Avery Fourteen

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

Pours a deep, rich brown. Head is light tan and thick, holding on for quite some time. Aroma is beguiling. Candi sugar, pie spices, cedar notes, licorice, dark brown sugar. Flavor is on the sweet side, but does have a hop punch to try and bring some balance to this brew. Very odd, yet I seem to enjoy it.

I drank the Fourteen from the tap at the Avery tasting room and, later, from the bottle. It was equally good from both, a real treat. I had a tough time distinguishing all of the flavors; I’ve read licorice, plum, citrus, molasses, chocolate... I wouldn’t really disagree with any of those descriptions. Anyways, this is just a really inventive and tasty beer. RERATE: I tasted the Fourteen again at a tasting/kickback. This beer was the smash hit and still deserves my 4.4 rating.

Pours a deep, dark, nearly opaque garnet-mahogany with a fine, medium desity tan head; just beautiful. Earthy hops aromas with dark fruit and spice alongside sweet caramel malt and molasses. Malt and molasses in the flavor as well--but not sweet--with excellent dry grainy and nutty flavors. Its very finely tuned malt profile which is one of the most interesting aspects of this beer. Flavors of fruit--black plums, candied citrus peel--alongside hints of toffee and smoke. Finishes dry and bitter with a dark, flavorful hops profile. Very nimble mouthfeel that successfully balances out significant alochol and substantial hops bitterness alongside strong roasted malt characteristics. Very unusual--very successful

dark, almost black, with a large creamy tan head. aroma is very belgian with yeast, candy sugar, alcohol, hops, fruit cake, licorice. lots of scents to decipher. flavor introduces the dark quality with some chocolate and molasses but its still very deceiving. lots of belgian qualities with candy sugar and the yeast. lots of licorice and hops. also quite a heavy pounding of alcohol. lots of 2ipa qualities. what the hell is this?? a cross between and 2ipa and a belgian strong?

Floral hoppy aroma, quite estery. Sugary as well. BItter, quite hopbitter in fact, with a bitter chocolate note as well. Molasses and sugary sweet. Flowery hop flavor, orange rind note as well. There’s no lack of things going on here, it just isn’t very interesting or cohesive.

Bottle. Dark mahogany in color, clear with that stable, creamy American ale head. Distinct aroma with smoke, tobacco and caramel. Upfront, this ale is big on US hops, resinous, piney, bold. The flavors move into uncertain terrain with an unharmonious combination of tart, acrid, caramel, fruity and bitter notes. Long hoppy, bitter and tangy finish. Really a pretty interesting ale that could be refined by the brewer and I would like to revisit.

Very dark brown color with a hugh lasting light tan head. Big earthy licorice aroma, yes an scent I have never been to keen on. Some caramel, resin and cooked celery as well. Just not digging the nose of this one. Some dark chocolate and orange zest comes out as it warms. Malty flavors dominate with molasses, toffee, dark caramel, light fruit and toasted grainy bread. Middle has lots of herbal hops to balance the sweetness. Some roasted malt and light smoke seems to come out a bit in the finish. Raw flavors, similar to the aromas seem to course through this one. Interesting effort, just too raw and young. I don’t either think or know that time will do much for this one.

Looks and pours absoulitey beuatiful. The aroma is slight candied sugar, herbs and caramel. taste is malt heavy first, then hop aroma. touch of herbs and mints flavors that hits you in the end. a real winner.