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Avery Samaels Oak-Aged Ale 3.58 645

Avery Samaels Oak-Aged Ale

Percentile
92
overall

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreSeasonalABVStyle PctlServe in
6453.59/5.03.58/5.0Special15.53%62.5Snifter
Commercial Description:
Samael is the prince of demons, the angel of death, accuser and destroyer. Filled with enmity towards man, he planted the vine, the forbidden tree of paradise. Behold his venom and vengeance, both sweet and tempting, enticing you, his spellbound victim, within his wings.

Samael’s Ale is a super-caramelly, oak aged English-style strong ale. Perhaps the least hoppy (sacrilege here at Avery!!) beer we’ve brewed, to accentuate the malt. The oak is very apparent in this rich and high gravity ale, adding additional depth and complexity with a woody and cask-like nose and a pronounced vanilla flavor on the palate. This potent ale is the second installment, along with The Beast, of our “Demons of Ale Series”.

Brewed with Rocky Mountain water, malted barley, turbinado sugar, hops, yeast, and American oak chips.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 frankenkitty (1904), Oak Lawn, Illinois, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/104/517/20

Mar 29, 2006  
Thick, vermillion/red with delicate effervescence and a slow-forming, cream-colored head that dissipates quickly to halo. Sweet brandy aroma with oak lending wooden notes and a vinous sourness, making me wonder if Samael saw the inside of a wine barrel as opposed to whisky. Insanely sweet with huge alcohol, unencumbered. Potent fruitiness within a thick, syrupy palate. Licked by the flames of hell, this beer remains hot, wishing to remain in the bottle for at least another year to let its flavors relax.

I have invoked the dark-power of Samael to procure my 1000th overall rating (958 beers plus 42 places) and, thusly, have defeated my arch-rival RAYBOY01 in our battle for 1000 ratings (he currently holds numbers for 989 beers but nary a place). This whole "contest" was so loosely assembled that the ultimate goal was never discussed, so I’ll draw the conclusion that it was "ratings" and declare myself victorious. I assume he will attain the 1000 beer-mark and Beer God status before me but, depending on your point of view, one of us will win a battle while the other has won a war. (Although, at my current pace, I may compile 42 ratings before his 11...)

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Beverage Depot, Orland Park, IL 60462<font size=-1>


 decaturstevo (2065), decatur, Tennessee, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/104/515/20
Feb 1, 2010  
Cherry red pour with light off white head and lace. Aroma is raisins, oak, and abv. Flavor mirrors the aroma with a very sweet malt front and some toasted malt. Medium/full bodied with decent carbonation. A hint of fizzy threw it off a tad. A very nice beer.


 Hoptagon (151), Arlington, Virginia, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/59/104/517/20
Jan 29, 2010  
12 oz. Bottled in May 2006. Batch 2. Have been sitting on this one for a few years and it has definitely paid off. The oak hits you as soon as you open the bottle. Pours a dark ruby color with no head whatsoever. Big strong nose of caramel, wood, dark candied fruits, smoke and a subtle trace of booze. Unbelievable flavor complexity with just about every malt flavor I can describe. Huge caramel flavor with overly ripe old people fruits (dates, figs, prunes) and sweet vanilla. The oak flavors come through towards the end and the bitterness is very minimal, but enough to prevent this from being a sugary disaster. Viscous, syrupy texture that reminds you that this beer is supposed to be a monster. Carbonation is kept to a minimum which also contributes to the heaviness on the tongue. Ends with some oak and some lingering vanilla. So much better than the "green" bottles I’ve tried in the past. Worth sitting on, this is a masterful sipper.


 DragonsHead (139), Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/104/515/20
Jan 21, 2010  
this beer is no joke.... pours thin, with almost no head. Tons of sweet malt aroma, unable to escape the richness.... The first taste is of sweet oaky fruit.... would be great with some spicy bbq ribs or a rich steak.... not much hop body, but still serious beer.... Tons of malt and roasted oak with some citrus spice...... this bottles has been cellared for almost 5 years... couldn’t imagine how brutal it was when young. Overall, I enjoy the complexity of this beer... definately not for sessioning, but a nice sipper at the end of a long night of work....


 dalekliz (567), San Diego, California, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/104/516/20
Jan 16, 2010  
Bottle. Pours a clear dark amber with a white ring. Huge aroma, of malt, oak, meat, smoke, candied citrus. Taste is very rich, of sweet malt and dark fruits, smoky meat and oak. Lingering sweet-smoky wood. Rich as hell, but my kind of beer.


 rmussman (936), California, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/104/57/104/513/20
Jan 7, 2010  
Sampled in a 12oz. A very powerful beer. Tastes just like an average strong ale but has an insanely high alcohol content. A few minutes later the malts and alcohol got to me.


chemicalcraig (7), Eugene/Seattle, Washington, USA
does not count click to see why this rating of Avery Samaels Oak-Aged Ale does not count
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/103/518/20
Jan 2, 2010  
2006 12 oz. bottle. Poured clear deep amber. Small head w/ large bubbles. Aroma is of sweet and dark fruit, fig, dates, and malt. Flavor is oaky, high caramel, slighly vinous. Only slight alcohol warmth in the finish, surprisingly low for this abv. Very good, but a bit too heavy on the caramel to drink any more than a few ounces at a time.


 luttonm (329), Belgrade, Serbia
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/516/20
Dec 29, 2009  
Huge, intimidating stout. Intense syrupy bourbon, in the class of bourbon county and dark lord. The bourbon isn’t as forward as those two, but still this is a big, complex and roasty beer.


 scoth (311), Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/105/514/20
Dec 28, 2009  
Bottle from April 2009, batch 5. Pours mostly clear dark copper, some very small particulates, with a one-finger beige head, very fine and lasting lacing. Aromas of alcohol, toast, vanilla, wood, and grass. Full body, sharp, hot, and zesty. Sweet and chewy, with flavors of toasted barley, caramel, cherry, pepper, oak, and grass. Has a sharp, almost citric aftertaste, with just a hint of bitterness.



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