Avery Fifteen

Once in a while, a beer comes along with an outrageous premise. Avery fifteen, with its use of figs, white pepper, hibiscus flowers, and 100% brettanomyces fermentation appears to be one such beer. I chose to pour it into a Duvel tulip, which it graced with clear, golden body, and a one to two finger thick head that faded over time. The smell was a mix of fruits like granny smith apples, papaya and cantaloupe, floral and herbal vegetable matter, and a milder than anticipated, but ever present funk. The taste was balanced between sour-tart and spicy-sweet. The pepper showed up only in the finish.I never did detect any fig. The mouthfeel was drying and refreshing. If I had not been told about the brewing with pure brett, I would never have guessed it. Not as wild as I have had before, but tasty nonetheless.

22 oz Bomber-Poured a cloudy golden color w/a moderate white head. Great spiced Belgian aroma. Flavor really jumps out & grabs you, yeast, spice, floral traces, figs, & cane sugar. Very fresh, a little rough around the edges, but in a good way. Tastes very pure & unfiltered. I really liked this one a lot; Long spiced finish.

On tap @ Avery Tasting Room poured a hazy golden amber with a lasting white head. Aromas of horse blanket, leather, barnyard funk, fruittiness, pepper, some light floral notes and a hint of straw. Palate was medium bodied and smooth with a dry lightly tart finish. Flavors of leather, funky barnyard, figs, light pepper and ligfht strawwith a smooth dry lingering funky finish.
This is the best Anniversery beer Avery has made so far! I can’t wait to see how it ages.

Pre-Note: The beer is better at colder temps rather than near cellar temps.
Dirty orange color with a bright white fuzzy-looking head. The nose was very nice though maybe a tad too sweet..but it exhibited nice brett notes, lemon-lime, cardamom, white pepper, and jaimaca. Fizzy intro...Somewhat muddled flavors at the start and noticeably more bitter than is usual for the style. The sour brett characteristics are there in a subtle sort of "Orval" way, though this is no Orval. After a while i find myself wondering if the flavors are muddled or if the bitterness distracts you, making it hard to distringuish the different things going on in the flavors...because I feel as though I should really like what’s going, I just can’t break it down to why i like it., This beer is very similar to 3 of my favorite ales, Orval, Burton Bridge Old Expensive, and Heavyweight Chuck...primarily in the way that these beers use the brett profile..unfortunately, i think i need to put this Avery 15 at the bottom of that list...though the more i drink it, the more i am seeming to like it...it’s the bitterness that throws me..I don’t think it’s compatible with the rest of the beer. In Fact, this beer might be awesome in 9 months to a year, when the brett gets stronger and the hops subside...will be cellaring some for sure. I want to add though that I very rarely find something i really like in an Avery Beer...and I think i finally found something i really like...I am just going to need to be a little patient. Note: Even better on tap, less bitterness and brett notes more pronounced.