Fortuna
Avery Brewing Company

FortunaFortuna
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From:
Avery Brewing Company
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
ABV:
8.1%
Score:
92
Avg:
4.11 | pDev: 7.54%
Reviews:
55
Ratings:
302
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 19, 2023
Added:
Mar 26, 2015
Wants:
  11
Gots:
  80
Sour ale that is aged in Tequila barrels with lime zest and salt.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Mayo2323:
Photo of Mayo2323
Rated by Mayo2323 from Colorado

4.27/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Jul 04, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of Treyliff
Reviewed by Treyliff from West Virginia

4.09/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12oz bottle poured into a snifter

Pours a hazy red color with a one-finger foamy white head that reduces to a ring. Smells of tart acidic red berries with a tequila undertone. Taste is similar with cherry, jammy raspberry and tart lemon. The finish give a salty tequila note with more tart berries on the linger. Medium body with moderate carbonation leads to a slightly foamy mouthfeel and a tart finish
Aug 19, 2023
 
Rated: 4.07 by WillieThreebiers from Connecticut

May 25, 2023
 
Rated: 4.08 by gutbuster from Kentucky

Jul 30, 2022
 
Rated: 4.4 by hopley from Massachusetts

Jul 31, 2021
Photo of mothman
Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle pour.

Was hoping the tequila would show more. Very citrusy. Lots of lemon and lime showing. Easy drinking sour that held up well. Not overly acidic.
May 19, 2021
 
Rated: 3.97 by Sammy from Canada (ON)

Aug 30, 2020
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

4.17/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Bottled 4/17/15; drank 7/19/15 @ Doc Holliday's.

Murky red appearance.

Khaki head; minimal lace.

Mildly tart strawberry notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Strawberry jam flavor up front; tart cherry notes on the finish.

Balanced & tasty. I'd have another...
Mar 25, 2019
 
Rated: 4.24 by cd34 from Illinois

Jul 01, 2018
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.75/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bottle share from...? Yet another barrel aged sour, go figure...Tequila barrels add a different note, sweet, salty vibe. Interesting touch. Mellows the pucker a bit too.
Mar 05, 2018
 
Rated: 4.1 by Stofko1992 from Pennsylvania

Feb 24, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by jschott75 from Illinois

Feb 02, 2018
 
Rated: 4.25 by jgunther71 from Illinois

Oct 23, 2017
 
Rated: 4.24 by BKotch from Texas

Sep 21, 2017
 
Rated: 3.73 by tommy5 from Michigan

Sep 01, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by ejimhof from Pennsylvania

Jun 01, 2017
Photo of BeerDawgs
Reviewed by BeerDawgs from Georgia

4.24/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
A 12oz bottle with a bottled on date of 4.17.15

L - Copper with no clarity. 1 finger of head, lots of lacing left on the glass and the brew. Gorgeous beer

S - Lime, salt, tart. Sourness. Very good aroma

T - Salty and sour. Delicious. Lots of lime and tequila traces.

F - Well carbonated, medium body.

O - Another delicious sour from Avery - this one aged in tequila barrels. So easy to drink and smooth
Apr 02, 2017
 
Rated: 3.81 by 22Blue from Kansas

Mar 03, 2017
Photo of Jugs_McGhee
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

3.25/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
BOTTLE: Bottled April 17th, 2015. 12 fl oz format. Brown glass. Gold foil covers a pry-off crown cap. Classy label art depicting a barrel for obvious reasons. 1297 cases were bottled.

8.10% ABV. Aged in Suerte tequila barrels. "Ale aged in tequila barrels with lime zest and salt added."

Served chilled into a teku and allowed to come to temperature over the course of consumption.

HEAD: Soft and fluffy, with an even luscious consistency and a nice complexion. Off-white colour. Billowing and appealing, with nice frothiness and creaminess. Leaves spotty inconsistent bits of lacing on the glass' sides as it recedes. Retention is good - ~5 minutes. Has a good 6-7cm height in a teku.

