Avery The Reverend

Brewed by Avery Brewing Company
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Boulder, Colorado USA

Isn’t the label a rating category? Darn...should be! Oh well, I guess we’ll have to rate this one the contents. Poured a ruddy-orange with a light head. Aroma has a bit nutty (odd?). Tasted was surprisingly spicy, with a sweet ride to the finish.

Bottled. Pours ruby red with no head. Very faint aroma- I can’t seem to make it out it’s so faint. My nose could be a little off tonight. Malty assualt at first sip! Tons of dark fruit notes and sweet, sweet, sweet. Did I mention it’s sweet? A bit of lingering sweetness on the tongue as well in the aftertaste.

Orange/amber color with virtually no head. Aroma of fruit, alcohol and yeast. Flavor is sweet from the malt and candy sugar. Slight tartness in the finish. Alcohol is definitely present but not overly so. Nice. I’ll have to look for their imperial stout.

Lending palpable skepticism, the promise of a "quadrupel ale" seemed rather illusory. I tend to have an innate fear of Avery - why? I’m not certain. Perhaps it’s the brash outset or frightful label-design, or likely the negative climate generated by our vocal community. It’s always with great tedium that a bottle is uncapped, even though my restraint has proven to reveal Avery’s more acceptable offerings. So perhaps I’ve been stereotyping the brewery all too much, and should have approached this effort with more excitement. The pour certainly wouldn’t prove me wrong: a clear, sap-like, apple juice appearance and creamy foam, unlike any of Belgium’s monastic creations. The aroma was far more enticing, exuding an well-blended mixture of fruits and vegetables. Turnips and artichoke joined forces with copious banana, pear, apple and hazelnut. Hints of bubble gum alongside sweet cinnamon and coriander provided ample complexity and though completely unrelated to the Abts or Quadrupels I’ve known, rather pleasant indeed. The palate is a decidedly subdued version of what I could smell, barely hiding the strong alcoholic tones. Banana, pear, fig, caramel and grains are otherwise prominent leaving a a sticky bubble gum aftertaste. A quite enjoyable ale overall, but not what I expected from the style - still a success for Avery.

Small white head. Deep chestnut brown body. Sweetish banana aroma with notes of wood and spices. Taste is similar, but has smoky notes and is perhaps a touch watery. Still a very good beer. (Bottle.)

Pours amber with a mostly receding light tan head. Aroma of apples, raisins, toffee, and caramel. Taste is sweet and phenolic with notes of apples, plums, toffee, and alcohol. Mouthfeel is medium to heavy bodied and slightly sticky with lush carbonation.

22oz bottle. Served at 49.7° in my NB worthy glass. Pours red with a small, hazy off-white head. Aroma of dark fruits, rum, and sugar sweetness. The body is pretty big. The flavors are of prunes, plums, with an unusual middle flavor that is almost tart and sour, the finish is back to mildly sweet. There is a bit of heat. This beer seems considerably less complex than many of the Abt/Quads, I guess there is some pretty stiff competiton in this class.

Pours dark orange nice white head. Very sweet mostly brown sugar, and some caramel, and dark fruits, raisins, some slight apple, pretty tasty.