Avery The Maharaja Imperial India Pale Ale

Brewed by Avery Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Boulder, Colorado USA

Bomber into pint glass. Dark hazy honey with huge lasting and lacing, slightly off-white head. Aroma is dominated by citrus – grapefruit – along with sweet malty and yeasty notes. It has a great soft citrus flavor with an alcohol bite that is just barely intrusive; aside from the alcohol, the flavor is very malty with a great juicy hop flavor. It is medium to heavy body on the palate due to the thick malt body – very nice. Overall: this is even better than I expected. Another great Avery!

This is truly an amazing beer. This Kingly brew pours a royal reddish pale color, like one of the colors of the setting sun. Thw setting sun leaves an off white head like the clouds of the day. Taking the chill off the brew makes it smooth on my palate. The aroma is of the pines of Colorado. A little soapy too. The flavor is the same, very piney. Very unique. Not many brews can make it like this. A little sweet (very little sweetness) to it. I think the warmer it gets the more the sweetness comes out. Definently a royal brew. Thank you Avery. The Lord bless the hop harvest.

I love everything Avery does with the names of beers and the labels. Each name is significant to the style and the labels are well done with descriptive pictures and a little explanation for the name. This king of the IPAs pours a dark burnt orange color with a picture perfect head of about 4 centimeters (inch and half for those that use the King’s system). The lacing clings to the side of the glass as the head dissipates a bit. The aroma is strong with hops, citrus, pine with a touch of candy sweetness (lemonheads) usually not found in the big IPAs. I guess I would attribute it to their adequate use of heavy malts, which helps achieve the balance necessary to combat such massive amounts of hops. The flavor is big (. . . and powerful) but balanced (a strong but fair king?). The nose packs the malty punch to counteract the bittering hops, however, by the finish, the hops (and alcohol) prevail in a stinging sand storm of flavor. This certainly isn’t a king to be messed with!

Possibly one of my favorites. I wish it was year round. Deep Orange in color and intense aroma, you can smell the hops from across the room (exageration). But great citrus pine flavor and still a very clean crisp finish. Very well done.

Bomber- 2008 batch. Nice orange/amber color, small white head. Aroma is a blast of hop flowers and some pine. Big mouthfeel, Big on the hops....malts, what are those? Imperial IPA for sure. Alcohol nicely hidden. Good stuff here!

Draft, Baja Bean, Staunton VA. Medium amber with a white head. Nose of juicy, pungent hops, mainly grapefruit and pine, with some powdered sugar and caramel malt in the background. Flavor is again sticky, juicy hops-- grapefruit, juicy fruit, orange and lemon citrus, and earthy, piney hops underneath to bitter things up nicely. Creamy, full mouthfeel, and the alcohol is dangerously hidden (I had no idea it was 10+ abv!). Finishes long and sticky with hops residue. This is precisely what I want in an IPA-- over the top, for sure, but why not? We only live once. Great stuff!

You want hoppy, then this is the beer. Orange/golden, hoppy comes with first sip, then malt kicks in. Had a little floral taste and fruits. Mouthfeel on palate is thick.

Opaque orange amber, huge fluffy white head. Strong citrus catpiss nose.Molasses start, very citrus middle long bitter hop end