Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Avery The Maharaja Imperial IPA: Review


Dictator Series
Avery Brewing Company
Boulder, Colorado, USA
Batch no. 13
March 2011
1pt 6oz bottle
$8.99
102 IBU’s
10.54% abv

Appearance: deep copper-ish caramel body? Amber burnt orange? Damn what is it … it is mesmerizing … it almost glows in the light.  If I made up names for a paint company I would call it copper glow. Just sheets of lacing hanging on the glass. 


Aroma: the glass has to be a foot and a half away from my nose and I can smell from here.  Let’s get up close and personal; I was expecting a hop blast to the nose but, I pick up fruit first; mango, peach, orange, a touch of pineapple; then a whiff of rich caramel malt; then some ruby red grapefruit meat

Flavors: the malts are sure in the picture here for a 102 IBU (international bittering units) ale.  What is going on here for it is almost hypnotic.  Sweet on delivery, rich caramel and earthy grains hit the mid, then some hoppy bitterness mix in the mid and hold on thru the finish – the fruit reminds me of pink and red grapefruit mixed in with some mangos, and then there is a dusty bitterness on the long lingering aftertaste

Mouthfeel: somewhat thick, almost creamy, sticky oily hops, low-moderate carbonation – on the low side, earthy yeast on the front, grapefruit like bitterness on mid and finish, the alcohol was not a factor in this 10% abv – no boozy feel to me. 

My Strength Rating: 8.5 –full

To the Point: a super DIPA, I can think of two others that I like better.  This is the first beer out of 540 reviews on my blog that I have used the words ‘mesmerizing’ and ‘hypnotic’ during the review.  If you are a hophead what do you think?  If you have not tried it get to the store.  Leave a comment by clicking on the comment button below.   

Batch 13 March 2011 on the bottle; it is aging just fine


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