Entry 90: Avery Maharaja (Batch 11)

Avery Brewing Co.
Boulder, Colorado


The Maharaja Imperial India Pale Ale


Style: Imperial/Double India Pale Ale
Availability: Limited - March through August
Format: 22oz
ABV: 10.41%
IBUs: 102
Batch: 11 - bottled March 03, 2010
Bottle text & Info:


Hop Variety: Simcoe, Columbus, Centennial and Chinook
Malt Variety: Two-row barley, caramel 120L, victory
"Maharaja is derived from the sanskrit words mahat, - "great" and rajan - "king". Much like its namesake, this imperial IPA is regal, intense and mighty. With hops and malts as his servants, he rules both with a heavy hand. The Maharaja flaunts his authority over a deranged amount of hops: tangy, vibrant and pungent along with an insane amount of malted barley - fashioning a dark amber hue and exquisite malt essence. Be aware that The Maharaja is a limited release only available for the summer. Welcome to his kingdom!"


Tasting Notes:
Pours a dark, murky orange with some hop haze. A beautiful off-white head protrudes forth with some creamy bubbles that stick and show great retention. Smells intensely of pine and some earthy, soil tones. Rich and creamy mouthfeel provide and pretty heavy sweet malt billing that serves as the canvas for a some citrus that is quickly over taken by pine notes. Adequate carbonation keeps this from becoming a complete malt bomb and increases its drinkability. The Maharaja is one of those releases that hop heads around the country seek out upon its release. I like it. I don't love it. I'd choose the Avery Dugana DIPA over this any day. But that just falls in line with the theory that I will always prefer DIPA's under 10%. Those elevating beyond that ABV% just get too sweet for my liking.

Day 85: 03.26.10 Great Divide Colette

Great Divide Brewing Co.
Denver, Colorado

Colette Farmhouse Ale

Style: Saison/Farmhouse
Availability: Seasonal - April - May
Format: 12oz - 6pk
ABV: 7.3%

Bottle text & Info
Colette is our homage to the beers that Belgian farm workers have enjoyed for centuries. Brewed with barley, wheat and rice and fermented at high temperatures with a special blend of four different yeast strains, Colette is fruity and slightly tart, with a dry finish that makes it that rarest of treats - a beer as refreshing as it is complex.

Tasting Notes:
Pours a hazy, golden straw colored yellow with little to no head. Some esters notes on the nose along with grass and a touch of lemon. A sort off setting smell that resembles sulfur dominates - its a bit distracting. A light to medium body holds light touches of wheat, citrus and mild clove. Some slight souring but for the most part this is one if sort of predictable. Not a bad saison, just sort of forgettable. I expect greatness from Great Divide and this is just sort of "meh."

Day 83: 03.24.10 Avery Collaboration Not Litigation

Avery Brewing Co.

Boulder, Colorado


Collaboration Not Litigation (Batch #4)


Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Availability: Limited
Format: 22oz
ABV: 8.91%
Batch: #4


Bottle text & Info:
"Salvation. The name of two intricate Belgian-style ales, created by us, Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing and Adam Avery of Avery Brewing. After becoming friends a few years ago, we realized we both had a Salvation in our lineups. Was it going to be a problem? Should one of us relinquish the name rights? “Hell, no!” we said. In fact, it was quickly decided that we should blend the brews to catch the best qualities of each and create an even more complex and rich libation. In April 2004, in a top secret meeting at Russian River Brewing (well, actually it was packed in the pub and many were looking over our shoulders wondering what the hell was going on), we came up with the perfect blend of the two Salvation's. Natalie, Vinnie’s much more significant other, exclaimed, “We should call this Collaboration, not Litigation Ale!” “Perfect,” we shouted! We celebrated deep into the night (or is that morning?). Fast forward to November 14, 2006. After talking about it for over two years, we finally decided to pull the trigger and Vinnie made the journey to Avery Brewing to brew his Salvation exactly as he does in his brewery."


Tasting Notes: 
This is as close to Russian River as we're gonna get here on the east coast so there's plenty to be excited about here. Let's get to it. Pours a rusty, copper color with a two inch off white head that slowly recedes and clings to the sides. Smells lightly of belgian yeast and esters with some familiar dark fruits as well. A smooth, creamy light to medium mouthfeel with spot on medium to low level carbonation. Great velvety mouthfeel encapsulating lots of layers here. This is really well blended. How did they do this? You can actually taste the two ales separately yet blended as well. An existential experience to say the least! Plenty of fruits with some tartness. Think tripel with a touch of the dark fruits you expect in a quad. Some drying tartness on the finish with little to no perceived alcohol. An awesome, awesome brew that should lay nicely if you keen on cellaring. Well done boys. Now if we could just get Russian River to the east coast... i'd die happy.

Day 60: 03.01.10 Breckenridge 471 IPA

Breckenridge Brew Pub

Denver, Colorodo


471 IPA (Small Batch)


Style: American Double/Imperial India Pale Ale
Availability: Limited - Year Round
Format: 12oz - 6pk, 22oz
ABV: 9.2%
IBUs: 70
Malt: Pale, Munich, Caramel-30, Carapils, Torrified Wheat
Hops: Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, Fuggles


Bottle text & Info:
"Hoppy? Brother, 471 IPA redefines hoppy. 471 is a small batch, limited edition ale that was created by our Brewmaster to separate the weak from the strong. 471 is a double IPA, that combines Pale, Munich, Caramel-30, Carapils and Torrified Wheat malts, with Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe and Fuggles hops. It has a big sweet mouthfeel, followed by more hoppiness than you've ever had at one time. Enjoy."


