and each is unique. Cru
d’Or, a Belgian Style Abbey Ale is an homage to this magic ingredient and
the result is a world class beer that is lush and profoundly aromatic with
a warming finish. Being organic, Cru d’Or is brewed with the same reverence
for pure ingredients as the Abbey and Farmhouse Belgian ales of the past.
Delicious.
3.4
319 reviews
Fort Bragg, United States
Community reviews
Bottle at room temperature. Pours a clear red-brown with lots of carbonation and thick head which quick dissipates. Strong malty aroma with lots of tree fruit and a bit of yeasty funk. Sweet flavor with fruity notes. Bitter alcohol finish.
Local bottle. Decent enough but nothing special. Pours a dark brown, with cola-like carbonation. Aroma is is baking chocolate and dark fruit. Flavour is molasses, a little more than I like, plus more dark fruit like prunes.
A fairly strong tasting beer, with some
initial plum notes that mellow
into some coffee flavors. The hop flavors are not too pronunced. This beer wants something hearty flavored as a pairing and is awesome as part of a braise.
Bottle. Poured brown with a light tan head. Aromas of raisins, prunes, brown sugar, and toasted malts. The flavor had dark fruit, chocolate, and cocoa. Medium body and a toffee aftertaste.
[12 oz bottle] Fruity nose with a good deal of pretty nice smelling yeast. Other reviewers and the description mention floral flavor as well but this doesn’t come out for me.
Taste of candied fruits (plums), a slight vanilla-almond note. A bit of banana in there too. The alcohol, at 8%, is high, but really doesn’t come through. While I enjoyed this beer immensely, it doesn’t markedly differentiate itself as a strong ale. All in all though, a solid hearty fall beer
12oz bottle. Pours a very dark dark amber, glowing, cloudy, fine frothy off-white head. Aroma is very warm, loads of fruity Belgian yeast, nutty, dusty, some buttery full. Flavor follows, warm, super nutty, somewhat dry feeling, a good amount of alcohol, lightly buttery, some fruit, toffee, long sweet and yeasty aftertaste with lasting alcohol. Medium bodied, a mix of chalky and syrupy, soft fluffy carbonation. Works for me.
Clear copper with a medium puffy tan head. Aroma of banana, alcohol, yeast, dark fruit, toffee and toasted malt. Body is thin with alcohol, yeast, fruit, figs, coriander and malt as flavors. Dry and astringent finish.
Just had this on tap at Global Brew on Jan 26, 2013, so I had to ramp up the rating numbers. Pours a dark clear reddish amber with a yellowish off-white head. Aroma is maple and dark caramel. Sweet roasted malt shows up first, immediately followed by a chorus of dark dried fruit, dry red wine and finally some licorice. Alcohol not evident. Pretty complex, but well balanced. Excellent effort.
12oz Bottle – Gravity Beer Market – Olympia, WA
Aroma: Nice yeast aroma with a nice fruit-esque like aromas linger.
Appearance: Amber in color, Clear with a light head.
Flavor: Nice malt and Belgian yeast flavors. Very fruity and tasty.
Palate: Dry Finish, with a Great Mouthfeel.
Overall: Nice Beer.
Aroma was pretty typical of a Belgian strong....candy sugar, yeast, and fruity esters. Flavor was similar with the addition of some hoppiness. Decent carbonation. Alcohol was not detectable. Overall a decent Belgian strong ale.
Pours a dark chestnut brown color with amber edges and a big foamy yellow head. Malty aroma with nutty, spicy and dark fruit notes. Slightly carbonated, bery crisp with malty full body, candi sugar and dark fruits such as raisin, prune, sugar cane, cocoa and grape.
Easy drinking and tasty. Belgian raisins, brown sugar, butter, some hop. Sweet flavors, but not actually that sweet. Well carbonated, pretty. $8.00 4 pack - great choice for cheaper but still substantial belgian.
Pretty decent brew for being contracted for a specific store. Bottle... Poured deep, hazy ruby with a beige head. Estery plums and malts on the nose. Well carbonated with flavors of hops, caramel and roasted grains, figs, licorice, dark fruits, and brown sugars.
Ehhh...i don’t remember this one. And as I always say, thats the point. It didn’t stick out, no great subtleties, no fervent horrors. Alas alack, woe is me.
Esters are present but not quite enough, with a hint of metallica tinge. A touch of roasted bitterness and a hint of hops, but not much. Not too bad, not amazing.
12 oz bottle from Bier Stein. Pours out a clear brown with ruby highlights and a moderate tan head. Complete lack of lacing. Nose is mostly brown sugar, banana, peppery spice with some caramel. Flavor more banana and light pepper, big caramel malt and some brown sugar. Mouthfeel medium, nice carbonated kick at end. Not bad for a pretty inexpensive bottle.
deep ruby with a cream colored head. nose is caramel, brown sugar and some light fruits. very carbonated with an overly sugar flavor that is matched with honey, dates, banana and yeast.
