Avery Fourteen

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

Huge beige head, rather fine bubbled and irregular, leaving some lacerings over deep dark beer with a ruby shine. Dark malts, alcohol and fusels, USA hops, cardboard, caramel and something perfumey-soapy. Generally speaking delicate and discreet nose. Bitterish, both hoppy & roasted, and a spicy flavour, reminding me of cumin; melanoidins. There’s quite some toffee & caramel, even molasses, but the hopgift quickly smothers it all. Good balance for an impressive brew. Very slick and well-bodied, alcoholwarming; Better balanced, discreter than most Avery brews I discovered, and for a rather massive ale, at that. Thanks, David A!

Deep reddish colour with a tan head. Malty, dark fruity aroma with a vague roasted note and hints of hops. Malty, dark fruity sweet flavor with notes of alcohol and liqourice.

Bottle, 22oz. A dark brown beer with a reddish hue. Sweetish, roasted aroma with dried fruits and beef stock as well. Quite sweet on the palate, with beef stock, hops and pine, finishing with a lasting flavor that has a coffee-bitter twist. Maybe a bit thin body. I love the flavor combo this beer shows, and it went very well with figs and vanilla ice cream. (071228)

My Bottom Line:
This Imperial India Dark Ale (if that means anything) promotes intense herbal, piney hoppiness atop the fruitiness of berries and roasting molasses. This is a nearly-balanced strong ale full of Americana.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam circles the blood-laced black.
-A little less alcohol and this would make a tantalizing quaffer just like Baird’s First Impact or The Alchemist’s El Jefe.
-The hops provide a lot more flavor components, including leafy and citrusy angles.
-Carbonation is frothy, which actually helps drinkability in the case of this behemoth.

Bottles.

Bottled. Ruby red and mahogany coloured. Huge chocolate brown dense head. Quite impressive sight. Caramel, ripe fruits like raisins and prunes in the aroma. Has a somewhat sweet and and flowery note and some alcohol is notable. Flavour is a bit subdued. Caramel there again. Some liqourice and spice. Brown sugar and fruits. Prunes again and light raisins. Is quite full bodied. Quite dry. To me it has a light smoked character. Ends on a medium and quite pleasant bitterness, which transform into some applenotes. Alcohol leaves a bit warmth on the lips and palate. Quite nice and pleasant beverage.

Tap at Downtown Bar and Grill. Deep brown beer with a thick tan head. Very persistent. Very sweet pruny malt aroma. Brown sugar, molasses and toasted grain. Lots of dark fruity sweetness with an overtone of blackstrap molasses. There is also a soft but insistent smokiness in the aroma that is quite lovely. Flavour however, is a bit disjointed. Sweet dark fruit, prunes and plums followed by loads of earthy/woody bitterness and a fairly harsh astringency on the back. Warming brings up a salty/savoury component, but the whole thing seems poorly integrated despite some nice individual components. Quite boozy as well, which I rarely enjoy.

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.

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.

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