Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
Avery Brewing is up to a 59th Barrel experiment! That is crazy. And I have a soft spot for the Emerald Isle since my better half has that blood in her veins.
This beer looks very cool. Peat smoke and milk stout could be a really striking flavor profile.
Mulling spices are a great Christmas Ale tradition and except for here in SoCal, sweaters are too. Avery has combined them both for their latest winter warmer.
I usually don’t talk a lot about Avery Brewing on this blog. They have kept up with innovating and the above caught my eye due to the addition of pears. I have had a couple of pear beers this year that have been fantastic and maybe we are rounding into an increase of Bosc and Comice. It will be fun to see if the combo of Imperial IPA and two fruits will meld together.
He would be really old today, our first Commander in Chief, but thanks to Avery you can toast him properly, with their new porter…
…as the Colorado brewery starts their “Ales of Antiquity” series
We head back to Colorado for a beer with some scratch to it. Sandy Claws from Avery Brewing. And at 14.5% this is a big one, “Imperial Stout infused with fresh peppermint and cacao nibs. Aged in fresh Bourbon barrels.”
Not much Avery news (other than their re-branding earlier this year), but that changes with their milestone 25th Anniversary ale. And they go with the Dark Ale. I like the choice to lean into their dark side.
For January the theme is “North of $10” & Barrel-Aged, so let’s dive into three big beers to keep you warm in our one cold L.A. month.
~LIGHT
Good Beer Co./ Hot Totty 5.00% ABV
“Farmhouse ale aged in American oak bourbon barrels with lemon zest and ginger. This dry and complex ale is inspired by a popular cold remedy that includes hot ginger tea, bourbon, and a squeeze and lemon – sometimes referred to as a Hot Toddy. The resulting beer is bursting with bourbon, ginger and citrus flavors. “
~MEDIUM
The Commons/ Bourbon Little Brother 8.80% ABV
“Little Brother is a rich and malty ale. A bit of roastiness, toffee, candy and chocolate come through as it warms. A smaller batch of Little Brother was aged in a Heaven Hill Bourbon barrel and blended back in for a touch of Bourbon. Little Brother is a pleasant and satisfying cold weather warmer. “
~DARK
Avery/ Tangerine Quad 10.00% ABV
“Patiently aged in the finest of Bourbon barrels, this bold Belgian-style Quadrupel layers notes of rich, dark fruit, vanilla, and caramel with a burst of tangerine peel culminating in the vibrancy of this full-bodied creation”
All of these beers can be found at Sunset Beer Co. (unless they got bought up real quick)
In recent months, the Goat Group has lured the 21st Amendment founders to town for storytelling and not resting on their laurels, they welcomed Adam Avery from his namesake Colorado brewery, Avery to Der Wolfskopf in Pasadena.
It seemed mostly as a Meet and Greet for area reps and people in the business as opposed to an event for fans. So I stuck with tasting the different beers that were on offer as a quick re-introduction to their new offerings.
on tap:
El Gose – heavy on lime peel. Drying finish. Wine notes. Salt powers through at the end.
The Kaiser – super malty. A bit harsh. slight touch of chocolate. Cold spritz to it.
Neither rang the bell for me. Wouldn’t drink much of either.
from the bottle:
2015 PumpKYn – Still pretty hot. Rough drinker.
Raspberry sour – quite good balanced fruit taste. Not super sour.
The Raspberry Sour was the best of the bunch by far.
You don’t have to wait until January for a swearing in ceremony. (Granted some will be swearing profusely on November 5th). Avery Brewing’s Hail to the Chief: Presidential Pale Ale has been ushered into office as the ale of bi-partisanship.
And well-timed for the Democratic and Republican Conventions, no less. With 8.1% abv to make the endless speechifying go down easier.
The new beer focuses on the Cascade hop sharing the stage with Dark Munich Malt and Caramel-120 Malt for a more perfect union. This 8.1% alc/vol beer will be sworn into the Avery draft list on Monday, July 18th
For those looking for a little less hop and a little more spice in their summer beers, well Avery Brewing has you canned. You can start with the Day of the Dead-ish look of the cans for El Gose which adds lime to the traditional German beer with the famous addition of salt and then move on to Chai High for a heartier tea spice note in your beer.