Avery Collaboration Not Litigation

Murky orange brown appearance, my third of the night, this one more brown than the others perhaps, off-white head, great retention, good lacing. Aroma of caramel, oranges, other citrus notes, light spices (ginger?). The flavor was caramel, oranges, citrus, coriander, and yeast. The mouthfeel was only moderate for the style, ample carbonation. A decent brew, nothing special, but decent, clearly Avery’s best attempt at a Belgian (that I’ve had).

Rated 7/13/07. Cloudy, reddish-brown body with a small white film for a head that leaves behind a decent amount of lacing. The aroma is that of a typical Belgian Strong, primarily dark fruits and sweet, sugary malts. The flavor was unrefined dark fruits, with a high sugar content. Smooth beer with a nice finish, but the body was exceedingly sticky and sweet. Could definitely use some time to mellow, but I don’t know if this beer can ever get past its excessive sweetness.

From Havnens Vin, Vejle, DK. Bottled, 240709. Amber with small head. Aroma of ripe fruit and malt. Flavor is caramel, alcohol and yeasty esters.

22oz, pours murky mahogony with white head. nose is very trappist yeast with banana, raisons, and brown sugar. taste is bready, spicy, dark fruits, and caramel. finishes with a good kick of alcohol but mouthfeel is on par with other belgians. this is actually quite tasty. although i haven’t had RR salvation, this is much better than Avery’s.

ON draft. Flavor of fruit, bubblegum, and banana. Flavor reminded me of a juiced up wit beer. Aroma of bubblegum and spice; yeast. Some alcohol warming. Pretty good beer.

Pour is blackish with a tan head...smell was dominate by the RR brew...licorice, pepper, yeast, dark fruits...taste was sweet and fruity at first with earth fruits (grapes and plums) with some anise bringing up the rear...finish was a little sticky for me.

22oz bottle. This pours a hazy copper color with a large, off white head. The aroma is yeasty and leads into flavors that are sweet, with dark fruit and spices. It’s very tasty. The mouthfeel is very full and rounded. It’s a very well-crafted brew.

1/19/2007... I can’t believe that I am the first person to rate this beer! Wow! Yeah for me... I found out that this beer hit the shelves today around here, so I ran out and got some to try! Russian River beers aren’t available in my area, so this will be a treat (well, at least a partial treat!)... Avery Collaboration Not Litigation Ale pours a dark hazy amber color. Sweet malt and citrus aroma. Flavor is also pretty sweet. Deep caramel malts, candied citrus, and some spiciness and alcohol. Smooth and creamy on the palette. Moderate bitterness overall. 22 oz bottle from Jungle Jim’s.

UPDATE: My friend Rob and I got together on 1/30/2007 for a "Salvation" tasting that included Avery Salvation, Russian River Salvation, and Avery (/Russian River) Collaboration Not Litigation. We hadn’t had the Avery one in awhile and neither of us had every had the Russian River Salvation (Thanks Ross!), so we really wanted to try all three of these beers together so that we could compare. Needless to say, this was a really nice tasting that really helped redeem us from the sins of drinking bad beer during the less fortunate times in the past. After tasting the individual Salvations we then tasted the Collaboration...

Avery Collaboration Not Litigation is exactly what they set out to do. It is a blend of the Avery Salvation and Russian River Salvation beers. The signature qualities of each are highlighted, yet balanced in this collaborative brew. The color (murky dull brown) is only about two shades down from the Russian River Salvation and it has a nearly identical thick, creamy tan head. The aroma has the RR maltiness and darker hints with some of the Avery sweet and critus notes to it. Then the flavor has the RR maltiness and chocolate undertones with some of that bright, distinct Avery tanginess/spiciness/bitterness that I can’t describe as well as some citrus hop bitterness in it that really balances well. Amazingly, the alcohol seemed to show a bit more toward the finish in this beer than in either of the Salvations on their own. I also felt that the the finish of this beer was more dry at times as well. The beer is definitely heavier than the Avery Salvation, but slightly less that the RR Salvation, but almost as smooth and creamy. Overall I would guess that the proportion of Russian River Salvation in this beer is higher than the amount of Avery Salvation. The Russian River base seems to be the majority with the Avery highlights complementing it. I could be completely wrong, but that’s my take on the blend in regards to appearance, aroma, palate, and flavor. Either way, it is a perfect blend of the two beers. However, I think I still like the stand alone Russian River Salvation just a little more overall.

22 oz bottle shared by Rob. Thanks Rob. I really appreciate it! This was a GREAT tasting!

1.079 OG, 8.99% ABV, Bottled in Jan. 2007.