Avery Salvation

Clear orange body with lacing white head. Strong floral sweet perfume, suntea aroma. Long Island iced tea creamsicle flavor. Warm alcohol finish.

Copper body with an off-white head. Creamy and lingering. Lemony sweet aroma. Reminds me of Crystal Light. Much more subdued aroma than is typical for Avery’s big brews. Really great mouthfeel. Very soft and velvety. Pronounced yeast and citrus flavors.

Poured a clear golden with a small head. Aroma of floral hops and tea. Flavor of alcohol and some tea. A bit dry with some orange as well.

Poured a filtered golden color with a small, off white head that left very light lacing on the glass. Aroma of molassas, dry grains, caramel malt, some herbs, and wood. Taste of caramel malts, citrus, prunes, sweet honey, nuts, and alcohol, with a sweet and sticky mouthfeel.

On tap at the Avery 12th anniversary party. Sharp sour aroma with some hops and grain. Golden deep color, white head. Sweet and sour taste, caramel, grains and hops. THe fruitiness was a sour orange flavor. Very interesting. Slighly cloying feel with a somewhat sticky finish. All in all a good beer that kinda doesn’t know whether to be sipping beer or not.

This is my first rating of an Avery beer. I must say at the very least it is quite unique. The first thing that stands out is that it’s not a handsome brew -- it’s rather ugly, in fact, with only a small film of off-white head that tries to last as lacing; the color is a syrupy dark amber with poor carbonation. Aroma is very crisp, mostly malty with undertones of yeast. Flavor is quite ok as well, with a surprising hop level for the high alcohol %; seems to be a lot of spice in there, perhaps mace or star anise. Though the poor appearance is connected with a somewhat cheap, cream sherry mouthfeel, the finish is strong and the alcohol burn (a plus in this case) is somewhat reminiscent of eating raw cinnamon atop a melon. The main plus to this beer overall is that, even though somewhat an experimental brew, in a sense it’s better than certain actual Belgian imports that are simply too strong on overwhelming yeast elements.

From a bottle - Ah, yes... another fine brew I drank at this year’s "Ohio River Way Paddlefest". It poured a luscious, golden color with a spicey, gardeny bouquet and a finely laced white head. It’s taste was suberb, an outstanding example of a Flemish golden beer!

Salvation came tonight in the form of a 22 oz. brown bomber, with gold foil around the neck, and a label evocative of medieval Christian art. The beer poured out into a tulip glass, looked gorgeous golden yellow, with active carbonation. Compared to most other beers in this style, the head was rather small at half inch thick, and there was not much lacing left along the sides of the glass.

The smell was dead on, with sweet malt, spices, and the unique earthiness typical of Belgian yeast strains. The taste was big on malt, with pear, green apple, and apricot like fruitiness, and was closer to a Tripel than a Belgian Strong Pale Ale. There was also a noticeable level of hop flavor coming through. Not an overpowering hop flavor, but a little touch of citrus and hay complimenting the sweetness quite nicely.

Thick and sticky mouthfeel accentuated the feeling of consuming a big special beer. The alcohol was well hidden, and there was almost no burn. The aftertaste was peppery, citric, and sweet. A big beer that does not feel harsh and aggressive, but instead is like a gentle giant carrying you along on his back.