Avery Samaels Oak-Aged Ale

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

Bottle. Bit hazy orange body with an off-white small creamy head. Very vinous aroma with tons of malt, spme alcohol and ripe fruit. The oak is present too. Heavy sweet aroma with lots of alcohol. Notes of oak, vanilla and caramel. Heavy alcoholic in the finish. Medium to creamy bodied. Its way too sweet and sugary.

2006 bottle. Foggy orange appearance. Small head is created through an agitated pour but fizzes away almost immediately. Alcohol is sensed on the nose, as well as honey and wood. Not harsh but inviting. It tingles over the tongue, similar to a very weak whisky. Similar flavors can match with the Beast but it is MUCH less intense. Honey notes are also found. The burn of alcohol is felt immediately after the swallow but leaves a mix of sweet flavors. Definitely an approachable Barley wine.

2006 on tap at Brouwer’s Hard Liver ’09. Pours hazy orange amber with a small off-white head. Intense nose of bourbon, oak, toffee, and caramel. Tastes much the same but with a bit of a floral hop addition. Thick with a nice finish. My favorite of the fest.

Poured dark amber with a fluffy white head. Aroma of vanilla, candy, and booze. Heavy alcohol upfront and in the finish. Some caramel and vanilla hints. Very sweet. I can see this getting better with age.

This one was far better than I expected. Pours an orangish copper with a very small head. Powerful citrus in the aroma - mandarin and lemon - with hops and an almost tart note. BIG flavor - hot, though, and that’s the only thing countering the huge amount of malts (not quite enough hops), but somehow I really like it. Almost like something DFH would make.

RERATE 05/13/09. Batch 1, tasted as part of the Avery Experience at Brouwer’s. Totally malt-driven, but this thing mellowed incredibly well - not a hint of that 15% came through. Unbelievably smooth, almost like a dessert wine.

I’m going to rate this as a an English Barley Wine (19B). Props to ratebeer for using a BJCP category, it helps me out! Aroma- Smells of rich, buttery candy (butterscotch?), vanilla, dates and a woody aroma... fantastic. Appearance- Mahogany, great clarity, small, persistant head that is light tan. Flavor- Spicy, huge caramel taste, some butterscotch. Vanilla flavors pop out from the "oak" taste. Fantastic. Hop flavor is present as mell, medium hop flavor. Alcohols are all over the place, but not solventy. Palate- Full, but not chewey body, moderately high carbonation. Alcohol is hot, but it is very smooth and velvety. Overall Impression- I believe that Imperial Beers should showcase something, and this showcases malt. The oak gives it a fantastic vanilla flavor, which mixes well with the esters produced from the making of such a beer.

Bottle. April 2008 batch 4. Pours amber caramel color with light tan head that does not last at all. Aroma is vanilla and caramel. Smells more like a sugar daddy from the caramel side than anything else. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor is alcohol, caramel sugar daddy, and some vanilla and wood from the oak. Nice brew, but not well balanced or extreme to area. Still a solid offering.

Very pretty burnt amber color, small to no head on my pour. Nose is sweet and malty. Taste is sweet and malty. okay beer but a big sweet and heavy for me.