Another week, another Thursday bier tasting.
This week we started with Brad’s bottle of Avery Salvation from Avery Brewing in Boulder, Colorado. This is a Belgian Strong Ale that the brewer describes as having “luscious apricot and peach aromas delicately interwoven with spicy suggestions of nutmeg and cinnamon”. The ABV is 9%.
This bier’s appearance is clear golden with a pale head that leaves behind some nice lacing. The aroma is peach, apricot, marmalade, pear, hint of wet hay. It has a reasonable body, slightly syrupy mouthfeel, and is sweet on the palate with a little bitterness in the finish. The taste is stone fruits, honey, citrus.
This was enjoyable, and seemed almost like a Belgian Tripel to me.
I brought along a bottle of 8 Wired iStout, an Imperial Stout from 8 Wired Brewing in Blenheim, New Zealand. They describe it as “Brimming with luscious roasted coffee and chocolate malt flavours which are balanced by a brisk bitterness and bold freshness from the hops”. The ABV is 10.5%
This bier pours a thick, syrupy black with a chocolate head. The aroma is liquorice, chocolate, coffee, oak, vanilla, star anise, black sugar, dates, raisins. It has an oily mouthfeel, is well balanced on the palate and has a good level of complexity. The finish is slightly dry with a touch of bitterness. The taste is chocolate, roast coffee, molasses, oak.
The aroma made me salivate, and I very much enjoyed this bier. It stands up well in the very competitive style of Imperial Stout, and is definitely the best beer I have seen so far out of New Zealand.