The Beast
Avery Brewing Company

This beer is effing amazing!
I have not seen it in a few years, I hope it's not discontinued.
The perfect nightcap, or fireside sipper.
I am going on memory, as I had it about 2 years ago, but was looking for information on it and couldn't believe I didn't rate it yet.
By far, one of my favorite high alcohol brews.
Luckily, there's a homebrew kit available online, as it's in the wind around here for now.
It's so complex, hard to put in words. You just need to try one for yourself.

B14, fantastic beer, glad I got the chance to grab a bottle!

 

 

 

A: Poured into a snifter to a deep brown beer which is topped by a dense and slightly rocky finger of light tan head which fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S: Smells of oranges, caramel, honey, toasted malts, and mulling spices. It almost smelled wood aged up front but those notes have disappeared
T: Taste is oranges, honey, oily faded hops, caramel, toasted malts, some mulling spices, and a slight roastyness with a touch of bitter dark chocolate. On the swallow there's a little heat from the alcohol, but the oranges, honey, hops, caramel, toasted malts, and spices all come back around for another go.
M: This beer has a very full body with a slightly syrupy feel on the palate. Carbonation is on the low side but it isn't super low given the style and ABV. The hefty ABV also ensures that this beer has a drying finish despite the sweetness.
O: Honestly at this stage it tastes more like a well aged barleywine than it does a Belgian Strong Dark. Either way the complexity and flavors are very nice. The beer has also held up well to age too as I recall buying this bottle in 2014.

 

Shared bottle at local tasting, thanks to gunnar. Batch 6 2008, 16,31% ABV. Hazy dark brown colour, moderate beige head. Intense aroma and flavour of malts, molasses and alcohol. Simply too much of the good stuff - there’s no way I could have finished a bottle of this beer on my own.

2009 Avery The Beast - was afraid this may be over the hill, but drinking like a champ.

A little bit of khaki head that fades. Dark caramel hued brown.

Plums, raisins, molasses, caramel, figs, honey, walnut, toffee. A very strong Belgian style ale that drinks fairly smooth for 15%. Sweet cherries as it warms with a bit of chocolate as well.

2014 consumed 11/21. At 16.1%, this one shows a bit more heat. Molasses, plumsC black licorice, caramel, raisins, figs all stand out. Boozey.

2013 consumed 11/22 - raisins, figs, caramel, molasses, dark dried fruits, pears, apple skins, plums. Boozey. The 18% isn’t hidden at all.

2015 bottle. Dark amber with a tiny beige ring of head. Sweet aroma, raisins, malty, toffee, tobacco, boozy. Taste follows with the same sweet blend plus plenty of warmth. A bit sticky and dry at the finish. This has held up very well.

 

Looks like I have a bottle of 2016 cru brew at $10. It’s late 2020 now. Poured out caramel colored at first then slowly darkening to a rich deeply dark gold. Flakes of yeast get poured out of the bottle and float around in my glass before settling at the bottom. Scents are of raisins and dates and dark cherries, with a deep sweet smelling pineapple alcohol honey. Very rich smelling. Taste is unlike anything I’ve had. Very strongly resembles the fruits present in the smell but add in a little toffee and caramel into the mix. Very heavy on alcoholic aftertaste almost like a rum, and quite bitter wash afterward. Mouthfeel is thick and creamy, bubbles along with light effervescence. Overall this is a challenging and unique brew. I’ve had grand cru before but they were always sweeter than this. Deep dark flavorful and quite bitter, this is a sipper not a swigger and def not for the average beer drinker. Bonus points for being so unique.

 

2009 vintage, been sitting in the cellar for a while, but using the quarantine as an excuse to start drinking the cellar beers

Pours with no head, and no sound when opening the cap so prob flat, nice long legs, very dark molasses brown color no real light coming through

Nose super fruity, tons of brandy soaked raisins and candied figs, oxidized port wine but no cardboard, touch of chocolate and bread crust, very low alcohol, lots of molasses and candied caramel like sugar daddee candy, little candied cherry

Taste starts quite sweet, lots of candy everything, smooth rich candy malt, loads of caramel and candied burnt caramel, touch of dark malts and chocolate notes, toffee, caramel, molasses, thick rich molasses, fair oxidation characters as well with a little paper but also sherry and port notes adding to the fruit, again the layers of fruit, Turkish fig, candied date, some boozy raisin, little cookie dough, mild ashy notes probably from the oxidation, little bitterness, and very low alcohol, mild sticky finish, more cardboard oxidation notes

Mouth is fuller bod, rich velvety like chewing on caramel or molasses, no carbonation but also pretty much no alcohol burn

Overall this aged very well, great fruits and mostly good oxidation (aside from the paper and cardboard notes), but the fruits, and port/sherry was nice, loads of sweet characters and overall a bit too sweet, but lack of alcohol is crazy. Think I got a couple other bottles stashed away for a party.

L:. Pours a muddy brown orange with a small tan brown head and no lacing on the glass.

S:. Lots of caramel and molasses, mix with a touch of pineapple, a strong note of booze.

T:. Lots of molasses and brown sugar, notes of caramel, a touch of pineapple, the alcohol is very noticeable in this beer.

F:. Very big body, slick carbonation.

O:. Solid beer that is very boozy.

 

Batch 12, from 2015. Fair bit of oxidation at this point, despite decent cellaring conditions. Pours a bit hazy, brown/amber with minimal head. Some sediment at the bottom of the bottle to be avoided. Still rich and fruity, with complementary yeast and malt notes. Grilled pineapple is the closest fruit to the profile. Moderately strong ethyl alcohol notes from the high ABV.

 

Poured a deep amber/copper color at 57 degrees; ok cap retention which leaves an island of bubbles; good clarity; small spots of lace and heavy legs on swirl. Fruity, sweet caramel malt nose; alcohol on the retronasal exhale. Sweet caramel malt, boozy raisins, dates, dark fruit; honey as liquid warms. Medium body, moderate minus carbonation; slick feel with oaky dry finish; warming from 16.8% ABV. Overall, a tour de force; amazingly well balanced flavors take no back seat to the big alcohol presence; I like “big boozy beers” - if you do, and if you can still find it, buy it and enjoy!

Pours a cloudy amber color with a thin foamy head. Half pour. Retention is mild and lacing is good. Malty, boozy, caramel aroma. Big time maltiness on the taste. A lot of brown sugar, sweet, caramel and dark fruits. Medium to heavy bodied with moderate carbonation.