Old Fashioned Friends
Avery Brewing Company

neat beer, smells and tastes super old, barleywine-esque more than belgian quad to me, some real malt richness, some definite oxidation at this point, a ton of barrel and whiskey character rolling over much of the nuance, but its enormous and delicious, perfect for this time of year now that its chilly out, and very avery overall, this is the kind of thing i have come to know and love from them, and it was great to get to try this. dark amber to light brown in the glass, kind of murky and dull looking, less viscous than expected, some real haziness to it, less head than i would look for from a belgian style, but not flat either. the nose is papery and sweet, old wood and whiskey together, raisin and leather and cedar to me, dark bread, brown sugar, the tangerine seems as bitter as it is sweet, and its well behind all the malt heft, less belgian yeast character than anticipated. the flavor is similar, and for this not being crazy old i dont think it does seem kind of tired, some definite grain collapse in progress, and to me the whiskey dominates, its quality bourbon and its pleasant, it just overpowers some of the nuance, and the whole thing is quite hotly alcoholic to my palate, some real heat and a fire breathing finish. a hint of cinnamon among all the sugar and booze, a little more from the ferment as it sits but still doesnt quite read as belgian to me, tangerine is there, essential oily on the tongue, not dominant. this is interesting beer, but to me better on paper than it is in the glass, not as refined as most of these usually are, and for me its one of the rare lackluster barrel aged offerings from avery i can even recall, not a miss, the bourbon heads should love it, but i expected a little more overall, maybe past its moment, but that seems odd for a beer not all that old by their cellaring standards. distinctive and autumnal, but not amazing.

12 oz. Bottle
Silver Foil/Capped
Bottled: NOV 21 2022

Almost 2 years on this bottle.

Poured into a Westy chalice a very nice translucent dark brown color, pretty nice carbonation, with a pretty nice small/quick/fizzy tan head, which leaves a pretty nice medium-size oil slick, and some pretty nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is very nice, malty, hoppy, yeasty, very nice dark fruit complex (figs, prunes, dates, cherries, grapes), very nice bourbon, oaky, vanilla, licorice. The taste is very nice malty, hoppy, yeasty, very nice dark fruit complex (figs, prunes, dates, cherries, grapes), awesome bourbon note, oaky, vanilla (sweetness), licorice. Full body, ABV is hidden pretty well, definitely a sipper/big beer, very complex brew . Overall, very nice/tasty. Aging pretty well. Glad to have given a chance.

 

Very dark amber body, clear; dense, lively carbonation; thick, off-white head, dense and foamy texture. Rich, malty nose; heavy sweetness; candi sugar and molasses; faint suggestion of dates. Sweet and boozy taste; lots of barrel wood; phenolic; subtle fruit undertones. Heavy, sticky mouthfeel; light hotness cutting through the residual sugars; fuzzy dryness.

The beer starts off with great promise yet falls a bit flat where it counts with the taste and mouthfeel.

Pouring temperature: 43 °F; bottling info: BOTTLED NOV 21 2022
Source: local purchase (Coaltrain Fine Wine, Craft Beer & Spirits)