Avery Ale to the Chief

Brewed by Avery Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Boulder, Colorado USA

Holy Cow. I love Avery. They make awesome beers and I’ve had almost every one. This beer breaks away from their normal bomber-style beers, in that it is balanced (not a hallmark of Avery beer). It is balanced, while still being one of the hoppiest beers I’ve ever had (if that makes any sense). I’ll get to the gist: Appearance- Phenominal clarity that belies it’s strength. Frothy white head, orange color. Aroma- Piney frsh hops; smells like hop pellets when they come out of the package. Flavor- HOPS!!!! Hops in front, hops in the middle and hops in back. Cascades for sure. Very Grapefruity. Has somewhat of a smokey flavor that, I’m sure doesn’t come from peated or Rauch malt, but rather; is a derivative from the cascade hop profile. There is some balance here, but hops still dominate. If I had to guess, I would say that a lighter crystal malt ࿈?) and vienna or victory malt compliment the pale malt here. The hops lend a robust hop flavor when I exhale after tasting. This beer is very boozy, but I cannot taste much alcohol. Fantasic beer: I drank it while sitting in my back yard in a relatively cool July evening.

Had this in a bottle and on tap. All I can say is OMG! You have to try it both ways, but TAP is the best. The hoppiness of this beer will satisfy even the biggest hophead, a definite must.

Nice and hoppy and balanced other than the hop attack. A huge hop citrus / grapefruit flavor rolls over everything. Super Yummy

It pours a beautiful clear pale copper color. Has a small dissapating off white head. Smells of sensational citrusy-floral hops. No real malt aromas. The hops are just fine for me. Seems like more than Cascades to me. Average to pretty nice lacing. The flavor is of spicy, piney, citrusy hops and a little bit of malty goodness. Pretty smooth on the palate, a little alcohol sting. A nice bitterness that lingers nice.

22 oz. bottle from Seaboard Wine in Raleigh (Batch 2, I believe based on purchase date, bottled November 2008). Dark orange pour with a fluffy white head. Rich pineapple aroma; dominates over any other aromas. A hint of peach in the aroma as well. Taste is much of the same but with a nice malt backbone and a bitter hop finish. An outstanding beer even at 6 months after it was bottled. Try it if you can still find it.

Dark orange with a creamy white head. Aroma and flavor of oranges, grapefruit, citrus with a big chewy malty mouthfeel. Great beer!

Copper color with a small head. They nailed the nose, with an intense blend of west coast hops that deliver loads of grapefruit and lemon. Flavor packs a wallop with a lovely, beautiful hoppiness. Lemon, citrus, resin, pure, oily hops. Well utilized hops and also hops of high quality. Delicious display of hops. Basically a 1.5 IPA here.

22 oz bottle-pours a rich off white head that laces and amber color. Aroma is nice pine/citrus hops-cascade. Taste is nice pine/citrus-grapefruit rind raw hops-bitter, secondary/some medium malt-caramel. Great beer. Medium body. Semi-dry long finish. Thanks jwc215 for sharing.