Anniversary Ale - Twenty Five
Avery Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours with a light head and minimal lacing, very dark. Dark fruit notes on the smell with some chocolate. Taste is raisin, dates, prunes, brown sugar, molasses, chocolate, . Feel is medium/big body, boozy, a bit mouth watering. Warms up/opens well. A full bodied, flavorful, well developed, tasty beer.

22 ounce bottle into a snifter. Bottled in June 2018, had 3/21/20.

Pours an opaque dark brown, thick looking, with a one inch foamy head and some soapy lacing. Aromas of Belgian yeast, raisins, dates, chocolate, coffee, cola, spices, malt, some figs and molasses, light licorice, some tobacco when warm. Flavors of raisins, malt, honey, dates, chocolate, spices- cloves for one, some figs and prunes, some cola, light coffee, light molasses and licorice, a little peppercorn. A little sweet. Smooth, a solid medium to full body, well carbonated.

This is pretty different, but really well executed. The raisins and dates stand out, but the sweetness is controlled and it still feels like a BSDA. A bourbon barrel version of this would be really interesting. Very enjoyable.

 

Red foil capped 22oz from Bruisin Ales (Asheville, NC). 14.00. Bottled 6/20/18. Served in an Avery snifter. Enjoyed 8/4/19.

Pours a dark chocolate brown with a tall cap of pale khaki froth. The head subsides, leaving littl retention.

Smells of candied dark fruit, wet oak, sweet, sugary Belgian yeast, chocolate and caramel.

Flavors of chocolate, dates, raisins, oak, Belgian yeast, turbinado sugar, honey glaze and a hearty dose of alcohol.

Creamy, full body with slightly conservative carbonation. Chocolate, dark fruit and oak in the finish.

Happy 25 years to Avery. This anniversary ale pay tribute to the Belgian strong dark ale while upping the ante with honey, dates and raisins.

A - Pours a very dark brown with a two finger tan head. Heavy amount of soapy lacing.

S - Aroma is raisins, dates and oak.

T - The taste is raisins, dates, prunes, banana, chocolate, vanilla, molasses and oak.

M - Full body with low carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel with a soft dry finish.

O - This is a serious beer. Big rich flavors with the 14.5% extremely well hidden.

Pours dark cherry red almost black. Smells like dark fruits. The label says raisins and dates and that’s pretty accurate. Slight alcoholic scent. The taste follows the nose as far as fruits go. The label also says dark candy sugar and a blend of dark hops. However there is a heavy warming to this beer that washes out my mouth and throat for up to 30 seconds after I swallow. It could be wine - perhaps because it’s got such a high alcohol content. Mouthfeel is moderately thick. Overall a very tasty beer.

Im sampling a cellar temp bomber bottle that I recently picked up at my local beer store. I found this for $3.99 a bottle which seems like a steal on the ABV alone! Seems like its right up my alley from the description on the bottle and Im excited to try this one.
Pouring into my trusty snifter the beer pours the color of a coco-cola and has a tan fizzy head that is also similar to a coke. Only a very thin edge layer sticks around with one deeper cluster of bubbles on a third of the rim of my glass.
The aroma on this brew is much less robust than I anticipated, but I get some dark fruit, raisins and dates, with a hit of molasses as well. I also get a bit of floral honey note and some dark cacao and brown sugar. I dont get any hops on the nose even though they used 6 different varieties according to the label. The booze is not dominant as I thought it may be but is in the background.
The first sip reveals a big sticky textured body with very fine yet tingly carbonation. The beer coats my palate after each sip and the physical traits keep this on the sipping side of brews.
THe flavor is lots of complex malt notes. I get some dark chocolate and again raisin and dates but also some black cherry and a bit of brown sugar mixing together. Again, I dont get any real hop profile here, but the booze does show up. There is a little black peppery note and then some warming on the swallow that again adds to the sippability on this brew.
this is a big boozy malt driven beer, if that is your thing then get after this one if you see it. Im probably heading back to buy another bottle for my cellar!

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a deep dark brown color with a thin layer of head. The dominant notes in the nose are molasses and alcohol. The flavor starts rich and sweet and ends dry and boozy (in a good way).

It's a shame that this is a one-and-done offering.

Update 2022: Sampled a 3+ year old version of this gem. The pour and nose are much more reminiscent of a big stout than a big Belgian - either way, this beer is clearly BIG. There is a faint essence of Belgian yeast on the back end of the nose. The flavor is full and rich even after all these years. The flavor profile has roasted malt combined with some distinct notes of honey and dark fruits.

