Avery Samaels Oak-Aged Ale

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

Clear amber under a medium off-white head that settles quickly, leaving a thin white ring and some fine surface bubbles that last well into the glass. Wonderfully rich aroma with yeast, wood, and dark fruit, almost like a port. Thick, full mouthfeel, very lightly carbonated. Taste is as rich as the aroma with a caramel sweetness and ruity esters of ripe fruit. Very little bittering going on here, and only a hint of some citrus hops. The alcohol is quite evident in the aroma and the flavor - of course at nearly 15%, this is not surprising.The finish is sweet, but there’s just enough bitterness to avoid it being cloying. Considering how sweet and vinous this beer is, I’m surprised at how much I liked it. An "after dinner" type of beer, and very enjoyable.

Aged 3 years. Pours deep amber into a snifter. Head quickly recedes to nothing. Maple aromas. Vanilla and maple from front to back. Sweet caramel and alcohol burn finish.

2005 bottle. Pours a crystaline light copper with the most pathetic spittle of a head. The aroma sets my fears at ease, for this smells like a truly might brew. Alcohol (!), bourbon-like, but sweet, with that bubblegum like barleywine quality. A hint of vanilla, with definite oak. the palate is on the thin side, but fill the mouth smoothly and feels quite nice with a bit of viscosity making the down the throat burn last. The burn is nice with the tannic roughness of this wine. Again, there’s something very bourbon about this beer, and the flavor is no exception. Huge sweet malt, blends with a bourbon or spiced rum sort of sweetness and a tannic red wine. There are some subtle apple-like fruits in here, but by and large, syrupy and alcoholic. There’s a slight bitterness to this, provided by the oak and alcohol that allows for the sweet malt to be so confrontational. I really really really enjoyed this brew, and just wish it weren’t 5 dollars a bottle! (Who am I kidding, this is worth it... I just wish my local sold this stuff.)

This one is a bit underrated if you ask me. Pours copper with minimal head, but what do you expect from a barleywine ale that measures up at 14.5%? This is a sweet beer (as with most barleywines) that has dark and fruity characteristics as well. Deep and complex. I couldn’t stop smelling this brew it’s great! Being oak aged you get a nice oak flavor to boot. In my opinion this beer hides the high ABV well with it’s sweet malts. You definitely get the warm tummy feeling but that’s because this bad boy is 14.5%. On the nose it’s a bit more harsh, but on the palate it’s wonderful. I Recommend this beer!

12 oz 2005 bottle courtesy of slob. Pours a Dark amber brown with no head and sparse carbonation. No lacing. Big malty nose with noticable hops as secondary aroma. Big wave of sweet malts hits the mouth as well as a good helping of pears whicha are complemented by the light tingling of hops and the subtle entrance of the mellow oak. Yes, this shows what a few years mellowing can do for an oak beer. Can’t wait for the next instalment of demon.

Crystal clear copper color with zero head. Fairly strong aroma of sweet malt, cherries, alcohol and then hops. The flavor starts out with sweet cherries and plums then the warm alcohol hits. There’s also some hop flavor and bitterness that slowly build toward the finish. Hops still take a back seat to the sweet malts. I sense a bit of the smoke in the finish.

bottle. murky amber kobber color. creamy head. great aroma of hops and barly. great taste of mostly barly. some wood and hops. great thickness. great beer.

12 oz bottle. Bottled May 2006 Batch 2. Cloudy amber color with small off white head. Sweat caramel aroma. Taste of alcohol and sweat malt