Avery Ale to the Chief

Brewed by Avery Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Boulder, Colorado USA

I’ve had this beer in my fridge for over a month now, but wanted to save it for the big day. Pours a hazy amber with a nicely creamy head. There’s a slight peach/apricot fruitiness in there, but it seems too fleeting. The bread crust malt just isn’t quite bold enough to make for a balanced beer. Funny that a beer in honor of the "change" candidate would be so typical for an American microbrewery. Are they trying to make a point?

Today is January 20th 2009 … A day that I consider significant in the 29 ½ year history of my life. I have sampled this beer on Draft format, batch one & Batch #2. I have also had bottle product, and I believe right now I am drinking the Batch #1 bottle from Summer of 2008. I sense that some of the bright citrus Hop Flavor has faded into a light astringency, it’s really reminding me of a barley wine right now. Anyhow, Fresh this beer is rocking, but a Hop Bomb like this with 6 months on it… I prefer my Hops young!

Draught@Akkurat Apperance: Orange/Red with a huge, compact, head. Aroma: Pine, Citric notes, Hops, Fruit. Flavor: Pine, Citric notes, Exotic fruit, Sweet malt and some caramel. Palate: Nice balanced brew with alot of hops in it. Gets somewhat bitter at the end but worked perfectly to sip away at during an hour. Great DIPA/Strong Ale from Avery that i’ll gladly try again!

Draught at Akkurat, Stockholm. Pours out in a clear amber colour with a rich pillowy white foam. Very hoppy aroma of pine-needles, grapefruit, leaves and lemon-zest with sweet undertones of mango and peaches Full-bodied with notes of pine, leaves, grapefruit and sweet apricots. Long bitter finish of leaves and grapefruit. Tasty beer for Obama.

22 oz. bottle. It’s 10:00 the night before Inauguration. Bush has 13 more hours to pardon his entire Administration for their crimes against everybody. Time to celebrate! The Avery entry kind of wimps out in its theme by staying noncommittal, as opposed to the beer I’ll be rating tomorrow. But at least the beer looks nice. Pours an amber to gold color with a puffy, IPA type lightly gold head. Smell is a nice mix of American hops, more on the aromatic side. Taste affords a more direct trickle of hoppiness, full of grapefruit and pine, purely fresh Cascade. Malt is crisp and chewy, some stickiness to the lips, which does not keep them from almost burning with that big ol’ hop flavor. Yes, this should have been presented as an inaugural beer, but for whom? Obama is not as a big drinker, and McCain is living off his wife’s Budweiser distributorship money. Neither seems like the best candidate to install a world class beer list in the White House.

Pours coppery orange with a big hoppy aroma. Flavor is pineapple hops and sweet caramel malt with a dry finish.

(22oz bottle) Bottle courtesy of Oakes. Thanks Josh! Pours a lasting almond-foamy head atop a lightly carbonated orange body. Good alcohol, boozy nose and strong pine hops. High on the malt to counter a hoppy beast. Good. 7/3/7/3/14

The inaugural balls should be serving this Avery beer, because it is darn good. The brew is strong - almost IPA like in it’s hoppiness. As for appearance, we have a hazy, dark orange hue paired with a nice white lofty head. Flavors consist of apricots and peaches. Ale to the Chief has a fair amount of tartness to offer as well. The end of a sip leaves dry bitterness that tingles the back of the throat nicely. An inspiring beer for an inspiring new president!