This could probably be super flavorful for another couple of years!

 

Bottle into tulip.

Great looking beer ... tan head over deep brown body, and really good lacing.

Aromas were lighter than expected. Some dark fruit and oak, for sure, though.

Flavor and mouthfeel were just awesome though. Plenty of dates, raisin, vanilla/oak. If we’re considering this one a BSDA, then it’s a bit thick relative to others in the category.
Shocked that this weighs in at 14.5%, though. It’s definitely rich, but there is no alcohol burn.

Bought new, let it sit in the chilly basement for just a little while, opened it on 01/18/2019.

Very dark brown ribbon into a wine glass, noisy fizzing and some bubbles but no head, tiny island of bubbles when swirled which vanishes in a second, no real lacing but slight legs. Blackstrap molasses in the glass, brown molasses edges with tiny ruby highlights where the light can shine through.

Molasses-y and raisin-y or figgy aroma with some banana nut bread and roasted grain coming through. Very nice surprise to be reminded of Mephistopheles. Coffee beans and darker cigar wrapper come through as it warms.
Punch of bright fruits (raisin, fig, almost raspberry or blackberry or strawberry licorice) that swirl around with vanilla, molasses, and toasty and roasty oak and roasted malts. Long finish, great fruity roasted grain aftertaste that takes ages to fade, more reminders of Mephistopheles crossed with a Belgian holiday style ale. No barrel nor fruit domination at all, everything works very well together.
Significantly lighter than a typical stout or imperial porter despite breaching that flavor territory, hitting where a good strong dark ale should, never getting cloying. Carbonation is low compared to some Belgian styles, but is very soft and just present enough that it works very well for the beer.

Fantastic overall. Just about perfectly aged right now, too.

Cracked open shaved some aged havarti, manchego, and asiago after a few sips and enjoyed it even more.

 

Bottle:
A dark brown, lightly viscous pour yields a bit of froth in the glass. The dark brown head seems to struggle against its release for a bit, but eventually decides to stick around for about half of the glass. Lacing fades at about the same rate as the presence of the cap, even though there is at least a thin ring the whole glass.

Nose isn't jumping from the glass, but has mainly dark chocolate and dark fruit notes - fig, raisin, with a little bit of booziness. A bit of a port wine aspect comes out as it warms.

The taste is more obvious and shows a bit more details than the nose. A light chocolate roast malt acts as a platform for the raisin and fig initially. The fig gains a bit as the beer goes down, as does the richness, though the beer doesn't push all the way to medium-heavy. There is a little stickiness, though the alcohol bite cuts through that a little bit.

A nice, warming big beer with a good mix of fruity tang (raisin/grape), malt base (dark chocolate), and alcohol bite.

 

 

This may have been one of the best American BSDAs that I have ever had. It is rich and fruity, and the honey adds a nice sweetness which could have become cloying, but really balanced out as the beer came to room temperature.

A very enjoyable sipper that I would happily revisit.

Pours black with a slight amber tint at the edges, but this is pretty dark/ black. Hardly any head -- just a ring of small bubbles. (With a careful pour).

Presents as a dark ale. Aroma is malt, wheat, caramel. Taste is at first burnt raisin, honey, spice. Cinnamon. And it's boozy. Because it's an Avery joint. Sticky molasses. Rum waffles. Raisin syrup on your honey waffles.

Doesn't taste as strong as the 14.5% might suggest, but it IS 14.5 and it's close. They only hid some of the ABV. Share.

Good strong dark ale, boozy honey cinnamon is my takeaway.

 

 

Look : Half a finger brown-white head, dark brown body.

Smell : See below.

Taste : Sweet dark carmalized fruits, honey, mild nuts, mild baking spices.

Feel : Low carbonation, full body, sweet upfront, warming alcohol finish.

 

 

 

 

 

Coal black body; thin yet lasting tan head; layered sheets of foam along the glass. Fine charred grain aroma infused with notes of figs and dates; cherries. The taste mirrors the aroma with additional notes of booze and some lighter fruit hints; earthy spices; cinnamon. Heavy body; rich and velvety; gentle alcohol warmth counteracts the heavy sweetness, bringing some gentle dryness to the overall feel.

A lovely beast of a beer, dense with complex and satisfying dark flavors and aromas. A lot of the malt is of a wheat nature which certainly seems to contribute to the roasted grain smoothness. The high ABV stays pretty much in the background while the base beer does the most of the talking. Exquisite.