Avery The Czar Imperial Stout

Brewed by Avery Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Boulder, Colorado USA

Serve in Snifter

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Style and Glass: Imperial Stout, Snifter ABV, Volume & Calories: 11.73% in 22 fl oz. estimated at 400C Purchased at: Canal’s, Burlington, NJ for $6.64 (after discount) Aroma: impressive, amazing, coffee, chocolate, oak, charcoal, ashes, alcohol, blankets. 10 out of 10. Visuals: beautifully designed, black, impenetrable, opaque, little head, wispy, minimal lace. 5 out of 5. Taste: well balanced, enveloping, overwhelms, hefty malt, deep hops, high strength, high craft. 10 out of 10. Palate: highest quality, soft grained texture, long dark finish. 5 out of 5. Overall: Simply amazing. Perhaps the best beer in my long bearded journey thus far. I will absolutely repeat, it’s an instant favorite, of the highest possible value, and craft. 20 out of 20.

I love dark stout beer. This brand was an impulse buy. I had never heard of it, and was extremely impressed. I first got to try the 2010 batch which has 11.69% abv and the2009 batch at 10.82% ABV. This stout is as dark as Guinness but has a lighter almost sweeter taste. A word to the wise ..ONE beer is plenty!

2004. Bottle. Pours dark black with brick red highlights and a thin brown head. Aroma is spicy hops; the alcohol tingles your nose but is masked very well, and fresh cut cedar planks. Aromas of chocolate, dusty basement, and coffee. Body is a little sweet and sticky. Flavors are mocha, vanilla, rich dark dried fruits, sweetness that runs through the entire flavor but is subdued in the finish with a blast of spicy earthy hops. The sweetness and the hops mix to form a very addicting combination. The 13% blends perfectly. Great body, creamy, coats the mouth. Just gets better and better as it warms. Mmmmmmmmmm!! Highly drinkable........................................s drinkable. "Holy Shite, Oh Heavenly Impy, Oh what a wonderful beer" I could rave about this beer for ever. Mmmmm!

2005 batch. Into a snifter. The color isn’t the light absorbing black I anticipated. No matter, it is a beautiful brown red that turns ebony when away from light. Excellent balance of all elements. I feared a hop monster, I was wrong. I thought the roasted malt would be overwhelming, I was wrong. A sweet and delecious toffee malt with cold coffee and spicey liquorice. Raisins and leather make light conversation and the beer finishes amazingly clean. I am very pleased to have some bottles in the cellar.

UPDATED: APR 24, 2007 2004. Pours muddy black with a small creamy brown head. Aroma is conplex, cookies, roasted malts, milk chocolate, strong coffee, broth. Flavor starts balanced twords the sweet side, roasted malts, a bit nutty, prunes and finish is more balanced out and more noticable is the flavor of chocolate and alcohol. Medium to full bodied, creamy. Seems a bit like a belgian quad with the finish of a stout. Very enjoyable. 2006 same as above but maybe 1 point less, because of less ABV.

bottle into snifter. malt dominated aroma. mostly roasted coffee and chocolate. some wood smell. slightly earthen. very strong and bold. the beer is nearly opaque black/brown with a very thin brown head. it generally looks dangerous. the first taste of this beer is very well rounded. the balance between salty and sweet is even. the flavor is heavy. the body of this beer is full with a thick creamy texture. there is very little carbonation. the finish of the beer is quite long. the boldness lingers for quite a while. overall this is one of my all time favorite imperial stouts. the balances of flavor are quite impressive. i would highly recommend sipping this beer by itself for enjoyment or with a red meat meal or with a chocolate treat. avery has really put together a good brew.

Oh beautiful beer..im about to lay down a towel in front of my door and pray to Avery 5 times a day. Comprehension is leaving me as i engulf this surprising bottle of liquid nectar. The alcohol hits like a cement truck plowing into a honda del sol..it aint pretty. It pours a viscous black liquidous mixture with a slight tan sheathy head. The aroma is milk chocolatey, with roasty coffee, nuts, raisins and vanilla apparent. The flavors is thick as molasses. More of a soupy chocoalte, raisin, and vanilla/nut mixture. Some wood, and dark chocolate involved. Very thick and grainy chocolateyness. Super dry, massively thick ending with little carbonation. Sheer asskicking goodness here. No sissy add ons, no pussy carbonation levels..just sheer asskicking alcohol and thick ass chocolatey syrup. THIS is the epitome of an imperial stout. Drink, feel...learn!!!!

UPDATED: NOV 7, 2004 Jan. 2003: Thin (yet enduring) dark tan head with healthy lace patterns. Dark and mysterious color with a luminescent ruby glow (in front of a bright light). Complex and inviting nose with hints of freshly roasted coffee, dark chocolate, sweet cookie dough, dark fruits, and fresh yeast. Mouthfeel is absolutely out of this world! Thick, but not cloying; velvety, soft, smooth & creamy, with the perfect amount of carbonation. My tongue convulsed with pleasure. PERFECT nip of alcohol adds to the flavor and warms the soul. Decent amount of hops add a little flowery zing and a gentle bitterness in the finish; complements the subtle, vanilla-cream-like sweetness very well. Incredibly balanced and overwhelmingly flavorful. Have to say, this beer is absolutely amazing -- and it’s SO YOUNG! This Imperial raises the bar. Dec. 2003: Different from the original batch. Alcohol is much more noticeable. Grapefruit pokes through more, also. Have a few bottles nestled in my basement with last year’s. Nov., 2004: Much better than the last batch, but not quite as spectacular as the first batch. That said, it’s still really good. Silky texture. Complex aromas. Warming alcohol.

UPDATED: FEB 19, 2003 Aroma is pure intrigue, with a host of characters. Dark brown sugar, heady flowers, semi-sweet chocolate, plummy fruitiness, caramel/toffee, espresso, faint whiskey, spices and then some. Held up to a bright light, you can find a dim, ruddy glow, but otherwise the blackness reigns. Head invariably settles into a slight, yet striking fractal pattern. Flavor plays across the tongue like a bombastic Russian symphony. Dark, roasted, syrupy, bittersweet chocolate maltiness, a touch of background saltiness, molasses and toffee, and faint yeasty esters subtly blended to play off one another. Languidly drawn out, lightly alcoholic and sweet finish. Aftertaste is malty and unusually savory. The 12% barely ripples the profile but is undoubtedly felt. Majestic, inscrutable, but ultimately joyous in nature.