Avery Samaels Oak-Aged Ale

12 oz bottle(batch 3 april 2007) - Poured murky orangish brown color with thick beige head. Aroma - wood, cask and musty basement. Flavor - sweet syrupy caramel malt with oak cask taste that balances it quite well. Palate - heavy and creamy mouthfeel with good carbonation. Texture and flavor is like a cream sickle. Oak cask lingers in aftertaste. Overall - A brew the ladies may enjoy, its really sweet and not bitter like most men enjoy. My girlfriend liked it and she does not like beer! I thought it was good but a touch to sweet!

draft @ hard liver ’09 - 2006 vintage; this was a nice surprise this year and turned out to be my beer of the day; for some reason i usually balk at buying this series from avery due to the cost, but on draft this was just divine; clear, light amber; slight white head and some lacing going down; aromas of lemons, spice, fruit and wood; light texture drinks rich and smooth; quite sweet with stale hops, sugar, sticky malt; great stuff!!

12 fl. oz. bottle. Dark amber colour. Slightly hazy from yeast. Small off-white head. Bold aroma with oak and vanilla. Aroma is also very malty with a distinct and dry grainy edge. Reminds me a little of the maltiness in Lindemans Pomme, but this is a very different beer. Alcohol is definitely there, but it well hidden behind the malts. Finish is dominated by sharp bitterness and acetaldehyde. Overall a really complex and malty beer with a bitter grainy and appley finish. I love it.

Bottle. Bit hazy orange body with an off-white small creamy head. Very vinous aroma with tons of malt, spme alcohol and ripe fruit. The oak is present too. Heavy sweet aroma with lots of alcohol. Notes of oak, vanilla and caramel. Heavy alcoholic in the finish. Medium to creamy bodied. Its way too sweet and sugary.

2006 bottle. Foggy orange appearance. Small head is created through an agitated pour but fizzes away almost immediately. Alcohol is sensed on the nose, as well as honey and wood. Not harsh but inviting. It tingles over the tongue, similar to a very weak whisky. Similar flavors can match with the Beast but it is MUCH less intense. Honey notes are also found. The burn of alcohol is felt immediately after the swallow but leaves a mix of sweet flavors. Definitely an approachable Barley wine.

2006 on tap at Brouwer’s Hard Liver ’09. Pours hazy orange amber with a small off-white head. Intense nose of bourbon, oak, toffee, and caramel. Tastes much the same but with a bit of a floral hop addition. Thick with a nice finish. My favorite of the fest.

Poured dark amber with a fluffy white head. Aroma of vanilla, candy, and booze. Heavy alcohol upfront and in the finish. Some caramel and vanilla hints. Very sweet. I can see this getting better with age.

This one was far better than I expected. Pours an orangish copper with a very small head. Powerful citrus in the aroma - mandarin and lemon - with hops and an almost tart note. BIG flavor - hot, though, and that’s the only thing countering the huge amount of malts (not quite enough hops), but somehow I really like it. Almost like something DFH would make.

RERATE 05/13/09. Batch 1, tasted as part of the Avery Experience at Brouwer’s. Totally malt-driven, but this thing mellowed incredibly well - not a hint of that 15% came through. Unbelievably smooth, almost like a dessert wine.