Avery Fourteen

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

Bottle: Deep brown pour with ruby tints in the light, topped by a tan, creamy head. Aroma shows some sweet rye malt hints. There’s also some spicy/peppery hallertau suggestions, plastic-y, and sweet fruits of berries & plums. Creamy, velvety mouth feel. Flavor has some big spicy malts upfront. There’s also some fruity character of dark berries, nutty/brown sugar hints, and toasty toffee. The finish has a great roasted character which is almost coffee-ish. A bit less hoppy than I like my ASAs, but the malt depth is quality and has a balancing roastiness. No sign of alcohol in the flavor, and just a nice tasty Ale.

Draught tulip at Sunset Grilll on 9/16/07
I just don’t get this brewery. It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what is always my problem with their beers. The main problem, of course, is that they’re too sweet because they are brewing in such humongous quantities and don’t get great attenuation, I think. But beyond that, even the malt flavor itself is very simple and devoid of any suppleness/depth. Very hard mouthfeel. The hops are rarely pleasant either. Forceful, bittering hops are boring and simplified grapefruit/pine. Granted, with this one, I will admit there is some tropical fruit/pineapple flavor and aroma, but it’s pretty marginal when taken with the bitterness and sugariness. Washed out texture from excessive filtration and alcohol apparency to boot. These Anniversary beers should be small batch beers, or unfiltered or something. I just can’t take these things any more. Barely choked my glass down.

Poured a deep reddish brown color with a medium sized, light tan head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of citrus fruits, floral hops, light toffee malts, some caramel, with spices, and a bit of fresh baked bread. Taste of nuts, molasses, nougat, anise, caramel malts, roast, a bit of chocolate, light tobacco, citrus, pine, moderate bitterness, and some oxidized cardboard already present.

Bottled. RBESG. Ruby amber colour. Metallic, maybe bit edgy hopiness. Citris/mandarine, fruity hopiness a la Simcoe in flavour. Good bitterness.

Pour: dark brownish purple. Head: creamy, light beige thin. Aroma: alc, grassy, caramel, sweet, caramel, copper notes. Flavor: alcohol, grassy, butterscotch at the end. Hard to describe. Palate: lively and refreshing. Finish: butterscotch, warm.

Impressive beer. Had it with my brother - also a fan of this beer. AVERY - please do more like this !!

Murky brown/black with off-white head. Fruity, roasted scents come off the brew, featuring dark currant, raisin, fig aromas combined with roasted malty touches of burnt mocha and muted spice scents, licorice. Fairly well hopped for such a dark brew, and the taste mirrors the aromas, while emphasizing the roasted drying, coffee-like aspects. The alcohol is detectable and presents a warming of the thoat as it is imbibed. Different, but worth trying

Pours a thick dark brown with a thick creamy beige head. The aroma is sweet, fruity (citrus), caramel, molasses, dark sugars. The flavor has a charred character, alcohol, sweet, caramel, dark cocoa, earthy, butterscotch finish, the flavors are hard to describe. The palate is nice, full and smooth.