Avery Salvation

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

Beer pours deep orange/amber with thick white head. The aroma is very sweet, with some honey, some raisins, some yeast, and some alcohol. The flavor is very malty with some raisin flavors, toasted bread, and hops showing up in the middle. The beer finishes bittersweet from hops and full-bodied. The mouthfeel is thick and creamy, but not syrupy. The alcohol is well disguised.

Pours, well for lack of better words, golden and clear with a decent, white, pillowy head with some lasting ablilty and nice lacing. Nose is pleasant, notes of orange peel (maybe citrus hops?), corriander, biscuits, yeast, peppery spicy undertones, and a light floral hop aroma. Flavor is great, fruity notes of pear and banana, bisuity and Belgian yeasty, and with great spicy notes including nutmeg and pepper. Bitterness is fairly low and the alcohol is well hidden. Palate is medium to light in body with carbonation being between lively and fizzy and the texture remarkably still being creamy. Finishes dry and slightly bitter after the sweetness fades. A surprisingly excellent Belgian beer from an American brewery. An excellent alternative to so many dark Belgian strongs out there, and quite refreshing to those who may not be a fan of the other types of Belgian beers.

Hmm, well I’m not really sure what the big deal is with this one. It approximates the good Belgians, with light phenolic and banana notes, along with a fairly interesting hop aroma, piney and almost citric. Further, there was a bit of a strong and simplistic caramel note, so that in the end, this seemed too sweet and lacked the fluffy body of the great examples. Also, I noticed this had no yeast sediment at all, and poured a very bright and crystal clear orange color.

Bottle at Kookfest, September 2006. Orange/gold colour. Perfumed, cosmetic aroma. Spicy notes on the palate, with orange peel/tangerine putting in an appearance. Plenty of underpinning hops but I found them rather harsh and clashing with, rather than complementing, the other elements. Distinctly sweet and with an alcohol burn on the finish. I wouldn’t call this a bad beer but I didn’t really feel all the elements were perfectly integrated. I didn’t find too much finesse here. I was expecting more of this beer.

Bomber mours a golden orange with a nice white yeasty head. The aromas come out as lots of distinctly trappist yeast with a little orange zest and spices. It has a medium body in the mouth and tastes sweet but not overly sweet. Candi sugars, carmel flavors, finishing with spices maybe clove and corriander and definite high amount of alcohol you could taste and feel.

Bomber. Poured medium orange with a short-lived cap of white head... receded to spotty dusting and a ring after a short while. The nose found light fruits (apricot and orange zest), caramel and other sweetness, and clovey spices... decent, but not great. Flavor was sweet with fruity and alcohol sugars.. the booze factor was at the high-end, and it wasn’t really complimentary.. tacky caramel and woodsy notes across the middle through the finish. This was certainly a BIG BEER, but didn’t flow well.

Light orange/amber. Decent creamy head and lace. Pleasant sweet malt aroma with hints of lemon, yeast, honey and others. Medium bodied, creamy, moderate carbonation. Sweet belgum sugars mesh well with well extracted malts, perceived spiciness and nice hopping. Alcohol numbs tounge and does make itself evident but not distracting. Not a bad brew.

Golden, clear pour with a slight white head and lacing. Hoppy nose with sweet notes. Creamy taste with caramel and toffee hints. Wasn’t expecting what I tasted!! There is a nice linger that lasts and makes you want more.