Avery IPA

Brewed by Avery Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Boulder, Colorado USA

Had on 8/25/1998. Color is a lightly hazed gold with good carbonation, but a light head. Aroma is full of hops with a slight sour scent in the back. Taste is mild yet bitter. Starting off with a light body the bitterness can be felt right away. It goes down with a flat feel on the back of your mouth. The finish has a light body but a strong bitterness and a fair amount of hop flavor.

(bottle) Orange body with big, off-white head. A full, floral nose with sweet orange, grass, and hops. Flavor is very hoppy but smooth start to finish. Grapefruit flavor with moderate sweetness. Medium bodied and very drinkable.

Not the Maharaja, but a very nice hoppy beer. Good smells and a nice end. I could try and get sick of IPAs and this wouldn’t do it. A good beer to watch Monday Night Football with.

Avery is FINALLY available in the San Francisco Bay Area!!!! This beer is absolutely crystal clear. Has the color of a fine orange muscat wine rather than a beer. Very lacy head that falls pretty quickly, but leaves lots on the glass sides. Microfine carbonation that you can taste rather than simply see. Nice hop aroma. Not overpowering like some IPAs are these days. It says, "Yes, there are hops in there." Flavor is also hoppy, but not overpowering. I’m guessing Centennials or Cascades and perhaps something else to even it out. They say its the hoppiest in Colorado. Perhaps by IBU count, but its smooth. Bitterness resides on the palate in the aftertaste. I actually think I’d prefer to drink this over Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (my father is rolling in his grave right now!!).

Purchased at Gomer’s of Kansas. Pours a copper color with a white head. A nice strong hop aroma, grapefruit, and some floral aroma as well. Tasting some grapefruit around the hops but not too much. Finishes crisp with hops and is a great IPA.

Bottle. One of my favorite IPAs. It is hoppy but not quite to the extent of a West Coast hop bomb. It is more agressive than a MidWestern IPA. Great aromas of hops, flowers and citrus, flavors of pine, citrus, esters and of course flowery hops. Nice bittersweet finish.

On tap at Stone. Clear golden hues with a moderate white head. Nice citrus grapefruit aromas.Easy on the palate. Clean hop bitterness with very good flavor retention. Very subtle maltiness and driness. Nice IPA with straight ahead hops and not alot of complexity.

Date: May 05, 2002
Mode: Bottle
Source: Norm’s, DC
Appearance: Clear copper, frothy white head
Aroma: abundent floral hop aroma
Flavor: big bold hop flavor, long bitter finish, light carmel malt body, a tad bit out of balance

Date: April 13, 2005
Appearance: ditto
Body: thin body
Flavor: very resiny

Date: August 11, 2005
Source: ww tasting
Score: ii to iii
Aroma: good sweet grapefruit aroma
Flavor: huge hop flavor, great sweetness, lasting bitterness

Date: February 20, 2009
Mode: cask
Source: Flying Saucer Houston
Score: 3.4
Appearance: hazy orange, creamy off white head like a merangue pie, sheets of speckled lace
Aroma: sweet grapefruit aroma
Flavor: big citrus flavor, just a touch of crystal sweetness is hidden by a big bitter presence
Overall: drier on cask with a big bitter presence

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4