Avery Fourteen

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

My first thought with my first sip was: "What an interesting and strange brew!" A lot of the flavors I just can’t put my finger on. Is it rye? The molasses is definetly there - a strong wheatiness and pleasant hoppiness. It really tastes pretty strong. Not much sweetness - in fact, pretty dry finish. There are pleasant cocoa-notes that you pick up here and there. Good.

Dark ruby, nearly black pour, with some large chunks of sediment, and a frothy, well-sustained tan head - kind of perfume-like floral aroma, with peppery hops, light roast, and an almost peaty quality - lightly tart flavor, with some moderate balancing sweetness, mostly in the form of a molasses flavor - notes of fig and plum - some herbal and floral notes mix well with a spicy hop flavor - a bit of maple syrup and roasted/coffee flavors - an almost belgian fruitiness crops up as the beer warms - some faint plastic notes detract a bit from the enjoyment, but it isn’t consistently perceptible - a unique beer, and one of the best Avery beers I’ve had in a long time.

Half pint serving on draft @ Dunedin brewery for $5 on June 23, 2007. Nice clear yet slightly opaque amber color that has dark copper hues around the edges and 1/4” tight tan head. The aroma is both sugary sweet and roasty with prunes and raisins that have been stored for a short time in an oak box. The first sip ushers in a relatively viscous fluid creating an initial sense of this beer’s gravity. Also in the first sip I notice this is rather complex with flavor notes all over. The taste has a moment of sweetness initially that gets run-over by molasses covered oak planks. The flavor becomes tougher to discern after that. I get raisins, prunes, chocolate, a bit of malt dust, then more sweet dark fruitiness and molasses. There is a maple syrup, dark chocolate, slightly astringent toffee (if that makes sense), hints of alcohol, and dark fruit that carry right into the after taste. After the beer warmed some I seem to notice both a maple and beacon aroma hidden just beneath the other notes. Well, I think that’s beacon I’m smell.

22 oz bottle pours mahogany with a dense soapy head. Aroma is fruity. Oak, cherry chocolate, brown sugar. Chocolate brown sugar flavors with tar, licorice, and alcohol. Sweet and really tasty at first. But then it just becomes too sweet and too much alcohol. Slight bitterness in the end. Bah, its too much.

[614-20070914] 1pt6floz (w/ blankboy, jerc, tupalev). Apple peel booze and dark malt aroma has "dark fig fruit" characteristics. Dark brown red body with a medium-lasting creamy light tan head. Roasted malt and boozy toast flavour is a little sweet. Full body. Nice full beer.

65 cl. bottle. Dark brown colour with a nice light brown head. Aroma of yeast, bread-like, hops, roastedness and sweet malt. Tasty flavour of maltness, alcohol, roastedness, very smooth and with a nice bitter finish.

Nice 1 inch thick head of fine and dense bubbles. Mocha colored. Light carbonation. Big aroma. Can smell it across the table. Ripe fruit, floral hops, bit of roastyness, bit of smoke hidden in the background and some molasses. Color is a very dark port brown. This brew is starting off pretty damn good and looks great sitting in my Grottenbier chalice. Big maltyness in the flavor with some sweet malts, roasted grains, dry bitter resinous hops and a late smokyness. Some herbal notes and spices mixed in there also. Noticable alcohol presence with a nice warming as it goes down. Finishes dry and roasty with a little lingering burnt toast and bitterness. This brew really is not all that sweet in my opinion which is great for this style. A damn solid ASA and one of the better brews from Avery in recent time.

Bottle and served in my NB worthy glass: Deep brown hue with a mostly last foamy head and spotty lace. The aroma has notes of piney and acidic fruits, herbal and grassy vapours along with the smoky, earthy, chewy dark side of malt and yeast. I happen to like this nose profile.

The taste starts moderately sweet and caramelized with supporting rye bread and chocolate. Quickly followed by a dose of resiny and fruity hops with a dash of hop spice more towards the finish. There is a bitterness about this brew that is not only the function of hops but too of the malt methinks. I am digging this. The mouth feel is smooth across the palate with a snappy bit along the edges and finish. Light alcoholic kick helps clean the palate. A very enjoyable brew and ready to drink right now. AVERY HATERS DISS THIS! I don’t care!!