Avery Hog Heaven

Brewed by Avery Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Boulder, Colorado USA

Serve in Snifter

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Style and Glass: BWSA, Snifter ABV, Volume & Calories: 9.2% in 22 fl oz. estimated at 400 C Purchased at: Canal’s Lawrenceville, NJ for $7.19 Aroma: Very nice. Aromatic. Grapes, hay, olive oil. Spices. Flowery. A very inviting scent. Foretells of a certain kind of wallop. Visuals: Beautiful packaging, as with most Avery brews. The reddish slightly hazy body seems angry, ruby, bloody. It is fairly brilliant to start, but gets hazier with pour. Thick off white head and lace are staying, sticky, and wonderful. Taste: Beautifully balanced. The alcohol is well hidden, but there is clearly a lingering burn, mixed with a sweet tea moment. Delicious, bitter, and satisfying, but most surprising of all, it can be tasted. Restrained, and wonderfully so. Nice hop bitterness throughout, but the malt is forefront. On a longer sip, fruits emerge. Cherry, grape, melon, sweetness, but not overly so. Warm, spicy, and simply delightful. Palate: A long lasting flavor of tea, hops, licorice, grapefruit, and cherry. A wonderful warming sensation throughout, clearly due to the ABV, but the usual burn on the palate is missing. That’s killer. Overall: Near the top of my list for Barelywines. I prefer a bit more of a cloying flavor in a BWSA, whereas this is much dryer. I’ll search this out again though. I’d love to pair it with a medium rare steak, some al dente green vegetables with a spicy sauce, or a spicy potato masala dosa. originally posted at: <a href="http://beercritic.wordpress.com/2009/01

22 Ouncer from Hi-Times. I have only had 5-6 in this style, so my assessment might be biased for now. Nice dark copper pour. Nose of caramel, candied fruit, heavy but pleasant hops. Flavor profile is a great balance between the hop charge and the sweet candied fruit and caramel. Extremely consistent with the nose. Finishes sweet, but the hops linger perfectly. As has been mentioned, the 9.2% definitely creeps up on you because you wouldn’t know it even without aging.

Wow, popped open the bottle and I'm leveled with the intense hop aroma, murky amber with nice sized head. taste is of citrus, floral with some pine notes expertly balnaced with a pleasant caramel malt sweetness. similar to bigfoot but even more balanced, and the hops are a little more restrained but only slightly. a wonderful beer.

Pours deep amber, slight haze with a nice beige head that lasts. Moderate carbonation. Aroma is freakin awesome. Lots and lots of citrus with hints of herbs, grapefruit and pine. I think someone said they use a crapload of columbus hops in here. If that is the case- then columbus are my favorite hop again. Flavor is rediculously hoppy but backed up with a lot of crystal and dark crystal malts. This is now my new favorite barleywine. A lot more body and complexity than OH, and with less alcohol. I would have thought this one would be way over 10%, but the relatively low abv works beautifully in this beer.

10,000 hops scream as you are bombared by raisons. The tempature warms and the air becomes thick, "Its not the heat its the humidity" cackles spices as carmel begins its reign in the burning orange skies. Geisers well up and splatter their sticky froth on the windows. Little alcohol fires spring up from the herb laden ground with a puff of dust. Aprentices brooms from start to finish, sweet sweet finish.

Deep copper with little head, but some lacing later on. Strong sweet floral hop aroma. Nose hits with flavor much like the aroma, then the bittering hops kick in, followed at last with a caramel malt finish. Not too sweet, and very nice citrus hop flavors and good balancing.

In the bottle at my 2006 Barleywine tasting. This was the 2005 vintage. Pours rich amber with a golden beige thick head. Phenomenal lacing. This is a beautiful beer. Piney spruce-like aroma is delightful. Dry hops are quite evident. The citrus-like flavors emerge with a vengeance. Very sweet and nice. Finish is burning.

Bottle. Heavy fruit aroma with hops and alcohol. Dense, frothy praline colored head. Abundant carbonation in a light red liquid. Sweet Jesus this ale is good. Oh so smooth with caramel and malt, some alcohol and a pleasant small bitter finish. Truely world class.

Bomber purchased at From the Vine. This is one of the best beers I have tasted so far. I am a hophead. I did not really enjoy the hoppy stouts I tried so I was dubious about a hoppy barley wine. Was I ever wrong. I kept looking at the glass hoping it would spontaneously refill. The aroma was hoppy but sweet. The first sip was the same, hoppy but sweet. The winey state that gives the style its name took over from there. I have tried a number of Avery beers recently. This is the one I will reach for in the future.

I first had this beer at the Avery brewery in Boulder and I was seriously impressed. Having never tasted a barleywine, I was surprised to taste an intense hop presence reminiscent of a good IPA. The color was a great ruby hue and the mouthfeel was smooth and very drinkable all while the sweet malt flavors contributed to a very balanced flavor. I would highly recommend this beer.