Samael's Ale | Avery Brewing Company
Brewed by:
Avery Brewing Company
Colorado, United States
averybrewing.com
Style: English Barleywine
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 16.90%
Availability: Summer
Notes / Commercial Description:
A super-caramelly, oak-aged strong English-style ale, brewed with Columbus, Fuggels hops and two-row barley, caramel 150L malt.
2006: 14.50% (Batch #2)
2007: 14.50% (Batch #3)
2008: 15.53% (Batch #4)
2009: 16.45% (Batch #5)
2010: 15.82% (Batch #6)
2011: 15.31% (Batch #7)
2012: 15.47% (Batch #8)
2013: 16.90% (Batch #9)
2014: 14.20% (Batch #10)
2015: 14.60% (Batch #11)
Added by ommegangpbr on 06-24-2005
This beer is retired; no longer brewed.
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 1,489 | Reviews: 656
4.57/5 rDev +17.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Bath no. 10, btld March 2014, and cracked open four years later. That said, it should be pointed out this review is a bit unfair due to its age, which did nothing but good for this. Pours a deep, dark copper color with an inch of off-white head that falls slowly, which I didn’t expect from an old high-abv beer. Smell is huge! Dried fruit, figs, caramel, toffee, nutty, and you can smell the booze. Big nose, and equally big flavors. Malty is an understatement of course, but lots of toffee, oak character is present, and jeez is this sweet. It’s not quite cloying, but it’s cutting it close. As it warms, (and you really need to have this at cellar temp, like it’s really, really imperative that it not be too cold) It gets more layered and you can taste more and more under the sweetness. It’s full bodied, but not quite as thick as I’d expected based on Avery’s other big-ass beers. Overall, damn good stuff. Sweet, but expectedly so, and not without complexity and nuance.
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look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Bath no. 10, btld March 2014, and cracked open four years later. That said, it should be pointed out this review is a bit unfair due to its age, which did nothing but good for this. Pours a deep, dark copper color with an inch of off-white head that falls slowly, which I didn’t expect from an old high-abv beer. Smell is huge! Dried fruit, figs, caramel, toffee, nutty, and you can smell the booze. Big nose, and equally big flavors. Malty is an understatement of course, but lots of toffee, oak character is present, and jeez is this sweet. It’s not quite cloying, but it’s cutting it close. As it warms, (and you really need to have this at cellar temp, like it’s really, really imperative that it not be too cold) It gets more layered and you can taste more and more under the sweetness. It’s full bodied, but not quite as thick as I’d expected based on Avery’s other big-ass beers. Overall, damn good stuff. Sweet, but expectedly so, and not without complexity and nuance.
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4.19/5 rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Pours a murky orange-brown with a finger of khaki foam. Aroma is biscuit and toasted malts with a hit of smooth oak, and alcohol. Flavor profile is toasted, nutted, caramel, and biscuit malts with robust notes of caramel, oak, and alcohol. Mouth feel is thick with a velvety, large texture with a touch of fizz on the tongue. Overall, a huge beer, but it's smooth. Alcohol is present in both the aroma and flavor profile, so it isn't the smoothest of offerings. This is the 2015 version, aged for about 2 1/2 years.
Served in a 12oz snifter from a 12oz bottle.
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look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Pours a murky orange-brown with a finger of khaki foam. Aroma is biscuit and toasted malts with a hit of smooth oak, and alcohol. Flavor profile is toasted, nutted, caramel, and biscuit malts with robust notes of caramel, oak, and alcohol. Mouth feel is thick with a velvety, large texture with a touch of fizz on the tongue. Overall, a huge beer, but it's smooth. Alcohol is present in both the aroma and flavor profile, so it isn't the smoothest of offerings. This is the 2015 version, aged for about 2 1/2 years.
Served in a 12oz snifter from a 12oz bottle.
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4.65/5 rDev +19.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Bottled in March 2016. Aged two years at time of consumption.
L: Hazy, dark amber with some small floaties. Topped with a surprisingly large rocky beige head. Long-lasting retention, with some lacing.
S: Huge cherry, fig, prune, and date. Brown sugar, caramel, port wine, and brandy. Toasted pumpernickel bread and fruitcake. Boozy warmth. Toasted oak.
T: Huge bread and dried dark fruits. Toasted pumpernickel bread, fruitcake, and brown sugar meet sour cherry, date, fig, and plum. Tastes like a huge brandy or port wine. There's some cooked apple and pear, and red wine. Mild oak tannins as well. Some black cherry. Quite sweet overall, with oak tannins and booze cutting through it, with some lingering warmth on the finish.
F: Full, but not thick or chewy. Smooth, slick, and oily. Moderately carbonated. Slick with residual sugars. Just barely dries out on the finish with oak tannins.
O: An excellent huge beer. Phenomenal. A monster.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Bottled in March 2016. Aged two years at time of consumption.
L: Hazy, dark amber with some small floaties. Topped with a surprisingly large rocky beige head. Long-lasting retention, with some lacing.
S: Huge cherry, fig, prune, and date. Brown sugar, caramel, port wine, and brandy. Toasted pumpernickel bread and fruitcake. Boozy warmth. Toasted oak.
T: Huge bread and dried dark fruits. Toasted pumpernickel bread, fruitcake, and brown sugar meet sour cherry, date, fig, and plum. Tastes like a huge brandy or port wine. There's some cooked apple and pear, and red wine. Mild oak tannins as well. Some black cherry. Quite sweet overall, with oak tannins and booze cutting through it, with some lingering warmth on the finish.
F: Full, but not thick or chewy. Smooth, slick, and oily. Moderately carbonated. Slick with residual sugars. Just barely dries out on the finish with oak tannins.
