Avery Twelve

Aroma: honey, orange peel, lavender, chamomile, cinnamon, slight pumpkin spice, some cream, lemon juice, some wheatiness, yummy!
Appearance: cloudy, murky golden yellow, small white head
Flavor: sweet, wheaty, coriander, orange peel, honey, lavander, chamomile, Beligum yeast, lemon juice, slight hay or grass, spiciness--sort of like a radical tripel taste
Palate: very smooth, creamy, and spicy
Overall: this is a lovely beer--a combination of a supped-up tripel and crazy saison--distinctly Avery--I could drink this ALL night!

So, I was a little surprised at some of the ratings for this one after I had this yesterday. I never look at the ratings before I drink, and what follows is my note from enjoying a bottle that I purchased last year. Maybe all the stars aligned for this particular bottle, but I found this to be a fantastic saison.<!-- br --> From bottle I bought in Plano. Really pleasant spicy nose. Herbal with chamomille and witchhazel - like a Ricola lozenge. Lemon peel and zesty fruity acids, light sweet malts and good yeasty esters. Pale clouldy golden with medium foamy eggshell lacing head. Medium bodied, lots of tiny bubbles - almost like a champagne fizziness. Goes down very smooth with a bit of alcohol warming and nice fizzy burn. Starts with good malty sweetness, kind of rich character, with neutral fruits and a touch of honey. After the initial sweetness, a whole bunch from herbs and spices come to the front. Lavender, chamomile, nice Belgian yeasty taste and some alcohol. A bit of lemon and bubblegum, like Beemans. Finishes with a very pleasant herbal bitterness that was just right in balancing with the malt sweetness.

22 oz bottle. Golden and active, with a nice lively white head. Very perfumey, herbal nose ... Very rich for such a light-colored brew ... virtual party of flavors here: chamomile and lavender unique and notable among them. Quite different and quite excellent.

22oz bottle. Incredibly floral nose, very sweet all around with notes of coriander, soapy wheat, orange peel, pineapple and the distinct scent of lavender. It has a mostly clear appearance, golden yellow and glowing, with a slight haziness. Fruity, floral, pickly, sweet... those are my first impression. Over the back of the tongue it has some heft, some strength, and a little dryness that I really like. Flavors consist of some starchy sweet lemons and wheat, some light honey and lavender notes and a nice, smooth Belgian yeast flavor. I’m quite impressed with this one, and am befuddled as to why the scores are so low. Is it a dislike for the style or is there something in this beer that people do not like and I just seem to enjoy? Overall a very well made beer, much more spicy and thick than a normal saison, but for Avery this is spot on their stuff. Expensive but worth the cost.

I really like this beer but not because it’s a classic Saison. It’s a very interesting beer with ton’s of flavors. Sure there’s the cloudy orange appearance and classic orange peel (sweet instead of bitter) and effervescent carbonation. It’s the herbs they used for flavor and aroma that make this distinctive...lavender and chamomile. They take away from the classic ester flavors you get from the Belgian yeast but it works...for me at least.