Avery Brewing Tasting at The Foodery in Phoenixville

by | Feb 18, 2018

From winning a gold medal at the GABF just one year after opening their doors, producing the first-ever packaged IPA in Colorado two years later, and even producing the largest ever batch of 100% Brett beer in 2008, Avery Brewing Company has a lot to be proud of.

“Avery Brewing Company is a family-owned craft brewery in Boulder, Colorado. Since 1993, Avery has pioneered innovative beers by blending the art and science of brewing with ingenuity, creativity, and boldness. Avery bottles and cans more than 40 beers a year including White Rascal Belgian-Style White Ale, The Maharaja Imperial IPA, and Tweak.”

Now located at what they previously referred to as their “dream brewery,” Avery has grown up considerably from their startup roots.

The fifth largest craft brewery in Colorado and 48th largest in the country still holds to their original founding priniciples of ingenuity and creativity. Each year they pour over 100 different beers in their taps, always trying something new and different, and always working to hone their craft.

So when I heard that The Foodery was going to be welcoming a rep for an Avery Brewing tasting, I had to jump at the chance. I’ve been itching to learn more about this brewery from the other side of the country for a while now.

 

White Rascal

A cloudy golden pour with some nice-looking foamy white head. Smells like a typical witbeir, with notes of lemon zest, coriander, and soft wheaty malt. Tart and citrusy and very inviting.

The taste is of citrus and spices over a sweet honey and wheaty malt backbone, a hint of banana. This is an light to medium-bodied beer, incredibly quaffable. The carbonation is on point, and the beer has a pleasant mouthfeel, finishing off lightly tart and dry.

Witbiers are generally not my go-to, but the last few I have really enjoyed (This one, and Harpoon UFO White definitely stand out). Both are excellent (and better)xx` alternatives for those who don’t realize Blue Moon isn’t craft and need something in the same style.

 

Liliko’i Kepolo

Another hazy yellow golden brew from Avery, this one smells of passionfruit, orange peels, lemon lime and a hint of coriander. The flavor blends in additional spices and tropical flowers on the passionfruit and a wheaty malt backbone.

Obviously not a traditional witbier. This is quite juicy and refreshing, with a medium body and well carbonated. A hint of tartness keeps it interesting, but never overpowering.

 

The Real Peel IPA

A cloudy orange with white head in the pour. The aromas of pale malt, tangerines, and citrus hops waft from the glass. The taste was not far from there, with lightly bready malt, orange and tangerine with orange family fruit zest. Medium-bodied and creamy mouthfeel.

I usually go for something with a little more hop kick than this, but I could see this being incredibly satisfying on a hot summer day. I’m also not a huge fan of the tangerine as a whole, and this one really lays a bit heavy on it. I think I wanted to like it a little more than I actually did.

 

Old Jubilation Ale

A clear reddish-brown with the lightest shade of light brown head covering the beer. Nose is earthy with light caramel, coffee, and cocoa notes.

The taste starts out with hit of what tastes like a smokey malt followed by earthy hop notes to create an intriguing yet familiar winter warmer flavor, without the liberal use of spices as in many other beers of this style.

Can definitely warm you up on a cold night, as well as fill you up, with an almost full-bodied creaminess to it. Not a huge fan of the beer style to begin with, but if I was forced to pick one, this would probably be it.

 

Apricot Sour

A beautiful, completely hazy golden-amber pour with minimal head. Accurately advertised, the aroma is that of tart apricot  and the lightest hint of the oak barrels used to age this sour.

The taste is exactly the same, and there is nothing wrong with that. The oak and the apricot work together wonderfully. I’ve had issue with some sours lately, enjoying them for a sip but then unable to finish the sample. But this one… it kept pulling me in for more.

A light medium-bodied beer, with light carbonation, Avery Brewing really nailed it with this fruit-specific sour ale.

 

Tangerine Quad

Pouring a dark amber, almost copper color with light tan head. Aromas of toffee, vanilla, bourbon and oak swirl in the glass.

The taste is sweet, oaky, and with a shot of bourbon. Almost takes like an Old Fashioned. The tangerines are not very obvious, but you get the fruity notes throughout. It’s surprisingly light, almost medium-bodied but not quite. It finishes sweet, but with a slow burn from the over 10% ABV.

I like it just the way it is, although if you are looking for something heavy on tangerine, this isn’t it. Just an overall solid Belgian quad, though it still stands out from the rest of the pack with the fruity notes. It definitely hides the ABV better than most quads I’ve tried.

 

Andrij Harasewych

Andrij Harasewych

Editor at The Craft Beer Diaries. Devoted husband and father. Excessively geeky. Comic books, video games, and craft beer are my vices. Favorite beer style easily the IPA. Growing love for the DIPA, specifically.
Andrij Harasewych

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