Beer Rant

Welcome one and all, for this blog I've chosen a beer from a brewery that is one of the few reasons I'm really looking forward to visiting Boulder Colorado sometime in the not so distant future. The particular brewery I'm talking about is Avery, and they do make a wide array of beers for all of us adoring consumers to try. I've done a blog before on one I wasn't such a big fan of, but this special addition, barrel-aged beer, I am definitely a fan of. The bottle is quoted as saying, "Ale brewed with sour cherries and aged in zinfadel barrels, 100% brettanomyces fermentation." From that description I was sure I was stepping up to another sour style ale. For those who have not tasted, sour ales are usually just as the name describes sour. They go from complex tastes, and wonderful flavors, to something that tastes like warhead candy melted down and mixed with water. Like any beer they can be done wonderfully right, or god awful wrong. This beer was done wonderfully right, but did not have that intense sour taste I prepped myself for before trying. In fact it was a nice tart ale that was only slightly sour at best. It had a wondferful the taste was subtle so not to be overpowering/face puckering. The cherry flavor is mixed in well, with an ale prepped in a very belgian style manner. That harkens back to the brettanomyces fermentation, which is a style where spore forming form of yeast is used in the brewing process (for more see the ever accurate Wikipedia). It has that nice smooth flavor associated with many belgian style ales, which I'm sure loans itself well to making this a sour style ale that leans more towards the tart end of the taste spectrum. Anybody who knows me, knows I love barrel-aged beers, the complexity of whatever came before almost always lends itself well to just about any ale you combine it with. Zinfidel barrel flavor apparently is a match made in heaven for sour cherries, and just increases the smooth complex flavor and aroma you get with this ale. If you haven't picked up on it, use a snifter style glass, it smells just as good as it tastes. Carbonation wonderfully minimal! Sour style ales typically have a high alcohol concentration, this is no lightweight coming in at a respective 9.59%. For all those looking for a tasty alternative to their steele reserve, this wouldn't be a bad choice. I purchased this from 99 bottles, and I haven't seen it anywhere else in the area, so if your jonesing for one (as well you should) then your stuck headed there most likely. This is an increbily complex beer, that was crafted beautifully. For anyone wanting to try a sour without the intensity, this is the beer for you. It has an awesome tartness to it. Throughout the tasting your palette will range from sweet to sour, in both taste and smell. Avery trys alot of different beers, some are hits, and some misses in my opinion. This one is a nice hit, two thumbs up, with some bull horns raised in the air good. Looking for something different, then this is an excellent start.