Avery Oak Barrel Oude Deux

on tap at the Avery Tap Room during GABF week on 9/25/09... pours a light brown... sour funky nose... medium body with a touch of caramel, some dryness to it and a nice tart finish. I prefer this to the regular Old Jubilation any day.

Draught, Avery. Head is mostly diminishing. Body is dark brown. Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (toasted grain/nuts), lightly to moderately yeasty (barnyard, horseblanket), with notes of cherry and wood. Flavor is moderately sweet, moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, moderately acidic, moderately bitter, woody. Medium to full body, watery texture, lively carbonation, lightly to moderately alcoholic. Quite different from the regular Oude Deux, this picked up a noticeable Bretty odor, some cherryish character and wood. I liked the regular Oude Deux better, but this was still pretty enjoyable.

(Draught) Pours a deep brown body with a small beige head. Aroma of cherry, leather, barrel, grass, floral, light citrus, caramel, and vinous. Flavor of plum, cherry, raisins, toasted malt, molasses, and Rochefort yeast with a dry finish. Nice stuff!

GABF 2008 @ Avery. This one looked exactly like a cola. Light fizzy brown body with an effervescent faint head. Light barnyard funk and a huge vinous oak character. The body was much the same with a delightfully funky flavor and a blessedly bourbon free oak experience. A very smooth mouthfeel and a faint sourness.

On tap @ Avery Tasting Room poured a dark brown with a small lasting tan head. Aromas of carmel, toffee, fruittiness, wood and some light barnyard funk. Palate was medium bodied and smooth with a lightly tart finish. Flavors of toffee, fruittiness, wood, light barnyard and a hint of leather with a smooth lightly tart finish.

Draught at Avery. Pours brown with an average, creamy, off-white head, mostly lasting with fair lacing. Aroma is average malt (bread, cookie, straw), average hops (flowers, grass), average yeast (sweat, horse blanket, barnyard) with notes of plum, cherry, and wood. Medium bodied, sticky texture, average carbonation, and a sour finish. Average duration, light sweetness, moderate acidity and sourness.

2008 GABF week @ Avery. Dark brown colored body with a light tan head. Rich toffee, almond and a little touch of plum up front. Rich and malt-forward, then bursting open with extremely dry oak... mouth becomes parched, and the flavors goes from slightly enjoyable to unpalatable moldy, damp wood, tea leaves and lactic, lightly acidic moldy bread. Muddy and messy on the palate, I’m not sure if this was the intent of the oak barrel or if something went wrong, but the Oude Deux, a fairly nice Belgian dark ale, all of the good qualities of that beer have been destroyed in this oak barrel version.