4.2 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20I poured a 22oz bomber into a tulip glass.
Appearance: Very dark shade of orange bordering on brown. Mostly clear complexion but slight haziness with little carbonation visible. Forms a good size, eggshell/off-white frothy head which retains and laces extremely well.
Smell: Very pungent aroma of tropical fruits: peach, mango, passion fruit and lighter citrus and candy fragrances too. I can also smell a sweet, maple-syrup or resin-like smell - indicating this is going to be a hop bomb from the nose alone.
Taste: The Maharaja hits the palate with a simultaneous attack of rich sweetness and sticky hop bitterness. Some beers rotate between sweetness and bitterness across the palate, but this beer has both simultaneously. The first thing I notice is a rich, tropical fruit juice flavor of the aforementioned fruit variety. It’s amazing how rich and sweet it is and for a moment it’s actually quite refreshing.
Although very noticeable up front, the bitterness is even more pronounced in the second half. The taste and sensation is that of pine sap filtered through wet hop cones. It’s a rich, thick, heavy bitterness that hits the palate with a thud, not a bang. This bitterness weighs in at 102 IBUs and it actually pairs amazingly well with the consistent rich juicy sweetness. It’s definitely delicious.
Mouthfeel: Full-bodied all around, although soft and tepid - never obnoxious. Only a slightly sticky, slightly dry aftertaste.
Drinkability: For such a big, bold beer in more ways than one, The Maharaja is surprisingly drinker-friendly. The palate is soft and goes down very smooth with a pleasant aftertaste of syrup that’s not drying or cloying (and quite clean, actually). The 10.46% ABV is nowhere to be found in the palate - no heat, nor warmth. The food pairings are too long to list, but it’s one of the few truly huge IPAs I think can be drank and enjoyed on its own.
Overall, Avery Maharaja is another fantastic example of what American breweries can do with hops. I just wish it wasn’t such an exclusive beer because everyone should be able to try this brew.
4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
650 ml bottle at home.
Nice clear amber color with medium, slightly off white, head. The aroma is intensely fruity with a base of caramel and some alcohol. Full bodied taste with a quite bitter end and some sweetness from the malts.
Lovely beer, one of the best imperial IPAs I’ve tasted.
4.1 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Bottle, 65cl - Clear amber copper beer with a large white head. Aroma is fruity with notes of peaches, pine needles, citrus, caramel and lychee. Flavor is fruity with notes of caramel, nuts, citrus, peaches, apricots,alcohol and pineapple. Huge gigantic beer with a bomb full of flavor.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bottle. Golden colour with a beige head. Sweet fruit, alcohol, hops aroma. Flavour is caramel, hops, fruit.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Bottle. Deep orange with a great soft head and impressive lace. The aroma is caramel,really nice soft full hop aromas--spice, pine, floral, ripe tropical fruit. Flavor is very sweet and tropical fruit choppy at first then becomes very bitter. The feel is remarkably lively and soft. Excellent DIPA. Very nicely balanced and put together.
4.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 19/20
One of my favorites, try it you’ll think so too. Now if I can just get it in my town, life would be bliss.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
Bottle from Hazel’s beverage world. Amber color, white head. Bitter taste with citrus, caramel, resin, floral hops, peach and a bit of pine. Silky smooth body that’s surprisingly light on aromas. Bitter finish with caramel and citrus. Very nice imperial IPA, but not as bold as I would have imagined.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 15/20
2013 bottle. The aroma is hoppy (resin and grass ones), booze, and diacetyl (butteriness), and this brew is an orange color with a small white head that fades to a ring quite quickly. The taste is quite bitter, mildly sweet, and slightly sour, which makes for a balanced beer, but the flavors could meld together a little bit more seamlessly; furthermore, the mouthfeel fuses a sticky texture, soft carbonation, medium body, and a long bitter finish.
4.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
On tap at the Blackthorn Pub, Holly,MI...Superbly well balanced and complex DIPA that is both intense and very drinkable at the same time. Bright, clean flavors and not at all ’muddy’ like many other over-the-top IPAs. Outstanding
4.6 AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
Good color, almost like dark honey, with a nice eggshell head. Peppercorn, malt, & grass armoas. Smooth mouthfeel that finishes crisp.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
On tap at ACBF 6/1/2013
Clear deep golden color. Sweet caramel and brown bread with a nice compliment of citrus and pine. A little on the sweet side, but a nice brew just the same.
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