Avery Samaels Oak-Aged Ale

Draught at Akkurat at their reopening. Fluffy white head. Dark brick color drawing towards a dark rose wine. Full body with much sweetness, spices and lots of alcohole. The aroma is like a oak aged sherry with lots of everything you want in a old ale. Big but balanced bitterness. Perhaps not the optimal summer ale but very good.

Pours a hazy, murky amber with a small beige head. Aroma is sweet malt, oak, vanilla, alcohol. Flavor is very sweet caramel, vanilla, wood, and raisins.

Strong malt aroma. Almost has a whiskey smell to it. Hazy dark orange color with a small white head. Very sweet in the beginning and does not fade much in the finish. Strong wood flavor also. Alcohol bite is evident but not over powering. Thicker silky palate.

May 06 Batch #2. Consumed Nov 08. 2&1/2 years old. Nice psst. Oak and fruit emanate nicely from bottle and pour. Great smell. Nice thin white head. Off the bat, this is overly sweet. Hot alcohol and big oakiness on way down. Not a whole lot of carbonation. Way too syrupy and spirity in the mouth. Sugary caramel is way out of whack with everything else in this "barley-wine". Sipper. I imagine this might taste great after 5 or 7 years. Unless 2&1/2 wrecked it? Probably not. Props for oaked beer.

Pours reddish and clear with short lived beige head. Smells old and malty with mellowed alcohol. Taste is very malty and with a smoothed out mellow alcohol flavor by this point. Probably a year and a half or 2 old, I’m guessing. Definite oak flavor coming through. Pretty sweet overal. Surprisingly smooth after aging even, for a 15%+ beer. Not something I want too much of as it is pretty cloying. Very soft carbonation too. Not as bad as expected.

You guys have got to be kidding. This beer rocks. Incredible potent flavor, lingering and so sippable. I just want to savor it. Tasted last week off a keg and tonight from the bottle. Very nice and if you get the chance, take it!

Bottle 355 ml - 2006 -14.5%
Appearance: deep murky amber-red look, mid off tanned top. 3+.
Nose: very strong oak vanilla aroma, hint of cask , amber malt with alcohol at finish.
Flavor/Palate : Mid bodied. Strong frontal drying character of alcohol. Hint of cherry wood, pit with almond topping. Bold? yeah. over the top for most drinkers. This is example of old school AVERY , bold , rough , uncompromised dry burn of hell.

2005 bottle. Pours caramel brown with an off-white head. Nose is caramel, raisins, some barely noticeable oakiness, some oxidation, and lots of sugary sweetness. Flavor is raisins, caramel, some mild vanilla, and no bitterness whatsoever. Likeable beer, but after so long it is not as nice as I thought it would be.