114. North Coast Cru d’Or Belgian Style Ale

Cru d’Or Organic Belgian Style Ale is from the North Coast Brewery in Fort Bragg, CA.

Cru d’Or pours a cloudy reddish-orange copper with a tan head. The nose is a mixture of sweet malt and fruit—primarily dark fruit and raisin—along with yeast esters and dark sugar. The sweet malt front reveals a complex array of flavors; there is malt sweetness mixed with dark sugar flavors, some dryness & maybe a little alcohol warmth. The middle is a well-rounded combination of dark stone fruit and even dried fruit flavors—prune, plum, raisin, and cherry run across the palate creating a rich thick body—and Cru d’Or ends with a return of the initial sweetness with some light lingering flavor. The medium body balances well with the soft, thick, chewy textures; there is not much bite from the carbonation, but enough to liven up the beer and keep the mouthfeel from being too heavy. The complexity between the stone fruit flavors and malt creates an array of flavor and palate sensations across the profile of the beer—an excellent, well balanced and memorable beer. Cru d’Or is most certainly a Top 10 Best contender.

And it’s organic!

From the North Coast website: “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 Dubble, 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. Certified organic by Oregon Tilth.”

ABV: 8%
IBU: 30

(10/22/2009)