Avery Barrel-Aged Series 1 - Brabant

Formerly brewed at Avery Brewing Company
Style: Sour Ale/Wild Ale
Boulder, Colorado USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

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Bottle. Pours to a very dark red-brown with an instantly forming khaki head. The Zinfandel is very present on the nose, as is fruity spice and a little oak. I’m mixed about the wine barrel aging. Part of me feels it clashes rather than assist the beer, but I also feel that with a little getting used to, it might be magical. Whatever the case, I’m glad I tried it, and cheers to Avery for their experimentation.

Tan full head with extensive lacing on the glass. Dark coffee color. Very aromatic, smells like aged oak barrels, mild sour flavor with aged oak taste.

Creamy tan head and deep amber body. The aroma promises a lot that the beer doesn’t deliver. A little bit sweeter than sour that I was expecting. Has a great mouth feel and interesting carbonation. Nice cherry fruity. A littler more barnyard would be nice.

12 oz in Chimay Trappist glass. Pour is deep brown with a ruby tinge, and almost opaque. Appears to have a moderate, fine carbonation, creating a thin but lasting tan head. Aromas of grape lollipop (seriously), red wine, and tart fruit. Soft, creamy texture. Fruity flavor, followed by a funky sour aftertaste. Red wine flavors come through in the finish, ending with a tart sweetness. I would have considered this a sour if asked to classify. Really interesting brew that I would encourage any serious beerologist to try.

(12oz bottle to snifter) incredible aroma, like roasted caramel. A gorgeous pour; deep brown with dark thick tan head. The taste is unbelievable and its thick and creamy with a mild finish. Now one of my favs!

Pours black coffee colored with a small head that dissipated quickly, but left considerable lacing. Could smell bananna bread, vietnamese grocery store (fetid tofu), belgian-sweet. These were tastes (meant not in a terrible way): sour smoke, spoiled wine, tar, like a wet horse smells, kimchee without the heat, can definitely taste the tanins from the zin barrels. Very full-bodied, highly carbonated, fizzy on tongue. One of us found it somewhat drinkable & interesting, the other would not order again. Must like sour beers to enjoy!

a very interesting beer, alot of black olive tapenade, oak and dark fruit flavors, not a lot of balance but the concept is so interesting.

Appearance: The Brabant pours much darker than I imagined it would. Even after holding this puppy up to the light, I still can’t see through it. It is essentially black with only the slightest bit of purple-brown color sneaking out from time to time. There is a fair amount of lacing, but really not much head at all. Smell: The fermented brettanomyces yeast is all up in the nose, which is accompanied by lots of dark fruit aromas such as prunes, raisins, and figs. This combination of smells puts off a lot of funk. In the back, too, I get a nice bit of extremely ripe (bordering on rotten) banana. As I had hoped, I definitely smell the deep smoky grape components in here from the zinfandel barrels. Taste: There is an immediate tartness from the yeast and the funk carries over to the palate. This is the element of the beer that makes it hard for me to love. I really like the zinfandel barrel aging of this beer. I think wine barrels for darker beers like this will be a good movement. There is a medium amount of bitterness here that I like, but I don’t think it’s enough to balance out the other flavors. I’m definitely getting the dark fruit components from the nose here, too. Mouthfeel: This is where the Brabant falls short for me the most. There is a light tartness that stays on the tongue for awhile. The zinfandel aromas are left only after everything else has gone. But it is ultimately the yeast component that lasts the longest. Overall: I guess I wasn’t sure what I my expectation of this one would be. I have not transformed myself yet to loving the brettanomyces yeast beers. This is only a personal thing that I hope to get past soon. For the most part, though, the Brabant was enjoyable but not something I would hanker for again. I would love to see this one be a little more balanced with a bit more body.

Aroma: Burnt vanilla, bark, cinnamon, oak, green bananas. Taste: Spicy, main notes are pineapple and coffee which are very dissonant together... apparently there is no such thing as a black lambic for a reason Adam!

Bottle. Dark brown with little or no highlights. sour, vinous smell. really does smell a bit like zinfandel. bright ripe sour fruit flavors- especially cherry. a subtle carmel undertone lifts towards a malty sweet aftertaste. Finishes with a pleasant piquancy that puckers the mouth. This is a well balanced "sour" beer. I’ll look forward to the rest of the series.