The Barley Whine

Beer debates, more civil than sober

Avery Fortuna: Barrel Aged Series #28

September 15, 2015 by Steve Leave a Comment

Avery Fortuna: Barrel Aged Series #28

Tequila, distilled from the blue agave plant native to Mexico, heralds south of the border adventure and indulgence like no other spirit. Consumption is popularized as the rapid shooting of pours, rather than by snifter. And while bourbon or single malts are consumed straight by connoisseurs, tequila is so tied with shots that even less sophisticated tequila drinkers tend to pound shots, chased with a lime and salt. Despite the availability of opulent brands that age for years on wood, rounding out flavors like bourbon, the drink is not always associated with high end production. But some do recognize the potential for the better bottles. Writing in Paste, Nathan Borchelt points out that Quentin Tarantino gives visual adulation to Tres Generaciones Anejo, “which Bill drinks before that last East-meets-West sword fight”.

KIll Bill Tequila

This is a girding drink, one to firm up resolve before a fight. Tequila is a rough drink, best slammed down, or sipped straight up. But all this would ignore that other use for blue agave nectar, the margarita. And this apparently, was the inspiration for a new Avery sour in their limited Barrel Series.

THE BEER

The 28th release in Avery’s much heralded ‘Barrel Series’ brings a new twist (puns!) to their limited release beers in the gold foil. Avery, known for their great wheat ale White Rascal as well as one of the best barrel programs in the country, regularly hosts very popular GABF week events featuring their limited release brews. For the twenty eighth small batch release, Avery attempted something highly creative, in utilizing tequila barrels and adding the lime and salt flavors of a margarita. Admittedly, had this not been an Avery beer, the expectations for such an experiment would be quite low. But with such a great reputation wrapped up on that shiny foil, we decided to give the somewhat expensive 12oz bottle a try. The barrels come from Suerte Tequila, also based in Colorado.

TASTING NOTES

Opening this bottle I thought; ‘What does tequila smell like’? It is a distinctive agave aroma that is never quite as pungent as, say bourbon was my best recollection. Aristotle suggested that humans primarily recall smells that are pleasurable or painful, so those who have had a rough morning caused by tequila might get a better sense of the tequila barrels in play here. For me, the barrel note was a subtle oak with what could be tequila, certainly lime. The carbonation produced a fine head that faded soon after. The taste on Avery Fortuna was the real surprise. Not nearly as funky as many of their sours, a distinctive lacto sour note was present, along with a tart semi-sweet element that was very complex. I am guessing this was from the Suerte barrel. This was followed up with some lime and perhaps a hint of salt. Not as salinated as gose, the salt here was just enough to make you thirsty for another ponderous sip of this unique beer. The more I sampled, the more this margarita variant drew me in. The carbonation stays potent, and the dry finish with that hint of wood aging is simply a delicious combination.

Avery Fortuna, Barrel Aged Series #28

CONCLUSION

Brewers more and more and hard pressed to come up with new ideas for recipes that will make their beer stand out. Even less common is a completely new (as far as I know) idea for a beer that actually stands out beyond the novelty. Based around the idea for a summertime Mexican restaurant staple, Avery Fortuna is a refreshingly mild sour beer with subtle tequila and salt notes, that come together to form a tasty brew. It defies the odds and makes people what would make tequila their last choice at the bar appreciate the flavors it brings to a sour, citrus forward brew.  If you find one on the shelves or they bring a keg to your town, jump on the chance to try this crazy combination.

7.0/10

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Filed Under: Beer Reviews Tagged With: Avery, Sour Ale, Tequila Barrel Aged, Wild Ale

2014 Firestone Walker Invitational

August 8, 2014 by Steve Leave a Comment

 “Milk is for babies. When you grow up you have to drink beer.” – Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

 

In May of 2014 Dave and Steve attended one of the greatest beer events in the world: the Firestone Walker Invitational in Paso Robles California. Here are some thoughts and images. 
 
[tribulant_slideshow gallery_id=”2″]
 

We’ve never been to the Great American Beer Festival in Colorado, never been to Illinois’ Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beers, nor any of the Beer Advocate festivals in Boston, nor Savor. Even so, could any festival be a greater venue for the world’s finest beers than the Firestone Walker Invitational? Paso Robles is returning to form as wine country, boasting 2013’s award for Wine Region of the Year. The food vendors, who get short shrift at a beer event but play a critical role—especially to a collective swarm of snobs—not only in keeping people satiated and buffered from unlimited samples of draught deliciousness, but as a compliment to the beers. Food must be up to the quality of the beer or the contrast will define both the food and overall experience as muddled. And the food served at the Invitation is superb. Local restaurants like Robert’s, Estrella, Fish Gaucho, Leo Leo Gelato and more brought top notch California cuisine in bite sized portions. And then there is the beer.

