Avery Anniversary Fourteen

Formerly brewed at Avery Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Boulder, Colorado USA

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

Bottle@BlindTastingSession. Strong aroma, very sweet and fruity with some laurel. Ruby color, beige firm head, good lace. Very sweet, very bitter, especially towards the finish, licorice wood, roasted malts, hint of chocolate, black currant. Full and I don’t think I could finish more than 1 bottle. But the flavors and especially the aroma are great.

UPDATED: AUG 24, 2007 Very dark brown color with a hugh lasting light tan head. Big earthy licorice aroma, yes an scent I have never been to keen on. Some caramel, resin and cooked celery as well. Just not digging the nose of this one. Some dark chocolate and orange zest comes out as it warms. Malty flavors dominate with molasses, toffee, dark caramel, light fruit and toasted grainy bread. Middle has lots of herbal hops to balance the sweetness. Some roasted malt and light smoke seems to come out a bit in the finish. Raw flavors, similar to the aromas seem to course through this one. Interesting effort, just too raw and young. I don’t either think or know that time will do much for this one.

Bottle and served in my NB worthy glass: Deep brown hue with a mostly last foamy head and spotty lace. The aroma has notes of piney and acidic fruits, herbal and grassy vapours along with the smoky, earthy, chewy dark side of malt and yeast. I happen to like this nose profile.

The taste starts moderately sweet and caramelized with supporting rye bread and chocolate. Quickly followed by a dose of resiny and fruity hops with a dash of hop spice more towards the finish. There is a bitterness about this brew that is not only the function of hops but too of the malt methinks. I am digging this. The mouth feel is smooth across the palate with a snappy bit along the edges and finish. Light alcoholic kick helps clean the palate. A very enjoyable brew and ready to drink right now. AVERY HATERS DISS THIS! I don’t care!!

Bottle (12oz). Shared with tupalev. Almost opaque ruby-black, large foamy-frothy tan head. Peaty, ferric aroma, malty, carbonized, alcohol - like tart molasses. Taste is minerally, burnt, boozy - a complex mess of shifting components, but I like it. Thick body, astringent, burnt aftertaste. Odd, but good.

UPDATED: JUN 16, 2008 Bomber. Very dark brown beer that is tried this again recently, still a nice drinker, but nothign too special. nearly black. There is some light brownish red at the edges with a light uellowish head on top. The aroma has some rich caramel and booze. There is also some chocolate covered cherries. The taste is dark chocolate covered cherries with some rum. There are prunes and some light tobacco notes. Surprisingly good and this approaches a stout.

Picked up 22-oz bottle from Cellar’s Wine & Spirits in St Paul, MN. Pours a clear dark brown brew with a thick, creamy tan head. Aroma of roasted nuts, cotton candy, chocolate and tart/dark pitted fruit. Taste is slightly tart with chocolate, caramel and flowery hop flavors. Palate is medium bodied, smooth and almost a barleywine character beverage. Nice aftertaste of ripe citrus and vanilla.

Half pint serving on draft @ Dunedin brewery for $5 on June 23, 2007. Nice clear yet slightly opaque amber color that has dark copper hues around the edges and 1/4” tight tan head. The aroma is both sugary sweet and roasty with prunes and raisins that have been stored for a short time in an oak box. The first sip ushers in a relatively viscous fluid creating an initial sense of this beer’s gravity. Also in the first sip I notice this is rather complex with flavor notes all over. The taste has a moment of sweetness initially that gets run-over by molasses covered oak planks. The flavor becomes tougher to discern after that. I get raisins, prunes, chocolate, a bit of malt dust, then more sweet dark fruitiness and molasses. There is a maple syrup, dark chocolate, slightly astringent toffee (if that makes sense), hints of alcohol, and dark fruit that carry right into the after taste. After the beer warmed some I seem to notice both a maple and beacon aroma hidden just beneath the other notes. Well, I think that’s beacon I’m smell.

Bottle shared by Hallinghansen. Dark brown body with a thick creamy brown head. Aroma is sweet chocolate, dark fruits, raisin, nuts and burned caramel. Lovely creamy soft body. Roasted malts in flavour with hints of chocolate, spices and plum.