The Czar
Avery Brewing Company

14304B6 on the bottle... bottled 304th day of '14? Batch 6? Not sure. Not a big fan of these sorts of codes... I'm not sure what's wrong with simply putting 103114 on the bottle if that's when it was bottled. Anyway...

Appearance: Poured this into an over-sized Perfect Pint glass. Almost got the whole bottle in the glass, but then the head nearly overflowed. Two finger head goes away pretty quickly, leaving some lacing behind. Nothing but a beige colored ring is left on top. (4.25/5)

Smell: Kind of almost cocoa hoppy... there's a sort of gritty roast aroma with chocolate and earthy and grassy sort of hops. It definitely doesn't smell like some self-proclaimed hoppy stouts out there, and it also doesn't smell like a typical roast-forward imperial stout either. As it warms, a little booziness comes out as well as the usual suspect dark fruits like raisins/dates/etc. Additionally, there is a very slight soy sauce vibe that I get occasionally in the style. (4.25/5)

Taste/feel: Very similar to the smell... a pretty unique imperial stout. Dark fruit sweetness at the front, a slight booziness and roasted malt flavor in the middle, and then a slightly warming, bittersweet, and very dry finish. While the alcohol doesn't taste particularly strong or warm a whole lot, my tongue feels like it's getting hit with a beer that has a much higher amount of alcohol. On some sips I can really taste the hops -- they seem to come through as a little earthy or grassy like in the aroma, but they also seem to have a faint citrus flavor that accents the dark fruits. I mean I could be one of those people who makes things up to make for a more interesting review, but regardless, this is a beer that I feel I could easily pick out of a line-up, it's that different for the style. The feel is a silky-ish with a moderate body and slightly prickly carbonation -- that makes no sense, but the body seems to change every other sip. Either way, it has a very nice feel to it. (4.25/5, 4.25/5)

Interesting. I wasn't sure what I thought at first sip. It's not at all hoppy enough to taste like a mislabeled black IPA or even a hoppy stout, but The Czar has hop accents that tend to not be found in the style. A bottle of this was $8.99, and I'd definitely say the intrigue factor of this beer would have me coming back to it again at some point.

(4.25/5)

EDIT: This beer shines a stupid amount once it's approximately room temperature. Ridiculous. The 8.5% (per the label) feels more like 12% so there's a massive warmth, the flavors meld exceptionally well, and The Czar comes together in spectacular fashion. Even the aroma takes a big turn -- I actually really enjoy the huge alcohol presence. There's also a caramel malt and, strangely, an almost doughiness that comes through that I really enjoy. I'm tempted to bump my ratings up, but I'll keep them where they are because, you know, intoxication influence.

RB transfer

Almost black in color. Big, tan head. Coffee, chocolate, and dark fruits in aroma. Roasted malt, chocolate in taste. A mix of hoppy and roasted bitterness at the end. Well hidden alcohol

Nearing the end, palate overload on the style. Black pour with small beige head. Roasty and boozy, same as the rest. Chocolate, coffee, bourbon.... you know the style

 

 

Sampled bottle, RBNAG 2007 in Grimstad. ABV was 11.03%. Black colour. Sweetish and sickly aroma of molasses, malt syrup, ?, spices and tar. Intensely sweet and tarry flavour with a substantial bitterness. Overkill.

Serving: 2011 release, on tap at The Hay Merchant, served in a 10 oz snifter.

Appearance: Inky black-brown with a creamy head of fine tan bubbles; spotty lace.

Smell: Aromas of dark, dried fruit (prunes, figs, dates) along with roasted malt and chocolate.

Taste: Roasted malt, chocolate and coffee notes emerge more strongly. Dark, dried fruit remains along with livelier esters and oxidized hints. Gentle boozy warmth and sherry notes, finishing with clean, earthy bitterness and tobacco.

Mouthfeel: Rich, full, creamy and smooth with very fine, soft carbonation.

Overall: Complex but smooth, definitely benefited from its aging.

2010 vintage out of the cellar
Pours a tan foamy smaller head with lower retention, little lacing, basically pitch black

Nose is good, aged well, no alcohol, lots of cookie dough and baking spices, a bit of chocolate and cocoa, touch of winey aged character, little paper oxidation, fudgey

Taste rich malt, a bit fruity with fruity esters and more winey oxidation notes, little powdered cocoa and fudgey, touch of paper oxidation, more baking spices, hint of roast and coffee, no alcohol, soft nougat and cookie dough notes, med light bitterness into med bitterness on the finish, touch of spicy hop and cocoa coffee lingering

Mouth is fuller bod, rich but creamy soft thanks to age, pretty much no alcohol, med foamy carb

Overall great ris, the base is nice and the aged version is very nice as well

From notes 9/3/13: This was from Supremely Limited Batch Number 11. Pours a deep brown bordering on black with swirling particulates. The pour produces 3 fingers of frothy, somewhat lasting, mocha head that leaves a wash of speckled, webby lacing. Aroma is chocolate fudge, dark roast, nuts, spice and floral with a faint hint of oaky vanilla (even though it says nothing of being barrel aged). Taste is extra rich dark chocolate fudge and vanilla ice cream cake, hints of caramel, toffee, molasses, a little dark fruit and and anise. A little peppery in the finish with bitterness, anise, light smoke, burnt coffee and chocolate in the aftertaste. Mouthfeel is heavy bodied, low carbonation, creamy, silky and smooth. My goodness what a dessert beer!

2014 batch 13.... nice pour with thin fluffies...held up well for the years....

Bottle dated oct 2014, batch 13.
Love this stuff, came out for a special event. Excellent flavor, slightly mellowed, still sweet, tons of flavor. Lots of malt and sweetness. Glad to have waited on this one.

 

 

Pretty sweet for a Russian style stout - some chocolate, candi sugar, black licorice along with some charred oak and tobacco, nice balance between smokey and sweet

Avery Brewing Co. by The Czar (2017)

12 Jan 18