Avery The Kaiser Imperial Oktoberfest

Brewed by Avery Brewing Company
Style: Dunkler Bock
Boulder, Colorado USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Snifter

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Pours a transparent rusty red with a large head that slowly fades to a solid layer. Aroma is malty, slightly syrupy sweet with a slight but sharp grassy hop kick. Flavor a strong but very smooth and clean maltyness, slight caramel, balanced very well by a spicy, grassy hoppy bitterness. Very tasty but still clean and smooth. The alcohol is well hidden.

Let’s start this off by saying this: This beer is NOT a fall seasonal. It is a "One of". Meaning it’s only going to brewed once, and that’s it. Check their website if you don’t believe me. That being said, let’s review it. 22 oz. brown bomber bottle, with a silver foil overwrap on the crown. Very colorful label, Iron Cross and all. Bottled in 2004 date on front label. Poured out a deep copper / reddish amber color, with a huge off-white head that wouldn’t go away. It looked like someone spooned whipped cream on top of my beer. Very sticky head, it left a thick, sticky lacing down the sides of the glass. The beer itself is very clear. Aromas are of fresh Munich malts, maybe some Vienna in the mix as well. Earthy Noble hops in the aromas, my guess is Hallertauer or Hersbrucker. Maybe a pinch of Perle for the bittering. Anyway, they’re spicy, earthy, and slightly fruity. (You can’t fool this old kraut.) Regal tastes of fresh water, fresh malts, and fresh hops. Slight caramel, along with spicy notes mix with the fruity hops to make a wonderful experience for the beer connoisseur. This beer is not to be missed. Smooth mouthfeel comes from the lagering process. Alcohol is fairly well hidden, but makes it’s presence known as it’s swallowed. Warming to a fault, this beer would be excellent on a chilly, windy November evening, when the leaves are blowing around, and the Earth is settling in for a Winter slumber. It would warm you to the bones, and take your breath away. Too bad it’s a "One of", because this would make an excellent seasonal. I know I’d buy it again. The finish is smooth, well balanced, and slightly earthy and fruity at the same time. I highly recommend this beer, if you can find it before it’s all gone. Good luck to you.

Copper color with a small off white head that lasted through the glass, no lacing. Sweet caramel, banana, bubblegum aroma. Taste of oak, vanilla, caramel. Sweet and alcoholic mouthfeel. Interesting, does not seem to be an Oktoberfest.

The Kaiser pours a reddish amber with a decent light brown head that goes to a thin film and laces the glass.

Its aroma is toasted malt, some spicy hops and some vinous alcohol.

The flavor is sweet (a little too much so), slightly fruity, caramel malts initially, with some spicy hops. A strong acidic alcohol taste dominates through to the finish. It tastes a little medicinal - it reminds me a little of cherry nyquil. It is pretty full bodied and creamy.

I wanted to like this. I like Avery beers, but this one, like the Beast, disappointed me. Too much alcohol, too over the top.

Crystal clear, amber lager with a mid-sized, frothy, off-white head. Decent retention and weepy lacework. The aroma is very malty with notes of sherry, cherries, alcohol, caramel and the odd man out, noble hops. The flavor is sweet and malty with some strange notes. I don’t know what I don’t love about the flavor. The malt profile, the yeast or the hops? There's something off. Not at all bad, but disappointing. Full-bodied with a syrupy mouthfeel and very lively carbonation. Lengthy, bitter-sweet finish.

UPDATED: SEP 11, 2005 Bottled on 8-12-04(printed on case)Aroma is sweet and malty with some banana vibing yeast and green hops in there(not of the citrus evoking varietys of coarse).Nice copper appearance with a healthy head,weak lace.A pretty great tasting beer, unique,a must try for Big Beer lovers.Is this thier first lager(it is quite a beast of a lager)There is some nice balance between the thick german malts and the fresh resiny hops.This should age pretty gracfully.A great idea from a great brewery.Finishes clean and dry,and lingers...This beer does take some getting used to(especially for a marzen but some of the qualitys are really there)Alcohol is well integrated and this is really starting to grow on me.Nice creamy mouth with enough hops to create a feeling of balance near perfection.Has a bit of that stringbean vibe in the after taste.I will be quaffing this more than the rest of the marzens this year.Cheers Avery! on a job well done(I was wondering when they would finally make a lager(especially of this size)(2004 4.2) >>>>>>>>Bottled on 8-4-05.This is very dissapointing and a waste of money(and I’m paying at distributor cost)which is 4.67!! sweet almost cloying Raisiny malts,alcohol,hops not impressive at all,not as much class compared to last years..I don’t know,it’s a good beer but just dissapointing this year.

Another beaut from Avery. Clear copper body with big head that laces on down the glass. There is a serious malt presence here, both in nose and taste, that makes the beer sweet and velvety, but the flavor is surprisingly complex. The initial sweetness gracefully melts into a dry, bitter hop finish. The ABV is hardly noticeable, overall a fantastic brew.

Great head. Aroma is hoppy, dry, hearty, and indicative of lager. Color is a clear copper hue. Very malty, fully body. Taste has apparent alcohol, but balances out quickly. Nice sweet malty feel that fades out with an earthy/alcohol taste that eventually turns dry. Bitterness is kind of in the background the whole time. Interesting beer, to say the least.

Regardless of whether or not the high ABV is proper for the style, this beer rocks! It tastes like an Octoberfest should taste like. Nice flavor with a bit of hop and a great alcohol warmth without the nasty flavor of too much alcohol. Just right for a cool October evening on the porch. And it looks wonderful, great lacing and a nice, lasting head over the traditional O-Fest color.

Every time Avery comes out with a new beer it’s like Christmas, and when I look down into the bottle, I might as well be looking down the barrel of a brand new Daisy Red Rider BB Gun with a compass in the stock. The Kaiser isn’t just another tie or some lousy socks, either. It’s yet another shining star in the Avery Milky Way. The beer pours clear and has an amber-red glow with a light tan head. Chewy, inviting nose. Un-fricken-believable mouthfeel -- extremely creamy and fluffy, as if you’re swallowing a cloud. Malts had notes of dark toast, toffee, and a little chocolate. Malt-lovers shouldn’t be disappointed. Hops were very balancing and complemented the malts well. Bitterness level was fitting and not over-the-top at all. Gentle notes of oranges and flowers. Kind of spicy and peppery, too. Alcohol wasn’t really noticeable when drinking it, but it sure left behind a cozy warmth in the ol’ esophagus. Great stuff! The real Christmas is gonna have to step up to compete with this.