O: An excellent huge beer. Phenomenal. A monster.
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4.23/5 rDev +8.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.44/5 rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Bottle from Bin 22. OMG! This really hit the spot right now. Tastes perfect. Medium to dark amber, small white fading head. Nice sweet malty aroma, very welcoming, caramel, toffee. Taste too favors sweet malts, some woody notes, caramel. Doesn’t present itself as boozy, but its apparent. Smooth, but ass-kicking. Good night.
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look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Bottle from Bin 22. OMG! This really hit the spot right now. Tastes perfect. Medium to dark amber, small white fading head. Nice sweet malty aroma, very welcoming, caramel, toffee. Taste too favors sweet malts, some woody notes, caramel. Doesn’t present itself as boozy, but its apparent. Smooth, but ass-kicking. Good night.
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4.25/5 rDev +9.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.5/5 rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
3.95/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2.26/5 rDev -41.9%
look: 2 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 2
A veritable sandstorm in a glass, the body is a dark burnt amber behind the millions of specks of sediment, topped by a khaki blanket that disperses to a few separate areas, leaving craggy walls of lace.
Smell is toasted ginger snaps, bourbon, toffee, and pine wood.
Taste is toffee, oak, Belgian candi, sweet applesauce and a mix of fiery pine and bourbon. It's overly hot and coming off like cough syrup.
Moderate body, crisp froth, with a semi-dry tangy burn.
While somewhat better than the Beast I cracked just before this, I can see why Avery discontinued many of these. They must have been really expensive to make, and the market for people that want to regularly down beers that drink like hydrochloric acid must be pretty small, considering there's plenty of actual spirits in people's cabinets already.
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look: 2 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 2
A veritable sandstorm in a glass, the body is a dark burnt amber behind the millions of specks of sediment, topped by a khaki blanket that disperses to a few separate areas, leaving craggy walls of lace.
Smell is toasted ginger snaps, bourbon, toffee, and pine wood.
Taste is toffee, oak, Belgian candi, sweet applesauce and a mix of fiery pine and bourbon. It's overly hot and coming off like cough syrup.
Moderate body, crisp froth, with a semi-dry tangy burn.
While somewhat better than the Beast I cracked just before this, I can see why Avery discontinued many of these. They must have been really expensive to make, and the market for people that want to regularly down beers that drink like hydrochloric acid must be pretty small, considering there's plenty of actual spirits in people's cabinets already.
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3.95/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Picked up a 12 oz bottle from TW Arrowhead 10-22-2011 for $7.99. Batch #3 was bottled in April 2007 - 14.9% abv. Did not realize i had a shelf turd LOL!
Beer poured a burgundy brown with an okay off white head that dissipated quickly. Lots of sediment which i would expect from a ten year old beer.
Nose is malty with lots of dark fruits.
Taste is plums and prunes over a large malt base. Not overly sweet but no overt hop profile.
Mouthfeel is medium to heavy bodied and smooth.
Overall this brew was very drinkable after ten+ years. I have never had a fresh version and with this brew being retired i doubt i will ever get that opportunity.
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look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Picked up a 12 oz bottle from TW Arrowhead 10-22-2011 for $7.99. Batch #3 was bottled in April 2007 - 14.9% abv. Did not realize i had a shelf turd LOL!
Beer poured a burgundy brown with an okay off white head that dissipated quickly. Lots of sediment which i would expect from a ten year old beer.
Nose is malty with lots of dark fruits.
Taste is plums and prunes over a large malt base. Not overly sweet but no overt hop profile.
Mouthfeel is medium to heavy bodied and smooth.
Overall this brew was very drinkable after ten+ years. I have never had a fresh version and with this brew being retired i doubt i will ever get that opportunity.
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4.5/5 rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
3.75/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bottle from Total Wine for around $10. Needs more Barrel
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look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bottle from Total Wine for around $10. Needs more Barrel
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4.18/5 rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
3.64/5 rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
4.5/5 rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
3.88/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
4/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Batch 2015
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Batch 2015
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5/5 rDev +28.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
2014 bottle in 2016, really puts the wine is Barleywine. Ignore the Bros review, they drank it fresh, which was silly.
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look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
2014 bottle in 2016, really puts the wine is Barleywine. Ignore the Bros review, they drank it fresh, which was silly.
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3.78/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.53/5 rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass bottled in 2010.
A: head is non existent body is a caramel light brown with just a touch of haze. A few floaties but as a 7 year old bottle I think that is acceptable.
S: it smells of prunes, figs, raisins, lots of alcohol,
T: lots of prune figs and soft toffee a good bit of oxidation.
M: Soft mouthfeel carbonation is still there but it is light. Syrupy.
O: it drinks like an oxided old ale would. Light carbonation syrupy lots of prunes and dates. Alcohol is surprisingly well hidden in the taste.
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look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass bottled in 2010.
A: head is non existent body is a caramel light brown with just a touch of haze. A few floaties but as a 7 year old bottle I think that is acceptable.
S: it smells of prunes, figs, raisins, lots of alcohol,
T: lots of prune figs and soft toffee a good bit of oxidation.
M: Soft mouthfeel carbonation is still there but it is light. Syrupy.
O: it drinks like an oxided old ale would. Light carbonation syrupy lots of prunes and dates. Alcohol is surprisingly well hidden in the taste.
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4.46/5 rDev +14.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
All time favorite. Have vertical of 2007-2016
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look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
All time favorite. Have vertical of 2007-2016
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Samael's Ale from Avery Brewing Company
Beer rating:
3.89 out of
5 with
1,489 ratings
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