Avery Barrel-Aged Series 4 - Dépuceleuse

Brewed by Avery Brewing Company
Style: Sour Ale/Wild Ale
Boulder, Colorado USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

Bottle - cloudy red - lively pour that fails to kick up a head - a fairly rough sour, with a semi-watery body - some sweet cherry note up front, but a semi-abrasive malt and sourness develop quickly - moderate to high acidity, but it tastes almost artificial, as if they added powdered malic acid to the beer - some mild fruit skin character and cheesy funk - fairly strong band-aid yeast phenols - the zin barrel is about the only thing keeping this beer from sucking, but even then it is a mixed blessing - the zin is nice, but the barrel character is too strong and harsh - they have some good sours, but this one is disappointing.

Bottle shared by drewbeerme. Pour is an almost still hazy brown with a very subtle pinkish hue. Aroma contains notes of wood, tart cherry, faint pepper, and a light gamey funky component. Flavor is cherry, wood, light tartness, and notes of red wine. Lightly acidic and funky too.

More on the sweeter side. The aroma was fruity, cherries for the most part. The zinfandel barrels really play a big role in this one. The taste is smooth, less like a beer and maybe more like a wine. Very different, but nice.

Draught at Avery. Pours hazy ruby with a small, fizzy white head, low retention. Aroma is light malt, huge brettanomyces notes, cherry, wine, oak, and old hops. Flavor is sour cherry, mild hop, oak, wine, and brettanomyces. Medium bodied, moderate carbonation.

UPDATED: APR 10, 2010 On draft at the brewery, pours murky orangish red with white head. Nose has a pleasent sour cherry candy like, nice oak barrel, nose is a little simple. flavor has some odd mesh of malts clashing with the cherry and wild yeast, toasty malt notes, rotten red fruit, vanilla, Spritzy sour cherry finish, Alc sits long on the palate drying it out. Perhaps something better than zinfandel. Avery again lacking the finese to pull such brews off.

On draft at the release - pours a reddish amber color with a light head, which quickly disappears.. Aroma is lactic with a nice carbonation. Cherry flavors (26 pound of cherries in each barrel) with slight vinegar,funk. Subdued malts and similarly tart like Sui Generis. Offers a hint of wood Can definitely enjoy this one today, but plan to cellar a few and let develop. While young, the brett and wood are not overpowering - which is a big plus for a zin-oaked beer. A solid sour and a must try. Thanks again to Adam and his team for another fun beer..

draft. mostly clear medium to light red/brown colored body. nose is heavy cherry and malo; moderate to heavy lactic acid; bandaid brettanomyces; light cheese cloth. acid is heavy (malo), malt texture is exceedingly rough and unrefined, that’s avery’s MO. again, heavy cherry (lactic/cream), medium to heavy oak (rough), the zin barrels are similar to brabant, while the beer as a whole is similar to sui generis. i’m sure side-by-side they would show distinctness, but to be honest it seems like one is a taco and the other a burrito: same ingredients, similar method of arrangement, cosmetic differences. avery turns out a sour beer with rounded and well-defined malt so rarely. goes without saying this one is another disappointment.

On tap at Avery poured a hazy orange amber with a small lingering amber head. Aromas of toffee, oak, cherry, barnyard, leather and light spice. Palate was mediuym bodied and crisp with a dry lightly tart finish. Flavors of cherry, oak, barnyard, toffee, light leather and light spice with a crisp dry lightly tart lingering funky cherry finish.

UPDATED: MAY 17, 2010 Draught. Cloudy amber red with small head that thins completely. Aroma is funky! with sourness, wet feet, musk, light caramel and other sweeter malts and pear. Taste is musky fermented fruit, more caramel, funkiness. Palate is extremely lively and wild on the tongue.