Tasting Notes:
Pours with a slight haze somewhere between deep golden and light amber. An thick creamy ecru head adorns the top and retains its three-quarter inch head superbly. Smells faintly of sweet tropical fruits - trademark simcoe. After that, not a whole lot on the nose, some sweet malt aromas with alcohol present. Sort of like a real young barleywine. There's definitely some good hop notes going on here. Also a lot of malt going on here, due to the high gravity. I would have like to seen this a bit more carbonated. Sticky and too sweet for my taste. Not terrible by any means but with an array of the DIPA's currently on the market, this one just gets lost in the shuffle.

Day 48: 02.17.10 Left Hand Fade to Black

Left Hand Brewing Co.

Longmont, Colorado


Fade to Black: Volume 1 - Foreign Export Stout


Style: Foreign/Export Stout
Availability: Limited - Brewed Once
Format: 12oz - 6pk
ABV: 8.5%
IBUs: 30
Malt: Pale 2-row, Roasted Barley, Black Malt, Chocolate Malt, Cara-Aroma, Wheat Malt 
Hops: Magnum, U.S. Goldings


Bottle text & Info:
"Pours black with espresso beans, licorice, molasses, and black cardamom notes that give way to a feeling of self loathing, burnt opportunities and self-loathing." 


Tasting Notes:
Pours dark, dark brown to black with a milk chocolate colored head, two fingers deep. Smells of significant roasted barley and chocolate malt. Starts with some roasted coffee tones followed by milk chocolate that gives way to bitter dark chocolate notes that wrap up nice and spicy dry. A solid medium bodied stout that has some really nice malt notes. What really makes this stout worth seeking out its excellent finish, thanks to left hand's generous hop additions. this reads: "volume 1." So i'm assuming this may be an annual release. Volume 2. Russian Imperial perhaps? please? yeah?....

Day 33: 02.02.10 New Belgium Ranger IPA

-New Belgium Brewing Co.

Fort Collins, Colorado


Ranger India Pale Ale


Style: American India Pale Ale
Availability: Year Round
Format: 12oz -6pk
ABV: 6.5%
IBUs: 70
Hops: Cascade, Chinook, Simcoe
Malt: Pale, Caramel


Bottle text & Info:


"Ever met a New Belgium Beer Ranger? They are our beloved folks out in the field. Spanning all 26 of our states from the Pacific to the Atlantic, our Beer Rangers do their best to protect, to pour and to partake. And explore many a beer from many a brewery, they do. The fellows up in the Northwest kept calling for “more hops!” Soon it became a common theme across the land. Rangers, fans and craft lovers everywhere were searching for hoppier beers.

So, here it finally is – New Belgium’s foray into the true American India Pale Ales. Bring out the hops! This clear amber beauty bursts at the starting gate with an abundance of hops: Cascade (citrus), Chinook (floral/citrus), and Simcoe (fruity) lead off the beer, with Cascade added again for an intense dry hop flavor. Brewed with pale and dark caramel malts that harmonize the hop flavor from start to finish, Ranger is a sessionable splendor for all you hopinistas. Thank your Beer Ranger!"


for more specs on this beer click riggghhhhttt..... HERE!


Tasting Notes:


Poured into a pint glass showing quarter inch pure white head. The ale itself pours thing and a bright golden color that is completely clear (yes it's a highland glass i poured this into. i didn't expect you'd be able to see the backside of the pint.) What I mean to say is that the color of this is everything I don't want to see in an IPA. How many times did they filter this? I've had American lager that poured darker than this. (rolls eyes)* what the hell new belgium. what the hell. anyways lets check this out.


Smells of hops. Biscuit, lemon, grass and citrus - in that order. How's it taste? Like disappointment, that's what. 3 pounds of hops per barrel? Either you're a liar, New Belgium, or your hop supplier pulled one over on you. This beer is so watered down. Yuck. I'd totally pull this off the shelf if we weren't gonna sell a bazillion (a real number. look it up.) cases of this to 40 year-old collared shirt wearing, Stella drinkers. Don't get me wrong, this guy definitely has some hop presence, mostly pine with some citrus, but it also has that awful biscuity malt ending with lemon - the same note that made NB Skinny Dip so horrendous. Basically, this is a training wheels IPA. In a market saturated with killer IPA's i wouldn't be caught dead with this. Scratch that. I might drink this if i was outside in a 105 degree heat and humidity and had to have something cold with some hops. Like i said. Might. Congratulations to New Belgium for another mediocre beer that will undoubtedly sell like crazy. I don't get it...

Day 17: 01.17.10 Great Divide Titan IPA

Great Divide Brewing Co.
Denver, Colorado


Titan IPA


Style: American IPA
Availability: Year Round
Format: 12oz - 6pk
ABV: 7.1%
Batch: Bottled on Nov. 13 2009


Bottle text & Info:
Titan is a big, aggressively hopped India Pale Ale brewed for hop disciples. It starts out with piney hop aromas and citrus hop flavors, and finishes with a nice rich, malty sweetness that is balanced with crisp hop bitterness.


Tasting Notes:
Pours a glowing amber with a quarter inch head. Smells earth with some serious pine and sweet malt. Grapefruit and pine jump off the front followed by caramel like malt backing. Creamy, creamy mouthfeel with some hop resin bitterness cut nicely by the sweetness. This one is kindred spirits with Green Flash West Coast. An extremely enjoyable and solid IPA made for people who drink IPA's. No training wheels here, although at a little over $11 a six - this one's priced just outside of being your stock IPA.