471 Avalanche Special Reserve
Breckenridge Brewery & The Farm House

 

This was a surprise for me in the sample pack. I was excited when I saw

A- This was a dark red color with nice head after the pour.

S- It smells like a typical amber beer with the hint of hops.

T- Very smooth beer, not one I would drink all day but ok to drink one or two.

M- Great after taste with a nice bubbly feel to it.

Give it a try.

1 liter bottle labeled #856 out of 1,200.

Poured a deep reddish / mahogany color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of nuts, caramel, toffee, roast, light chocolate and some orange peels. Malty. Tastes of carmel, citrus, and somewhat nutty. Not a bad beer, but not worth the price I paid for this bottle.

Notes from and tasted on 3/27/07

I hope I am reviewing the correct beer. Labled as Breckenridge 10th Anniversary brew and with snowflakes on the front that alludes to a Christmas brew, and also costed $18 per bomber (but it did come with a handsome flip-top cap -- Grolsch style). For the price, I was expecting the typical over-the-top type of brew. The beer didn't live up to those expectations, but did deliver a very solid Amber Ale with alcoholic strength and subtle power. Mellow aromas of caramel, toffee, yeast, bread, and American hops. Tastes really no different that any other good Amber, except in its balance and cleanliness. No graininess, astringency, or harshness. Alcoholic strength is only appreciated late, hiding well untiil then. Finishes malty and caramelly with a bit of heat. Not being a fan of Ambers, this is the best on I have had.

Very nice bottle with a flip top. This beer pours an amber color with a small head that falls fast and leaves a little lacing on the glass. The aroma is full of caramel maltiness and has a nice bit of hops to back it up. Smells good. The flavor is tasty, plenty of malts and quite a bit of alcohol. There are also some hops in the flavor, but they don't dominate like the malts and alcohol do. This beer would be a lot better with some more body as it comes across watery and thin. The drinkability is pretty good, but the alcohol takes away a bit.

Tasted this at the restaurant in Denver. At the time of review I hadn't tasted the regular Avalanche yet, but did a few days later. The bartender said that this is simple a "double Avalanche... double the malts, double the hops, and double the alcohol". I found this one so malty that its more like a maibock in flavor to me as opposed to the double amber they were shooting for. In the same way I found the regular Avalanche to be a bit maltier than the amber moniker. Time for the review though...

Came to me in a big pint glass, dark caramel in color, clear bodied. Off white head on top, half inch thick initially but reduced to a thin layer. Left nice lacing in the glass though. I found the aroma quite weak, mostly consisting of slightly sweet malts and a touch of pine hops. The flavor is loaded with malts, bread and biscuit mainly. A touch of toasted nuttiness comes through. Some straw and herbal hopping as well. Slightly bitter finish. Medium bodied mouthfeel, coats the mouth well. Good drinkability if you want a ton of malts.

A decent beer, but I think their styling is a bit wrong. I also saw this in a liter bottle for about 20 bucks at the store...dunno if I would have paid that much...