Avery Barrel-Aged Series 4 - Dépuceleuse

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

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12 ounce bottle purchased a year ago at Holiday Wine Cellar ($8.99). Pours a dark orange-brown hue with lively carbonation creating a one-finger layer of beige foam. Aroma tart cherries, watermelon, algae, sour funkiness, cloves, and barrel (among other things). Yes, a very strange aroma but I rather like it. Flavor is also weird with notes of sour cherries, berries, damp wood, some caramel, and a hint of bretty funkishness. Medium body with an oily mouthfeel. The rather high ABV goes completely undetected. A very strange beer but one that I enjoyed. (190, 521)

Bottle courtesy of northernbrews. Pours hazy amber with a light head that fades quickly. Aroma is light brett funk with hints of cherry. Flavor is much the same. Medium body with a nice crisp finish. Decent overall

UPDATED: APR 10, 2011 Courtesy of northernbrews

Bottle: The aroma consists of a weird combination of caramel, toffee, and sour cherry. It pours a cloudy reddish-orange with a small off-white head. The flavor starts with cherries and faint caramel. The finish has white wine, vanilla, and lemon. Medium bodied with mild carbonation.

Courtesy of northernbrews. Aroma and flavor much the same. Light sour, light vinegar, cherry, not much else. Decent.

Bottle @ home, courtesy of ratman. Huge thanks! Pours a dark maroon appearance with a small off white head. Lightly sour, tart cherry, light Bretty nose. Light bretty, slightly spicy (cinnamon, vanilla), mildly sour and tart cherry flavor. Dry, mildly tart, vinous finish. Alcohol is hidden very well. Probably my second favorite of the barrel series after Margarete. Excellent!

A steady pour produces a two-finger thick, amber tinged, tan colored head that has some staying power but doesn’t leave any lacing. The beer is a dark, concentrated purple-red color that shows a brilliantly clear, light cherry red to gold hue when held up to the light. The beer smells of light cherry notes as I am visually inspecting this beer, but an actual look at the aroma has me noticing a tartness, a buttery oak note, a woody fresh cut wood character, some rotting fruit / ripe cheese combination, a diluted cherry fruitiness that is subtly noticeable in the finish. As the beer warms touches of phenolics / medicinal notes become noticeable in the nose.

Dry, perhaps a hint of sweetness, but more tart than anything, with a firm oakiness in the finish, a touch of buttery oak and a lightly astringent woodiness. The lactic tartness combines with the buttery oak notes, and both influence the texture, to give this a lushness in the flavor as well. This definitely has a medium’ish body to it, though it is still quite drinkable. The malt character is quite subtle, there is some oxidized hints of toasted malt and caramel that have morphed into a nuttiness and perhaps a hint of dry sherry. The Brettanomyces character here is quite subtle. This tastes more winelike than anything; there are lots of berry notes along with the subtle cherry notes and the oak definitely helps evoke the thought of an oaky red wine, though this is more like a simplistic red and not a big, powerful, complex one.

Somehow this is awfully bland, the malt character especially is quite weak, and even the cherry notes seem washed out. There is nothing bad about this beer though, it is perfectly drinkable.

trade with forgetfu. cloudy amber, smooth yellow head. bisuity sour slightly phenilic, woody aroma. flavor is sweet malty, bisquity, wood, fruity notes, faint acidic notes.

Bottle 35,5 cl. Courtesy of Pinball. Pours a cloudy reddish amber with a white head. Dry and lightly tart cherry notes with some distinct Brett. Medium body, lightly sweet cherries, coconut and metal with a slight chemical touch and a little marzipan too. Dry and lightly tart finish. 220311

Bottle. Hazy red brown coloured with a medium sized off-white head. Swete and fruity aroma of oak, vanilla and berries. Fruity flavour of pak, vanilla and berries with notes of caramel. Fruity finish of oak.

Bottled. A hazy amber beer wirth a lazing beige head. The aroma has notes of malt, alcohol, and over ripe fruit. The flavor is ssweet with notes of over riipe fruits, cinnamon, malt, caramel, and alcohol, leading to a bitter finish.