BODY: Semitransparent translucent pale red of above average vibrance. No yeast/lees are visible within, but it's tough to tell if it was filtered or not. It's not hazy or cloudy.

Appears well-carbonated. It's a nice overall appearance for a sour ale and has me intrigued, but it isn't unique or special.

AROMA: Lime is definitely there, bringing some acidic twang into the fold that plays nicely with the subtle lactobacillus and pediococcus bacteria. Sourness is subdued; this aroma suggests a beer of maybe a 2-3/10 in terms of sourness. I don't get much from the brettanomyces yeast - just some mild microfloral farmhousey character and a blip of buried funkiness. I look for salt, but it isn't overt - at least not as overt as it is in, say, a gose.

The tequila barrel is interesting; I doubt I'd peg it as tequila barrel in a blind tasting, but when I know to look for it I do find it. I imagine it'd present as a vegetal/cactus character in a blind tasting...definitely interesting. No oak or vanilla or barrel sugars from the barrel, though.

Aromatic intensity is average. Suggests a refreshing sour ale with some interesting lime and spice flavours.

I find no overt hoppy or malty notes, and no off-notes.

TASTE & TEXTURE: The subtle tingle of salt is nice, playing well with the acidic lime and concomitant zest. Sourness is a bit subdued for my taste, indeed hitting about a 3/10 intensity...many discerning drinkers will crave more, as well as more bacterial intricacy. There's some mild pedicoccus and lactobacillus smackiness, but if you're going to brew with bacteria cultures, why not really commit? The same could be said of the mildly present brettanomyces yeast, which injects barely any funk or microfloral nuances. This drinks way too clean for a brettanomyces & bacteria fermented brew.

Acidity is above average but not out of control. More acidity, twang, and tartness would help complement the sourness and coax it out more.

The tequila barrel is interesting...there's not a lot of depth or diversity of flavour there, just some agave/muted tequila. No spice or heat at all.

I dig the citrusy salty flavours and the way they play with the refreshing bacterial sourness, but I can't help but crave more of it all in addition to more complexity and depth of flavour. This is balanced and enjoyable, but it's also somewhat simplistic considering the premise and ingredients, and doesn't seem to fulfill the full potential of the premise.

Nicely built for what it is, but there's ample room for improvement.

The mouthfeel is well-executed, pairing the above-mentioned acidity with an apt smoothness and wetness. Carbonation is almost perfect. It's not a puckering brew. Definitely refreshing and approachable, with a light body. It could do with more smacky lactic acid and citrusy juiciness, but it's nicely done as is.

OVERALL: Avery plays it close to the cuff with this safe simple sour ale that doesn't seem interested in really exploring its premise. The tequila is shallow, and the bacterial flavours restrained. Discerning sour ale drinkers will find this enjoyable albeit wanting. It's a beer I'm glad to have tried and will enjoy finishing, but it isn't up there with Avery's finest barrel aged sour ales and I wouldn't purchase it again or recommend it to friends. Surprisingly drinkable for its well-disguised 8.10% ABV.

Lime is a tricky fruit to showcase in a sour ale, but Avery did a nice job all things considered, and the complementary salt and zest flavours were a good call. Tequila barrel aged brews seem difficult to balance and to keep from tasting artificial or boozy, but all things considered this may be one of the better tequila barrel aged beers I've tried...nevermind its shortcomings.

High B- (3.25) / WORTHY

***
04/15/20 12 fl oz bottle with gold foil bottled Apr 17 2015:

Let's see how this drinks after 5 years in a cellar.

Tart with some agave/tequila spice towards the back end. Drinks much more mellow than I remembered with genuine tequila flavours and harmonious salt & lime flavours.

A bit leathery but merely medium-bodied. Ample acidity.

This has improved with age...a nicely executed Tequila sour ale, not that there are many.

High B- / WORTHY
Feb 19, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by fosters9 from New York

Feb 09, 2017
Fortuna from Avery Brewing Company
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 302 ratings