Brewpublic.com has the full list here 

BEER OF THE FEST:

Avery Brewing Co.

Lilikoi Kepolo

This sour ale from Colorado’s Avery makes great use of the tropical lilikoi fruit to add both sweetness and a further tartness, making for one of our all-time favorite sour beers. Against redoubtable company on draught, Lilikoi Kepolo stood above the rest, as the most complex and delicious beer we sampled .

Other favorites:

Alesmith Brewing
Barrel Aged Vietnamese Speedway Stout

Alpine Beer Co
Keene Idea

The Bruery
Black Tuesday w/ Pistachio & Vanilla

Cigar City Brewing
Tangerine-Orange Berliner Weisse

FiftyFifty Brewing
Coffee-Vanilla Eclipse

Firestone Walker Brewing
Parabajava

Kern River Brewing
Citra DIPA

Lost Abbey/Port Brewing Co
Red Poppy

New Belgium Brewing
La Folie

Surly Brewing
Pentagram

Taps Fishhouse & Brewery
Blanche de Conundrum
Remy’s Pappy

CONCLUSION:

The variety and quality of brewers and beers, the food and facility, and the overall execution make this one of the best beer festivals in the country. People in the area are blessed to have Firestone Walker, and especially lucky to have such a great festival to craft beer. If you ever have the opportunity, get to Paso and check out the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival.

 

Filed Under: Events, Places Tagged With: Avery, Firestone Walker, Surly

Avery Odio Equum

January 7, 2013 by Steve Leave a Comment

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AVERY ODIO EQUUM

 Our first taste of a limited release barrel-aging sour program from Boulder Colorado’s Avery Brewing.

Avery Barrel Aged Series #13

ROCKY MOUNTAIN SOUR?

Avery, known to me for their amazing double IPA the Maharajah and their bourbon barrel-aged Uncle Jacob’s Stout, apparently has a huge lineup. Their limited barrel-aged series sours do not make our market so I had no idea they even attempted sour beers. Having had some really unpleasant experiences at a brewer who has been experimenting with sours with sub-optimal results. But Avery rarely disappoints, and at batch 13, like MTV releasing Buckwild, here comes another proven winner, releasing yet another take on craft beer.

Commercial description: Such a strong and ugly word, but unfortunately true. Our vintner friend just doesn’t appreciate the depth and character of the aromas and flavors that Brettanomyces creates like we do. Like you do. But the dude has some seriously fine Cabernet Sauvignon barrels that he shared with us to help create this wondrous sour ale. Our lucky #13 in this series. Aged for 12 months in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels.

TASTING NOTES

Pours a cloudy, ruddy orange with minimal tan head that dissipates quickly. Nose brings oak, huge lactic acid, raspberries, some funkynesss, and wine. Sparkling carbonation. Taste is quite sour, tart with raspberries, with potent acid, covered mostly with the fruit and funk. Not nearly as funky as the nose would indicate though. Like the bitterness of an IPA, sours will build up their primary flavor with each sip. The Avery Barrel-aged Series #13 Odio Equum however, has enough sweetness to minimize this effect, making the drinkability quite high. Finish is tart and dry. Overall, the complexity is a bit less than expected, but this is a delicious beer.

Avery Odio Equum

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first taste I’ve had of Avery’s barrel-aged series, and it has me excited to drink more of the Odio Equum and whatever comes next. The sour or wild ale is a style that can go wrong in a number of ways, and Avery has passed the hurdle of not making a drain pour. While not quite on par with Belgian lambics, or Russian River, Avery Odio Equum far exceeded expectations. Barrel aged #13 is truly a delicious beer that uses raspberries and the cabernet barrels to balance the sour notes. Seek out this delicious experiment from Avery.

 

 

7.5/10

Filed Under: Beer Reviews Tagged With: Avery, Sour Ale, Wild Ale, Wine Barrel Aged

Prior Ideas

AIPA AleSmith American Pale Ale APA Avery Bells Black Ops Bourbon Barrel Aged Brandy Barrel Aged Brooklyn Brown Ale Cigar City Cleveland Beer Week Coffee Dark Horse DIPA Dogfish Head Double IPA Fat Head's Firestone Walker Founder's Great Lakes Brewing Company High ABV Hoppin' Frog Imperial red Imperial Stout IPA Kölsch Lagunitas Lambic - Fruit Milk Stout Pumpkin Ale Russian Imperial Stout Russian River Samuel Adams Sour Ale Southern Tier Stone Stout Surly The Bruery Three Floyds Troegs Wild Ale Willoughby Brewing

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