Avery Samaels Oak-Aged Ale

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

This Barley Wine has a nicd aroma, and taste, but the finish is quite syrup like. My bottle did not pour with much head, which disappeared rapidly. Visually it was cloudy. Overall it’s nice, but since I’ve only had one other BW (at NHC ) it’s hard to tell where it ranks with others.

Not a bad beer but not great. Really high in alcohol. Took awhile to drink but it got better as it got warmer..not bad

really expensive brew, with high alcohol content, and virtually no head, although the more the glass sits, the more the head forms. a little too syrupy and sweet for my tastes. i could barely finish this brew as i don’t see how it ranks in the 87 percentile. i think some reviewers may be slightly influenced by the price of this brew, however, we were not, because we’re ballin on a budget in college park. peece. CPG in tha house.

Bottled in 2005. This Barley wine pours a deep copper color from a 120z bottle. Small sized white foamy head. Aroma is caramel, sweet, sherry, oak and sweet. Touch of alcohol as well. Medium to full bodied English style Barley Wine. Malts are very sweet, lots of caramel and oak. Low carbonation. It sort of has a sherry/port kind of feel to it. The caramel and fruits balance some hints of oak and brown sugar flavors. There is a strong alcohol presence, that sort of is straining to be unleashed, but its nowhere near as hot and forward as Avery brews usually are. Yet at 14.5% it is not that strong. The first few sips, and you can’t help but sip this beer, are WAY WAY to sweet, but it seems to lessen as you proceed. Probably just my taste buds getting overwhelmed… This beer is growing on me; I like it more as I sip. The aging potential for this beer is very good. I need to pick up some more to forget about for 5-10 years. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is sweet with a touch of alcohol.

Bottle. Orange brown colour with a beige head. Aroma is alcohol, licorice, fruit, citrus. Flavour is alcohol, licorice, hop,fruit,caramel. Nice beer.

2006 Bottle. Poured a cloudy burnt orange. Nice airy head dicipates fast and no carbonation thereafter. Aroma very sweet like oak candy with fruit syrup sundae undertones. Taste was very sweet in the beginning, middle and end. When the sugar was gone taste more sugar and some alcohol and dark dried fuits. With a small burp during intermission of this high alcohol prince, mostly the oak comes back up. The sugar must have dissolved into my already sweet veins.

Date: 10/20/2005
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

clear amber, sweet spicy malt aroma, thick body, sweet syrup malt flavor, hot, all sweet
-------- /> Date: 08/16/2007
Mode: bottle
Source: tasting
Vintage: 2005

hot sweet vanilla and oak aroma, sweet hot buttered caramel flavor, caramel candy sweetness, touch of fleeting alcohol, hint of light oak, just a bitof spicy bitterness in the finish,
-------- /> Date: 11/25/2007
Mode: bottle
Source: tasting
Vintage: 2007

sweet hot caramel malt aroma, sweet vanilla flavor with more of the oak than before,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: **4

2005 bottle. I have had this one for a really long time and just never got around to drinking it. I cannot comment on how this is in the fresh bottles, because I have never had that, but I will say that the two year age on it gave it a very pleasant tasting slightly oxidized fabulous beer. It pours out a hazy brown color with no head at all, there is very light carbonation as well with this one. The smell is full of sweet sugar, some sherry smells, a hint of oak and vanilla, and some alcohol. Taste is smooth and sweet and very thick. The alcohol is not really that prominent either, especially for a beer that is 14.9% abv. Really good stuff, and I noticed the first ratings of this beer were lower, so perhaps the age makes this way better. I will certainly get another bottle or two of this and throw it in the cooler. Very good beer. Seriously underrated. Perhaps they need to quit filtering it and fill it up with sludge so it will get better praise from the Gods.