Avery Anniversary Ale - Twenty One
Avery Brewing Company

 

 

Look something was off with this a few years ago when I tried it, dunno if it was the tap lines or what.

Comes out a ruddy brown, weird bubble formation, loose bubbled didn't really hold much of a head down. Aroma was popcorn city breadiness, sourdough factory.

Taste was diacetyl city. Underneath that was just a hodgepodge kind of beer that feels like it was leftover ingredients mashed up into one of these beers. Brown malt, hops, dark fruit yeast impressions, just all over the place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pulled this May 2014 bottle out of the back of the beer fridge. I've been holding on to it to share it with my neighbor and last night it finally was popped. It poured a muddy brown with white head that left a spotty lace. The scent was sour dough. The taste was bready with slight hop flare. The mouthfeel was medium in body with subtle carbonation. Overall it was ok....it probably would have been better fresh.

 

 

On-tap 1/31/2016 at Natty Greene’s Tavern in North Attleboro, MA, served in a snifter glass.

A: The beer is a deep reddish brown color, with a large off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is faint but contains brown sugar, dark fruit, caramelized malts and some hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of caramel, dark fruit and brown sugar. The malt character is hearty and there’s a decent hops presence that create some balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and a little smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: A little tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, strong kick, decent representation of style, it’s a decent beer but there are definitely better choices available within the style.

 

 

 

Enjoyed from the 22 oz bottle in a snifter. This FINE brown pours a muddy brownish mahogany with a firm head of light khaki foam that settles to a thick ring and thin layer with very nice lacing. Nose of chocolate malts, pineapple, heavy citrus fruits of grapefruit, sweet malts, and bitter hops. Flavors follow the nose with dark bitter chocolate awash in grapefruit and pineapple on all sides finishing with a blast of bitter hops on the back and aftertaste. Coating but with enough carbonation to keep it lively with warming booze on the back. Very nice with a lot going on....almost too much. Love this brewery, and enjoyed this brew, but somewhat outside of my palate.

 

 

 

 

 

Bottled May 2014. Still had a lot going for it. Malty but not overwhelmingly so. Slight bitterness, but a strong fill the center of the mouth character and body comes across most.

Ballast Point's Three Sheets Barleywine - tasted on tap at Free Bridge Wine & Spirits. Brief review from notes. This brew has an extraordinary amber gradient-like look to it, topped with a sudsy khaki head. The aroma is quite fruity, with strawberry, kiwi, and grapefruit notes. Although Three Sheets has a juicy hop profile going for it in the flavor, we predominantly get the sweet fruity and floral malts, that are also very heavy on the caramel, to my palate. Overall, this is a fantastic example of the style, and although strong, it doesn't knock me out of my seat. Highly recommended from a top microbrewery.

 

From 22 oz bomber to pint glass

I had this cellared away and didn't realize it was dry-hopped. I'm sure some of the citrusy, nuanced aspects have diminished, but the brew still tastes about proportional to its score. Here's the breakdown:

A: Dark copper-brown, clear, as the pour yields a small, wispy head that quickly dissipates.

S: Caramelly malts, nutty. Notes of oak and raisin, along with a grassy, floral tone. Booze is not at all masked and warms as you breath it in.

T/M: More bitter on the palate...not quite the malt-bomb I was expecting. Grassy astringency along with caramelly, toasty malt character. Kindy stodgy in it's texture, helping to accentuate the sweet aspects. Long finish with lingering sweet residue between sips.

 

Brewed May 2014:

Pours hazed brown - some ruby highlights. A foamy, lasting head tops it off. Lacing sticks down the glass.

The smell is of caramel/toffee with brown sugar and pine.

The taste is of caramel/toffee with herbal/spicy, piney/resinous hops. A hint of alcohol in the finish.

I have to admit, I didn't look at the brewing date when I picked it up a few days ago. I had never seen it where I purchased it (my regular place), so I assumed it was new. It still has a fresh hop character, so it does hold up well, though not having it fresh I will never know. Still, there was something that wasn't so smooth about it. It's still a very good beer though. A strong, hoppy brown ale, it still is.

 

Pours a black color. 1/3 inch head of an off-tan color. Great retention and great lacing. Smells of strong alcohol, strong yeast, strong sweet malt, strong earthy malt, hint of roasted malt, hint of pickle, hops, and a hint of black pepper. Fits the style of an American Brown Ale. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of strong alcohol, strong earthy malt, sweet malt, hint of roasted malt, hint of caramel malt, hops, grass, and slight biscuit-y burnt flavor. Overall, wow, a very intense beer in both body and aroma. Good appearance, aroma, and blend, but not a big fan of the biscuit-y burnt flavors.

Appearance: Pours a beautiful, completely opaque, deep, dark, almost black, but not quite, mahogany color, speckled with touches of reddish highlights and a full finger of white-colored head that quickly dissolved away into a thin lacing of foam that completely covered the top of the beer.

Aroma: Very aromatic, with tons of rich, earthy aromas of bready, toasted malt, imparting notes of freshly baked sourdough bread. There’s also strong aromas of candied sugar, touches of stone fruit, such as prunes, dates and figs, as well as spices of black pepper, clove and garam masala. Finally, there’s quite a bit of floral, piney hops.

Taste: Delicious! There’s tons of rich, earthy flavors of bready, toasted malt, up front, imparting notes of freshly baked sourdough bread, followed by strong flavors of candied sugar, and touches of stone fruit, such as prunes, dates and figs, as well as spices of black pepper, clove and garam masala, dark chocolate and roasted chestnuts. Finally, there’s quite a bit of floral, piney hops at the finish, but its beautifully balanced and not at all overly bitter.

Mouthfeel: Chewy and extremely smooth, as there is very little in the way of carbonation. With an ABV of 8.7%, there is just a touch of a pleasant alcohol warmth on the palate.

Overall: This is a very complex, rich, earthy, inviting beer, with an extreme depth of flavor and great mouth feel. Excellent beer! Another grand-slam from Avery!

 

Sweet Malty, and Carmel notes, Heavy mouthfeel, some licorice,
vanilla, a bite of hops which quickly disappears on the end. A bit heavy mouthfeel, and lacking balance. Smooth, and sweet tasting, lots of carmel, roasted malt, grain, and low carbonation.

 

 

Clear brown colored ale with a small light brown colored head.

Smells mildly sweet with with a bit of piney hop. Scents of brown bread. Not a real aromatic beer.

Starts out mildly sweet and fairly malty. Medium bitterness and mildly hoppy.

Mouthfeel is good.

Overall a decent hoppy brown ale.

 

 

 

$7.99 for a 22oz bottle @ BevCo. Brewed withTwo-row barley, Chocolate malt, Caramel 120, Honey Malt. Hopped with Columbus, Chinook, Amarillo. Dry-Hopped with Amarillo, Simcoe, Chinook
ABV: 8.3%
Pours out to a brilliantly clear deep mahogany, forming a nice yellow head with very good retention and solid lacing. Moderate carbonation, ~2.5 carbs or so. Beautiful looking beer. The nose is great. Lots of fresh dry hops with pine, grapefruit on top of a nice fruity fermentation (apples, cherries), honey and a distant touch of roast. The mouthfeel is big, smooth, slightly cloying, rich. The taste is great...opens with aggressive hop flavor, followed by the cherries and apples, then a touch of carob, and finishing with leather and a touch of toast, more hops, more fruit, and a moderate piney bitterness lingering in the aftertaste.

A nicely done anniversary ale. One bottle is plenty for one person, as it's quite rich. Avery does a great job and I wish them the best at their new facility. They brew some great stuff!