Avery Maharaja

The first time that I tried this beer, it was sort of haphazardly...On a spontaneous day trip to Raleigh, NC to walk around NC State's campus and check out the revitalized Fayettville St, I popped in to Busy Bee Cafe for a bite to eat and to scour through this week's beer selection. If you have never been to Busy Bee Cafe in Raleigh, it is WELL worth going to if you're in the area. Draft Magazine rates it as one of America's Top 100 Best Beer Bars in the US 2011, and after all, it is the site of my holy sip of Brooklyn Black Ops...

Anyways, I picked the Avery Maharaja based on three criteria: 1) had to be on draft 2) I gotta have my hops (see what i did there?) and 3) alcohol content. This beer did not disappoint. I decided to track down a bottle in Greensboro and give it it's own review, because this beer is certainly worthy of it.

Avery Maharaja- 10.23%abv
Beer Style: Imperial India Pale Ale
Hop Variety: Simcoe, Columbus, Centennial and Chinook
Malt Variety: Two-row barley, caramel 120L, victory
OG: 1.090 ABV: 10.24% IBUs: 102
Color: Dark Amber

Appearance: The beer was served in a tulip glass, as all big IPA's should be. This type of flare-out glass really allows you to shove your nose in it and get a nice big whiff of the intense hop. It poured a dark amber, and had a noticeable white head on the pour that stayed with the beer as I drank it.

Aroma: Man o man...this one puts out an INTENSE aroma...full of citrus, grape-fruity notes, but also a bit of earthy pine. This thing had Imperial IPA nailed in terms of aroma. One of the things I noticed was its similarity in aromatics to my all time favorite beer, Bell's Hopslam, although the Hopslam carries more grape-fruity notes than the Maharaja.


Taste: Intense. Immediately hit with the taste of alcohol, but warmed nicely and finished crisp and dry with a HUGE hop. Once my taste buds adjusted to the incredible shock they had just been subjected to, I really began to enjoy the complexity of the beer. It is VERY malty, with a nice sweetness. However, the beer balances nicely between the amount of hop and the amount of malt and what initially seems like overkill becomes just one hell of a beer. One of the characteristics of a high gravity IPA that I look for is its "warmability"...just as a shot of fine bourbon will warm your insides, can a DIPA do the same thing, as smoothly as possible? This one passes the test with flying colors for a beer in this genre.


Mouthfeel: Medium to heavy body with some syrupy aspects to it. Not overly carbonated, but really 'pops' off the tongue. Bitter but smooth.

OVERALL:
Rating: 97/100 A

This beer is simply a monster. I do not recommend this beer to anyone who does not already know what to expect from an Imperial IPA, because this beer is so above any other imperial IPA I've had. The incredible amount of hops is like a Steve Smith punch to the face that leaves you drunk in hop ecstasy. A serious contender for one of my all time favorites.

5 Seasons Brewery- Atlanta, GA

This past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to take a visit to 5 Seasons Brewery, just north of Atlanta GA in Sandy Springs, GA. I had done some preliminary research on this brewery due to the fact that my lovely girlfriend was moving just down the road from it...how fortuitous. We wasted no time in giving the brewery a try, and it was well worth it.

Though the brewery itself is new, the owners and staff are well-versed in brewing. Kevin McNerney (founder of Sweetwater Brewing Co) started this brewery just 2 years ago, and it offers a wide variety of delicious exotic and organic food (i had the Antelope burger), that compliment a wide range of beers. The staff was also exceptional, and even gave Josie and I a private tour of their fermentation chambers!! You can read more about the brewery here.

Now let's get to the beers...

HOPGASM- 8.0%abv

I can never pass up going for an IPA first, and with a name like "Hopgasm", I had to see what this beer could do.

Appearance: The first noticeable characteristic of the beer was a darker, amber color...not what you get from a typical IPA which can be a bit lighter in color. The color indicated the potential for a strong, full bodied beer. There was a generous 1" thick head on the beer which showed excellent signs of lacing around the perimeter of the glass.

Aroma: A sweet hop smell, with more of a biscuity aroma that indicated a strong malt characteristic. Subtle citrus smell of Amarillo & Simcoe hops.

Taste: Solid malt, strong hop, well balanced. A warming sensation on the palette that gives way to a nice smooth hop finish. Excellent aftertaste and very well balanced.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, heavier on the palette than a typical IPA. Not a light IPA. Good carbonation suggests around 2.5 volumes of CO2 for this style of beer.

OVERALL:
Rating: 92/100 B+

This beer was a very well crafted balance of strong malt and hop finish. Easily drinkable for an IPA of such full body. Will definitely have again on a return trip to the brewery!!

Above photo: LEFT: Hopgasm IPA; RIGHT: Kilt Lifter Scottish Ale