Pours a deep ruby with a creamy Belgian head, that recedes quickly to a thin film of lacing. Just a little light comes through, revealing a few tiny bubbles rising. Aroma is very nice; Lots of brown sugar and banana mostly. Flavor is of banana again, honey, roasted malt, skunky-bitter finish. Nice flavor overall, not that one should expect anything otherwise from North Coast. Mouthfeel is par for the style; Creamy with spritz at the end. A very nice interpretation of the style. Overall, very good.
THOUGHTS: I was not expecting a dark beer so this was a nice surprise. It was reminiscent of Gouden Carolus Grand Cru, but not as complex. This was way beyond what I was expecting. Not that I don’t love North Coast, but I figured it would be dumbed down for Whole Foods. The flavor could be a little stronger, but I’d probably get this again. Hid alcohol well.
TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a medium reddish brown with a small, off-white head that mostly diminished and left fair lacing. The aroma was moderate to heavy caramel malt and candy sugar, lighter milk chocolate, earthy and slightly banana-like yeast, cherry, brown sugar, maple syrup, wood and very light alcohol. The initial flavor was sweet and a little acidic; while the finish was lightly sweet, a little sour and slightly bitter with and average to long duration. There was caramel, brown sugar, maple syrup, light hops, candy sugar, slight alcohol, yeast tea and slight coffee. The medium to full palate was syrupy then dry with fizzy carbonation and a slightly metallic, moderately to heavily astringent, lightly alcoholic and dry finish.
Pours light mahogany into a tulip. Off-white head quickly recedes to barely touch rim. Sweet burnt molasses aromas. Thin with dark caramel upfront turning sweet and yeasty in the burnt finish.
pours a dark bronze colour with a nice head taste very strong taste of acl and molasses
Pours a three finger cream head that fades quickly leaving traces of lace. Cloudy dark amber color. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied. Molasses nose. Flavor is sweet baked molasses but not cloying. $2.50 for a 12oz bottle from Beverage Warehouse Winooski, VT.
I was dissapointed with this brew.The nose was awesome.Sweet, caramel with a flurry of dark fruits.The flavor was sweet but way too carbonated, almost seltzer like flavor.
Ugh. I dont know. Something was way off on this one for me. First, it was WAY carbonated. Tiny bubbles everywhere...Aroma was nice. Hints of vanilla and caramel. Flavor was a bit of that up front, and some seltzer cherry water on the back end. I just didnt care for it all that much.
Cloudy cinnibar pour raises a small camel head. A bouquet of rummy-plummy, molasses, candied fruits, almond, and minty spice fills my tulip glass. Tastes dry and waxy, spicy, candyish… a caramel apple flavor with a nod toward strawberry. Becomes sweeter as it warms in the glass. Full rond body, milky, with scratchy carbonation. Anise aftertaste. Pleasant beer.
Bottle, pours a dark reddish brown color with a foamy off-white head. Some lacing along the side of the glass. A floral aroma with yeast and sweet malt. The flavor is quite nice with a mixture of spices, malt and yeast. I enjoyed this one.
Hazy mahogany, charming coloured ale wearing a light off-white head. Unexpectedly, this comes across as a very sweet and toasty ale. Very strong sugary leanings paired with cinnamon leanings and the obvious alcohol for 8% make it more of a dessert beer. Plum-pudding flavours, cake and soft, dispersed big bubbles only confirm the direction undertaken. Above it all, a fat french toast and banana yeastiness does not make into subtlety either. Not what I expected, but still alright for what it is. I just tend to prefer more attenuation.
12 ounce bottle poured into a goblet. Deep ruby brown color with a slightly fizzy tan head. Aroma of apples and bananas, maybe some pear too. Dark bread crusts and a metallic note. Flavor is sweetish but not as sweet as a typical dubbel. There’s a pronounced spicy earthiness that cuts through the expected dark fruits and dough. Body is a little thin for the style, carbonation is about right. A decent American attempt at the dubbel style.
12 oz bottle from Bottle Barn. Nose of rye bread, candi sugar, and caramelly sweetness. Hazy rust color with a big cinnamon head. Flavor is light sweetness, clovey and peppery spices, and a bit of alcohol. Pretty good stuff!
Ruby-brown pour, thin beige head with no retention or lacing. Aroma of brown sugar, tree fruit, and yeast. Flavours of caramel, roasted malt, and candy sugar with a long, reasonably dry finish. Mouthfeel is quite rich with moderate carbonation. Really nice.