A Duo beer with Ryan at halftime of the super bowl. Go Eagles! 🦅🦅 He wanted to have something special so a 30th Anniversary Saint Arnold Grand Cru is about as special as it gets. Poured with a small modest head. From the moment it touched my lips and went down my throat this was not a battle. 5.0 so fast. Strong raisin, sweet velvety malt, and that 16.8% is enveloping it all. Just a little roasty, a molasses sweetness that's definitely from the malt and a thickness that coats the glass but not the mount. Late in the finish the raisin reappears in a very satisfying manner. This is a very special beer for Saint Arnold Brewery. They wouldn't put their name on this 30th Anniversary Grand Cru if they weren't very proud of it. And they should be. Extremely powerful but not overpowering. Nothing but class from this Texas Brewery. PS: They did it!!! 🦅🦅🦅 Super Bowl Champs! Jalen Hurts is MVP! Roll Tide Roll!! 🐘🐘 Plus six more Alabama alums get Super Bowl rings.

Great Hazy Flavor. Drinkable.

Well! Where do I start with this Duo beer? Ryan and I have shared this beer each year it comes out. I go back and look at my past reviews starting in 2019 and realize how much I've evolved. Starting out not really enjoying this series but over the years I've come to appreciate how much effort it takes to make this classic beer. 2022 hit the 5.0 and I hope this 2023 does the same. So much is the same but still different. Isn't that great? The winter spice is there but now the ginger and cinnamon are stronger, not as much nutmeg. While still cold, the alcohol still appears late, towards the middle and then the finish. It's texture is still heavy and silky smooth. This is consistent with past years and I love it. The pumpkin flavor is there but it's almost an accompanying flavor instead of a dominant flavor. Again, the flavor is lasting and has a cocoa powdery chocolate that I don't remember being so forward. As it warms, as always, the bourbon alcohol becomes much more apparent, along with the barrel aging. I don't have many opportunities to try a beer that is produced as a yearly series, the same but always different. I get to experience not only the beer evolving but my own evolving palate. Last year's was 12.6% and this year's is 12.8%. Small changes in a carefully brewed masterpiece. This is an example of art in brewing. Some brew beer for money and there's a special few that it's an art. I truly love Saint Arnold Brewery. Again, a strong 5.0.