Avery Fourteen

22 ounce bottle from, uhhh, some beer shop in the midwest somewher in June 2007, served a bit below cellar temperature NOT from a fucking Trappist glass as recommended here but from a plain ol’ Corsendonk Christmas Ale glass that is my go-to for such things, thank you very much. Quite the beautiful pour, light tan with caramel hints in the stable, meringue-like head that initially fills the glass, dissipating very very slowly atop a porter-like near-opaque molasses-brown/black body....thick, spidery-lattice lacing also results as the head decreases enough to attempt a....nosing, which is at first just huge resinous hops, lots of bitter orange and a bit of grapefruit; I look for development but there isn’t much besides light sugariness.....in the body, slightly more interest; it’s very, very sweet, sugary and Stone-like at first, that combination of thick hoppy juices and huge syrupy sugars that I often associate with the California brewery, but there’s a bit more interest in the molasses-brown sugar characteristic, as a bit of a burnt/tarry note creeps in, some caramel-butterscotch towards the finish, vanilla.....still all in all this is pretty dull and unconvincing, a hopped-up, syrupy-sweet, high-octane brown/amber ale that really isn’t terribly quaffable, and isn’t complex enough to merit sipping. Blah. I must admit that I am losing my taste for these sorts of things....

Appearance: Pours a dark brown, ruby edged body with a full, beige head. Smell: An earthy and sweet-smelling aroma of aromatic tobacco, toasted marshmallows, brown sugar cookies, perfumy pine, and a dash of candied ginger. Taste: Largely malty, with flavors of caramel, brown sugar, dark chocolate, and coffee culminating in a distinct mocha taste. A hint of figs adds a bit of fruitiness. The hops provide a piney bite near the end while the alcohol gives plenty of heat. Finishes bittersweet. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Sticky mouthfeel. Drinkability: Well, that’s all I can currently think of for this one. I’m sure there’s even more lurking in there if you take the time to pick it apart. An interesting beer with plenty of appeal.

The best thing about this brew is its pour, a huge, rocky beige head resting atop a deep ruby body. The aroma is tangerine peels, worty malt, and some chewy dried fruits. It tastes of dark caramel, bitter citrus zest, molasses, and some brown spices. The study ABV is pretty well hidden throughout the drink. Just okay.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp?PlaceID=7469>West Lakeview Liquors, Chicago, IL<font size=-1>

Bottle. Moderate malt notes of roastiness and molasses and hop notes of resin and orange with a light dough aroma and raisin, cherry, smoke and plenty of alcohol in the background. It has a frothy light brown head with excellent lacing and is mostly diminishing. Color is a murky brown. Flavor starts lightly sweet and acidic and finishes moderately bitter and a bit acetic and salty. Palate is medium and texture actually feels oily and dry at the same time. The carbonation is fizzy and finishes astingent, alcoholic and very dry. Balance in both aroma and taste is what does it for me with this beer.

dark ruby leading to brown in color with thick tan-ish head. aroma is molasses and carmel with plenty of pine and citrus hops. some biscuit malt, roasted malt, carmel malt, candi sugar, coffee (light roast), milk duds, and maple molasses flavors with a full body. interesting that with all that it maintains its hoppiness.

Pours a dark red with a tan head. Aroma is full of hops and a hint of sweetness. Hop flavor with hints of dark fruits. Pretty well balanced. I would try again.

Pour is a very dark brown with a average white head. Aroma is all things pine hops with some dark roasted malts. Flavor is molasses with some pine hops, dark fruit and a dollop of alcohol. Oh the alcohol is in this one in a big way. The more it warms the more i can even smell it. Still this does have enough tasty things going on.

22oz bottle. Dark, sharp brown with some light at the edges and toast colored tan head that’s actually looks out of place atop this beer, for whatever reason. Resinous, sticky malt nose, moderate hop presence (others were getting a lot, but not me), the chocolate malts, toast and molasses on this are really nice, quite strong and pronounced, though. More subtle would be the caramelized plum and perfumy/floral notes. Vinuous, smooth and almost creamy, but I would prefer it to be unfiltered, since I actually can pick up a sortof soda pop texture that wouldn’t be present otherwise. Overall, though, a really nice recipe, and certainly unique.