Avery Fourteen

Formerly brewed at Avery Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Boulder, Colorado USA

Bottle is over a year old since I just bought an Avery 15 yesterday. Served a few minutes out of the small beer fridge in a shaker glass. Aroma is rich chocolate, floral hops, a bit of roastiness, some lactose, and some dark fruits (figs/prunes). Smells pretty good to me. Dark reddish brown color with a one fingered cappuccino head. The initial taste is malty with some roastiness, some chocolate, some earthy and floral hops, and a somewhat bitter finish with a nice, lingering hops flavor. I also get the taste of molasses cookies in the flavor. The body is large, but the bitterness and roast balance the malt. Very drinkable, way too much for a beer of this size.

Bright ruby brown with a huge head that froths up high and falls down fast. Sounds like falling snow. Interesting aroma - charred, plummy, woody, brown sugary with canned tomato. Not terribly cohesive but it’s interesting. Full body with a big warming alcohol splash. Chocolately body with lots of burntness though it’s not very acrid thankfully. Some plummy, fruity depths, again, more interesting than cohesive. I’m sure with this much alcohol this beer would wear thin quickly.

bomber. pours a dark brown with a nice thick tan fluffy head.... which stays throughout as a thin tan head. aromas of molasses, candi sugar and dark fruits. huge malt character on the palate, with flavors of currants, molasses and sweet sugar. very soft and carbonated on the top, while very bitter on the back and sides. the dry hopping comes through on the finish quite well. this one sticks with you, but in a very different way than the usual hopped up IIPA. very flavorful and unique. quite excellent - I’ll buy another one before they are gone for good.

Pours a dark reddish ruby red brown, clear, with a thin tan head. Sweeter malt and alcohol. Some toast, slight roast, a little caramel. Some small cinnamon. Thinner low carbonation body. Boozy slightly sweet. A little toasty astringency. Some small roast. Not the deepest. Some chocolate. Alcohol finish.

Brought out at Cameron’s Brewing Cask night. deep mhogany brown, some foam. Nose is pine hops and sweet malts. Taste is hops sweet malts molasses and booze, but still balanced and enjoyable

Bottle from Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville. Deep dark brown pour with slightly disappointing head. Malt, tons of spice (coriander?), cola, chicory, and hops on the nose. Very reminiscent of a spiced winter brew to me. A bit over the top. Similar on the palate. Too much malt sweetness and cloying spice. Palate feels nice, and the hops are tasty, though. A strange and not entirely pleasant beer.

22 oz bottle. Poured a lovely dark brown with burgundy highlights & a thick brown head. The head gradually recedes to a foam that coats the glass for the entire beer. Nose is dark fruit & earthy funk. Flavor was fig, raisin, plum as well as some caramel. Some minor hop presence as well.

Avery’s commemorative beer, celebrating fourteen hard fought years in an up and coming American industry is certainly a busy one. A thick wet tree bark brown head springs up from a dastardly dark body as soon as the pour finishes its graceful bow, giving ruse to a mixed aroma. Fresh produce is the theme, with lemon, ginger, cucumber, vinegar, sweet corn, brocolli, fresh salad greens, compost, mandarin orange and even a wisp of patchouli entertaining my nose, as if I were strolling through a fresh farmer’s market. The taste is pungent as well, though not with the strand of produce scents - those appear exclusively in the finish. The flavor begins with a darker smoke and licorice combination, along with Elmer’s glue, pool chlorine and raisin. A second stage proceeds, with hops, apple acting as quick preludes to the vegetable blend aftertaste. Each of these "stages" might be good by themselves, but put together there’s too much happening and too much discord - a jumble of flavors without direction.