Avery Hog Heaven

Brewed by Avery Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Boulder, Colorado USA

22 oz. bottle - pours ruby red with strong sugary sweet aromas; flavors don’t quite match the strength of the aromas and it took several sips to get used to the bitter alcohol taste

Older bomber with a plain silver seal and different label than the newer bottle I have which has a different label and seal; Nose of flowery hops, caramel, and raisiny plums; lightly hazed ochre color with a medium beige head that laces nicely; flavor of caramel, raisins, and hop bitterness. Not great but a good BW. Says cellarable for three years and this one is over a year old and still has plenty of hops.

’06 Bomber. Dark amber/ruby pour with foamy off-white head. Hops, sweet malt, alcohol on the nose. Sweetness, fruit, and carmel in the flavors. Opens up more in the flavor when it warms. Very well balanced for a 100 IBU beer. Sweet/Bitter finish with some added heat. Very nice.

(Bottle, Ölbaren, Copenhagen, 3 Aug 2007) Dark amber colur with ruby notes, frothy off-white head. Fruity, very hoppy nose with grape fruit and pine needles, solid underlying malt. Fruity taste with grapefruit, pine needles, slightly rubbery hints of hops. Very hoppy barley wine with solid malt base and distinct caramel character. Quite brilliant actually.

Bomber. The aroma is somewhat reminiscent of Nyquil. Very sweet, with a floral, medicinal hop. Very pretty reddish amber color with a beige head that collapsed. Full bodied, with creamy carbonation. Strong malt sweetness with a heavy dose of arguably grapefruit hop. Quite a burn down the gullet. Pretty darn hoppy. Seems to be all kinds of light fruit flavors mixing in. The finish is both a trifle sweet and quite bitter. The alcohol hits rapidly. Don’t drive after this one.

Has a strong, rather fruity aroma with a little bit of an alcohol nip. Color is a clear dark amber brown with a thick and large-bubbled head. Flavor is fruity and has a strong bitter undertone; the alcohol bite is quite noticeable. It is nice and smooth, very drinkable, but better sipped since it is a "high-gravity" beer.

Bottle. High creamy and long lasting light brown head. Beautiful clear cobber body. Complex aroma of barley malt with honey caramel hops and spices. Powerful spicy and very hoppy and alcoholic flavor. Too bad the alcohol is so dominant.

650 ml, no date discernable. Deep copper-orange with a large, forever head. Nose of spicy resin and malt- drenched grapefruit. Initial flavor is sweet earthy pine, turning to pine-sweetened grapefruit, then finally bitter pine resin with malt in the aftertaste. Alcohol not evident. Palate is medium-heavy and smooth; surprisingly little tingle for all the hops and alcohol present.