AVERY FIFTEEN – A BELGIAN TREAT FROM THE ROCKIES

Ahh, I remember last year’s unveiling of the AVERY FOURTEEN, the 14th anniversary beer from AVERY BREWING, like it was yesterday – what a miraculous discovery that one was. I’m a huge Avery Brewing fan thanks to their way of amassing and combining a wide array of brewing styles and techniques, and always coming up smelling of roses (and hops, and yeast, etc.). These guys have been punching above their weight for years now. So of course it was a no-brainer to buy a 22-oz. bottle of this year’s anniversary ale, AVERY FIFTEEN. This one’s great as well, though it does not ascend the lofty heights of its predecessor. I’m actually glad I liked it as much as I did, as a well-schooled friend told me that he’d had it earlier in the week and it had been a “pour-out”. Ouch!

AVERY FIFTEEN tastes like it just arrived on the early boat from Belgium along with the fondue pots. A distinct floral smell, and immediate taste of hibiscus (yeah, seriously!). A little mild, tart funk, much like you’d find in a classic Trappist tripel like the WESTMALLE (more on that one next week). Complex and big, and an almost light orange in color. They say it’s supposed to taste of figs. I don’t taste any, but I don’t care. This is a unique beer that’s highly drinkable for the amount of experimentation going on inside of it., and I'd recommend it to any dabbler in the craft beer arts. 7.5/10!