Avery Anniversary Seventeen

Formerly brewed at Avery Brewing Company
Style: Dunkler Bock
Boulder, Colorado USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Snifter

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Appearance: Pours black with a foamy tan head that subsides to 1/4 inch of froth. The head leaves behind spotty lacing.

Aroma: A mixture of coffee roast and light herbal hops. Not as hoppy in the nose as I would have thought.

Taste: Sharp roast, spicy hops. A dark chocolate/black coffee clean bitter finish. A tad bit herbal as well.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with modest yet noticeable carbonation.

Overall: A super solid roasty lager. All the mentions of dry hops, with the hoppy graphics on the bottle threw me off. The last thing that comes to my mind with this beer is hoppy.

This beer really shows what a schwarzbier can be. Dark and malty, thin and crisp, bitter and hoppy. Everything is in balance in this delicious beer.

22oz bottle poured into a Lager Glass at 42°. Color is an almost black amber with a thick tight tan head. Aroma is light with the scent of deeply roasted malt and honey. Body is a lighter medium that goes down crisp and easy. Finish comes in with a mild roasted taste, then a slight sweetness that is mowed over by a dry bitterness. In the after taste the dry bitterness comes up a bit more with a slight oak like taste coming out and the alcohol showing just a touch. Overall I like it, nice flavors with a light easy drinking feel.

Not a very lagerish pour; nearly black with a creamy, rocky, light tan, full head which settles to a creamy, frothy layer and leaves some foamy lace rings. The nose is pleasant and really shows the hops well; notes of bitter oranges, pepper, nice floral notes, and just a touch of pine. The malts still find their way underneath with notes of chocolate, dark breads, light toasted caramel, and maybe some hints of coffee. The flavor is much more malt forward than the nose; chocolate, toasted caramels, faint anise, dark bread. The hops still provide some spice and light orange notes and a nearly medium bitterness. The palate is nice with a soft to lively carbonation, a medium to full body, and a silky/thick mouthfeel. The finish is balanced between bitter and sweet with notes of dark bread and spice (almost rye-like), lingering bitter oranges, light chocolate and anise, and a hop dryness. This certainly more of what came to expect from Avery coming from the last couple years of disappointing anniversary beers. It was a bit odd to have the hops so dominant in the nose but the malts winning the flavor battle, and then all balancing in the finish. The hops and the malts compete in this one a bit but ultimately come together in the end to make for a memorable beer.

Bottle: Pours darkish brownish blackish. The head is quite impressive..very thick, dense, and frothy..coats the sides of the glass fairly well with a swirl, and the color of lightly chocolated milk. Nose has toffeeish tendencies, caramel too...some roasted grains, and a little mustiness. Flavors are decent and balanced...definitely get the thicker, chocolaty maltiness as well as the bright crisp hoppiness. That being said, I think its too hop forward (not that its a total hop bomb or anything) just to much here to be fully enjoyable..that’s my personal preference though lately, hop forward beers bother me. The alcohol here is not 100% hidden either..it lends a little bit of hotness to the equation, definitely some warmth...but to me, its kind of abrasive when combined with the high hop profile as well as the aggressive maltiness underneath. To me, this is kind of like too many styles in one beer, resulting in overkill. Maybe I’ll warm up to it as I make myself through the bottle...but right now, meh.

Dark brown pour with a rich copper hue, thick tan head. Aroma is indeed blueberry with pine and a bit of coffee. Starts out malty, thick and sweet but quickly hit by hops with a bitter linger. This is a unique beer and a treat.

22 oz. bottle from Green’s on Ponce De Leon. Not a viscous pour whatsoever. The off-white head is fluffy at first, but it slowly wanes away. An almost black appearance. Aroma is a light smoke and roast, with some fresh hops to balance it out. The hop aroma is quite fruity. Not an extremely pungent brew, but I wasn’t expecting much either. Roast and smokiness provide a nice balance to the citrus/fruit hop flavor. The roast eventually takes over. I’m so glad the smoky flavor doesn’t overpower the brew; I’ve had schwarzbiers in the past that have been drain pours because of the aforementioned characteristic. The subtle roast is nice, and not overpowering. Rather thin consistency, but still nice. I’m glad to have tried this, but I’ll pass on a second attempt.

Blueberry (yes) and chocolate nose, some hints of lemon. Medium tan head, dark brownish black color. Rich dark roasted malty sweetness, not cloying, slightly spicy bitterness. Medium carbonation, medium to fullish body, finish has some roasty depth, but is clean, alcohol warmth is long and pleasant. Interesting beer, it has the characteristics of an Imperial Stout, but the lager component lightens it all up....Light Imperial Stout anyone? Great beer, truly.

22oz bottle.Pours black with a really pretty and thick tan head.Nose is hops along with bread and caramel with spices.Taste is classic German hops(clean,floral,citrus) sweet toasted malts and chocolate.The mouthfeel on this beer is excellent!This is easily the best schwarzbier I’ve tasted and an instant classic from Avery.I’m glad I grabbed this one so soon because you can really taste the freshness!Cool/different beer for sure.

UPDATED: JUN 7, 2010 On tap at falling rock. Pretty black pour with an off white head. Nice roasting aroma with molasses. Flavor has roasted malts with molasses touched with sweetness that is molasses and malt driven. The hops are there and keep this from being a malfunctioning mess. Rather they dry out the finish and brighten up the finish with a fruity lineup note. Creamy mouth feel with a dryish finish. Good!