Avery Old Jubilation Ale

Brewed by Avery Brewing Company
Style: English Strong Ale
Boulder, Colorado USA

bottle - Pours dark amber with a moderate head that fades to a thin, sustained head. The aroma is of caramel malt and dark fruit and the flavor is along the same line with some mild hops for balance and maybe a hint of chocolate. It’s warming and very drinkable.

Solid medium brown pour with yellow/brown head. Head held at about 3/4 inch until dissolving to a thin lacing on surface of beer and around glass. Smells barleywine-sweetish, notes of fruit (strawberry?) and some generic licorice. First sip impressions: bitter! strong, full mouthfeel. Toffee flavor, more berry. Wow, is this stuff good. Very rich, amazing feel on the palate. I just got some old school bubblegum, you know the rock hard sticks of bubblegum that came in Topps baseball card packs in the late 80s? That is the prevailing aftertaste right now. A nice, almost spicy bitter cocoa comes through quite soon in the pint. This is a fantastic English Strong Ale.

A clear but deep garnet body shows light traces of carbonation and holds a thick, khaki head for a long while until it falls to a fat cap and laces like a frickin’ doily. Spicy, fruity, malted aroma with enough citrus-atop-caramel to make me think there’s a barleywine in my glass. Somewhat dry and fairly thick in the mouth. Cocoa dominates the flavor with a wash of raisin and a finish of chocolate and coffee. A llight spicy lift in the finish disperses an otherwise bitter, dirty linger. I can use this "winter warmer" today as we lost 40°F since yesterday...

<font size=-4>A trade thanks to <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/View-User-4111.htm> at the <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/events-detail.asp?eve />

Bottle: Dark mahogany, huge foamy light beige head, quite nice lacing.   Unsweetened Cocoa aroma, slight biscuit, otherwise dominiated by soft bakers chocolate (unsweetened).   Forwardly malty, soft hop presense, a touch of dark pitted fruit, hint of sourness, otherwise a Carob or artificial chocolate like flavor.   Noticing a bit of charred wood or campfire as it warms.   Moderate to full bodied and mouthfeel.   Finish leaves me wishing it was a bit sweeter.   Tiz okay, but just not fancy enough for a Winter Warmer.   Its missing something... or perhaps its that it is the "bakers chocolate" oriented profile that has me unsatisfied.   Slight dryness after the finish.

Bottle 12oz
Neat citric nose, grapefruit, lime, red apple and solid dose of brown malts.
Appearance: brown, clear, creamy tanned top.3+
Medium full bodied, light roast below with potent and clean hop character. Smooth balanced work.

Bottled. Floral aroma mixed with madeira and raisins. Brown color, beige head, good lace. Very floral and herbal hoppy start. Then it becomes sweet and finishes hopbitter again. I love it when a beer evolves during the drinking. Well balanced, sticky and dry in the finish.

Aroma has madeira, lot of raisin and hops. Clear, brown coloured with an off-white, medium head. Taste is sweet, madeira/port like with a hopbitter finish. Alcohol is noticeable and belly-warming. Nice brew I must say.

The aroma was nutty and toasty with a sherry character, chocolate and coffee thrown in for good measure. The chocolate and fruity esters dominated the aroma was dark fruits of raisin and prune. The beer was brown with an amber hue and some particulate matter. The head was off-white and barely there, yet lasting enough to lace at the glass. The flavor was malty with dark fruits, once again raisin and prune, and chocolate, dark and milky. The beer had a strong caramel malt flavor coupled with chocolate and a smidge of coffee. The body was medium full or just a bit less and with a low carbonation level was still a bit creamy in the mouthfeel. A nice beer, kinda a porter IMO. I believe this one has been in the stash for awhile, but it certainly does not seem the worse for wear - I had written 2003 on the label. 12 ounce bottle.