Avery Go Play IPA, Session Ale from Boulder, Colorado
Date: October 23, 2018
The Story— Last week I was talking to one of the brewers who played a key role in making Washington, DC, a first rate beer city for the first time in its history. We were reminiscing about the days when we both not only knew every brewer within 100 miles of DC, but knew nearly all of the great brewers in the US. The craft explosion has been dynamic and exhilarating, but it has cost those of us who were here in the early days the club-like feel and camaraderie of those of us who were swimming upstream through yellow waters of tasteless faux pilsners.
>> Adam Avery wasn’t the first on the street, but he was one of the pioneers that shaped the American Craft scene from his 1993 start. We got a chance to swap beer stories with him several times at Brickskeller tastings in the 1990s. He made great beer then, but the wonder is that he still makes great beer now. He isn’t afraid to spend ridiculous amounts of time and money to brew outrageously distinctive (and outrageously expensive) beers. When it was time to splurge for my birthday this year a couple of the Avery barrel aged wallet breakers got the call. Avery is a major player today in US craft beer — it’s 30% owned by Spain’s largest brewer– but 30% is a far cry from 51% or the 100% of many of the recent “partnerships.” We suspect the Spanish brewer is more likely to be influenced by Avery than the other way around.
>> Our choice for Beer of the Day today is neither a wallet-breaker nor an outrageous barrel aged walk on the wild side, but Avery’s entry into the crowded Session IPA field. As we’ve written before in these posts, trying to retain the big hop accent of an IPA without the supporting malt that makes it moreish is a challenge most breweries can’t handle.
>> Alas, there’s no B&B nearby. It’s a pretty easy day trip from Frederick and Hagerstown hotels aren’t close enough to walk unless you’re a pro, but they’re not all that far away.
The Beer— The core of the beer is a complex blend of dank hops with some grapefruit over a softly toasted malt foundation. It picks up some some juice as it drinks, but the hops shine without overwhelming. Full bodied for the style and engaging, with dank and fruity hops playing starring rather than jarring roles.
Value — Very good. About the standard price for a craft six-pack with a well-above-standard beer.
This week we return to the US to highlight some great American craft beers, some of which we’ve found in researching out first US Beer publication: Brews and Snooze-– Breweries you can visit and walk back to a fine place to spend the night. Look for it in 2019.
Next week we stay in the US with a full week of Guinness beers — a few from Dublin, but most from “Guinness Open Gate Brewery” in Halethorp, near Baltimore, Maryland. We’ll talk more about the venue in our main post and highlight seven exceptional beers– most from the Baltimore Brewery, but a couple of can’t miss beers from Ireland you can only get here.
In November, we return to HIGHLIGHTS OF EUROPE– Surprisingly good beer in “bad beer cities.” The best we’ve found in researching our next book – a guide to great beer in European tourist cities. (Planned publication 2019.) We’ll shift back to great American beer finds next week.
About these posts: We taste and evaluate over a thousand beers every year. The beers posted here rank in the top quarter of those tastings. Values: “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.
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