Rufus Corvus
Avery Brewing Company

Rufus CorvusRufus Corvus
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From:
Avery Brewing Company
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
ABV:
6.83%
Score:
95
Avg:
4.27 | pDev: 7.73%
Reviews:
44
Ratings:
439
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 25, 2021
Added:
Apr 25, 2014
Wants:
  36
Gots:
  81
85% aged in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels, 9% aged in Chardonnay barrels, 6% aged in Zinfandel barrels
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by CowsandBeer:
Photo of CowsandBeer
Reviewed by CowsandBeer from Nebraska

4.14/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
12oz bottle poured into a Russian River "tion" glass. Bottled on 04/07/2014.

Appearance: Pours a quickly fading finger of bone colored head. Burgundy body with no visible yeast particles; fairly clean. Leaves nice whisps of lacing.

Smell: Up front nice acidic wine barrel notes, super tart red wine. Nice tangy lacto in the middle rounded out by brett mustyness. Some toasted oak does peak out at the end.

Taste: Just like the nose the first thing you get is a very acidic plumb like sweetness followed by deep wine barrels notes. Like Warheads sour candy backed with all kinds of nice wine barrel tartness. Through the middle more of that lactic, mellow cheesy tang with a nice bready malt, nougat and some dusty brett. As it warms more and more toasted oak seems to come out.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: Jarringly acidic at first. Prickly carbonation. Not very drinkable, but enjoyable at the same time. Little sips, pucker up.

Overall: An enjoyable AWA from Avery. It's not overly acidic but just in your face tartness that shocks your palette. It's certainly not trying to be subtle and nuanced, but it's still got some great barrel notes and a nice "coming down" after that sour bite in the beginning. Recommended for La Folie and Rueuze enthusiasts.

*UPDATED REVIEW*
12 oz bottle with a bottled on date of 04/07/2014 on the label. Poured into a stemless wine glass. Update from my original review on 05/23/2014. How time flies… Cap is rusty underneath the gold foil wrapper.
Appearance: Pours a very dark brown (almost black) with a reddish tint when held up to the light. A brief cap of khaki foam quickly reduces itself to a small ring. Lacing quickly fades. 3.75
Aroma: The nose is not unlike sour grape juice. Lactic tanginess, light apple cider vinegar, acidic wine barrel, a hint of mustiness, toasted oak. Some cherry sweetness with an acidic edge. 4.0
Taste: Taste really expands on what the aroma hints at, stone fruit sweetness and acidity with a nice lactic tang, a bit of mustiness, and wine barrel. I remember this having a strong acidic/sour bite to it but now it seems to have mellowed out a fair amount. I enjoy the toasted oak barrel character this has as well. Perhaps just a bit of oxidation in the finish. Some sweet malt character comes through as this warms. 4.0
Mf: Thin/medium feel with a nice creaminess. Nice pucker to it but not too much. 3.75
Overall: Reminds of a wine barrel aged sour cherry juice. I remember this having a more acidic edge to it and that note mellowing out seems to be the most noticeable difference in its two year slumber. It does seem darker than I recall as well. With that said it has that edge to it that La Folie or some of those darker Crooked Staves have. I would say that overall this beer has not improved with time, just evolved slightly. 4.0 9/21/2016
May 24, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of imscotty
Reviewed by imscotty from Massachusetts

4.12/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
2014 bottle. After 7 years in the cellar, this beer held up fine.
Subtle carbonation, the head rose and dies quickly on the pour.
A moderate sour, well balanced. Tastes of cherry and wine and slight caramel. Beautiful dark amber color.
A very drinkable sour.
Aug 25, 2021
Photo of mothman
Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota

3.73/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Bottle. Khaki head. Dad caramel brown color.

A lot going on here. Dark sour. Cherries, caramel, toffee. Some vinegar. Maybe a hint of nail polish remover. Seems like the wine barrels show. Both red and white wine flavors. White up front, followed by red. Sweet tart flavored finish. Not really sure what to think of this. Some flavors I like and some I don’t.
Mar 12, 2021
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

4.08/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Five years and it rocks. Nothing from Mars, just well executed and showing balance. Last bottle ever tried? Mellowed Flanders with a full range of flavour.
May 06, 2019
 
Rated: 4.5 by Knobs303 from Colorado

Sep 02, 2018
 
Rated: 4.42 by cd34 from Illinois

Jul 19, 2018
 
Rated: 4.29 by kingmaker from Louisiana

Jan 19, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by rspauldi from Texas

Dec 27, 2017
Photo of BeerDawgs
Reviewed by BeerDawgs from Georgia

4.7/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
L - Dark brown, no clarity, minimal head and lacing. Looks like a 3 year old beer but thats a great thing

S - Sourness dominates

T - Semi-sweet up front, lots of sour, and then has a deep wine like finish. Gets better as it warms. Lots going on here. Tasty as hell

F - Big explosion on your tongue from all the sourness, medium carbonation and body

O - An amazing barrel aged sour. Cabernet is very present in this one. It does get better as it warms - like a good wine. 3 years old and it shines. Music in my mouth!
Nov 18, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by 22Blue from Kansas

Mar 10, 2017
Photo of MikeM417
Rated by MikeM417 from Connecticut

4.31/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
a little underwhelming up front, but the finish is nice and sour.
Mar 05, 2017
 
Rated: 4.17 by cliff1066 from Virginia

Feb 07, 2017
Photo of Brob245
Reviewed by Brob245 from Missouri

4.34/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Cellared No. 19 bottled on April 7, 2014. Dark in color with very little carbonation left in the beer. Still sour but tons of rich wine characteristic from first sip through finish. Lots of depth in this one as it lingers on the pallet.
Jan 18, 2017
 
Rated: 3.98 by MickeyHops from California

Oct 08, 2016
 
Rated: 4.24 by Justdoit1234 from Minnesota

Jun 01, 2016
Photo of Gregaroo
Rated by Gregaroo from Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
5-28-16 -
May 29, 2016
Photo of darktronica
Reviewed by darktronica from Indiana

4.28/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Over two years in the bottle, and it's still a lovely drink. Still mouth-puckeringly, saliva-inducingly sour, with subtle aromas but big flavors. The wine grapes feature prominently in the finish, and every sip is better than the last; as your sour receptors numb and the beer warms, it opens up a lot of depth and complexity, with more of the base ale and more of the barrels both coming through.
May 26, 2016
 
Rated: 3.69 by kiki3drt292 from California

Apr 20, 2016
 
Rated: 4.34 by robgage from Pennsylvania

Mar 03, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by AlexFields from Tennessee

Feb 12, 2016
Rufus Corvus from Avery Brewing Company
Beer rating: 95 out of 100 with 439 ratings