Avery Brewing - Eighteen Anniversary Ale 2011

Tonight I'm heading back to the state of Colorado for another Anniversary brew from Avery Brewing.  This will be my second Avery Anniversary brew review, the first being their Seventeen dry-hopped black lager.  This is a dry-hopped Rye Saison Ale, brewed with a potent blend of 5 different belgian yeast strains and a boatload of rye.  And of course, it wouldn't be an Avery beer if it wasn't dry-hopped into oblivion!  It registers 8.12% alcohol and 40 IBUs, bottled and only available in the Summer 2011.

The label on this bottle says it was bottled in May 2011.  Very nice label, with some barley grains in the background and the foil cap-cover typical of Avery.  The beer is a hazy dark copper (penny) color, with a hefty amount of off-white foam that leaves some lacing behind after quickly receding.  The aroma is a fusion of rye and belgian yeast funk.  Also some lemongrass, mixed in with other faint fruit juices.  The first drink confirms what I was afraid of.....I'm serving this a little warmer than usual, it was hot out today and the bottle only had about 1.5 hours in the fridge.  It's probably at 50+ degrees right now, probably warmer than the intended serving temperature.  But that doesn't seem to hurt things too much.  Starts off with a helping of rye malts that leaves a hint of spiciness and dryness in it's wake.  Sweetness reigns supreme in the middle, with a chewy caramelly sugaryness.  Then comes a farmhouse funk, the yeast comes through with notes of fruityness combined with an earthy lemongrass citrus.  Warm alcohol greases the skids on the finish, nothing hot or out of place, but definitely noticeable (even more so with the beer being this warm).  The body is quite syrupy, and delivers that big sugar sweetness (a little too) efficiently.

Overall Rating:  This beer is tough to figure out.  After some reflection and some more drinks, I think there is too much sweetness and not enough rye spice to reign it in.  Not a bad beer, but the different components don't play nice together and leave me feeling like it's just slightly out of balance.  Hate to say it, but this falls towards the bottom of Avery list.  C 

Avery Anniversary Lager Seventeen

Tonight I'm drinking Avery Anniversary Seventeen, a dry-hopped black lager that I believe technically classifies as a Schwarzbier.  This is brewed by Avery Brewing, out of Boulder CO.  The label depicts a cool illustration showing hops growing on vines, and lists "A Dark Study in German Hops".  This is the first lager Avery has done in their Anniversary series.....looks like an interesting brew.  Bottled in May 2010. 

Pouring this into my snifter, this pours a dark brown (almost black), with light brown head that is quite fluffy.  Click that link, you won't regret it.  The aroma is hoppy with citrus and some apples and pears.  Also something in there that reminds me of cleaning supplies....almost like a rubbing alcohol kind of smell. 

The first sip brings a piney, earthy resin-flavor that quickly fades into a slightly bitter, burnt roasted malt background.  There is a bit of an alcohol burn that doesn't surprise me, considering this is listed at almost 9%ABV.  There is also some smokiness present in there.  The carbonation is fairly heavy, and the texture is actually strange....I would consider it full-bodied, but the carbonation breaks it up quickly and makes it feel lighter. 

Overall Rating:  (4.5 out of 6.0)  This was a nice break from the normal brewing styles that I'm typically drawn to.  I enjoyed the range of different flavors this beer brought to the table, and it got better as it warmed.  The melding of ingredients and styles really made it unique, and I would recommend it to most any beer-drinker out there, since it has something for everyone.  The roasted, malty characteristic of a dark lager/ale, along with the pleasant hoppiness of a dry-hopped ale.  This is a nice beer to sip during a Sunday sporting event.



Tough to read, but I wanted to include this little Anniversary story, also note that this is a "Malt Liquor"!