Beer Review: Avery Maharaja

I picked up this bottle of Avery Maharaja in the Philly area about a month ago. It's been in the fridge since. My buddy Jeff (@TheBeerHaunt) recommended this highly. I hadn't seen this on shelves near me, though other brews from Avery can be found.

I shared this bottle with my sister-in-law. On the label it was dated as "Batch No. 13 Mar. 2011", so likely just under two months old at the time of this tasting. Maybe a little past it's prime, but should still be enjoyable as not much should have faded.

Poured this from a 22 oz. bottle in to a Weyerbacher tulip. It appears crystal clear copper with a one-finger white head and medium lacing. A thinned out head is retained through the tasting, clears from the center building up at the edges. There are light carbonation streams throughout the tasting.

It smells piney, of resinous hops, sweet, rich and creamy. There are huge piney citrusy hops up front, darker caramel malt feel in the middle and a long sharp bitter finish. As it opens up it almost tastes of dark butterscotch. It's a chewy one, but it's fantastic. I'm glad this was my last beer of the evening. No dessert needed. It feels medium in body with a light alcohol warmth. At almost 10.5% I was expecting some alcohol presence somewhere.

This is a huge aggressive and very well balanced double IPA. It's got beautiful floral hop notes in the nose and mouth. It's very bright, alive and sensory. Its almost a palate killer. I'd buy this again and would imagine this is even more spectacular when it's super fresh.

Beer Review: Sly Fox Odyssey Imperial IPA

Another treat from PA.

I bought a bottle of Sly Fox Brewing Company's Odyssey Imperial IPA a few weeks back with I was up in the Philly area. Remember that epic beer weekend? Here's the run down if you missed it. At about $6 for a 22 oz bottle the price was right. I enjoy the style and we don't get this back home. Here we go.

Poured in to a Dogfish Head signature glass. Appears hazy light copper with a thin and firm fine bubbled white head, small dotted lacing and minimal carbonation streams. The head thins out and dissipates a bit, but stays through the end of the tasting. Odyssey smells of spicy hops, almost floral and perfumy. There is some malt sweetness present in the nose as well.

Upon the first sips I'm greeted with huge spicy and bitter hop flavors. Tastes kind of like what I imagine candied grapefruit would taste like. The malt sweet and richness is less present in the flavor profile than in the aroma. It finishes with subtle hop bitterness with an aftertaste that doesn't stick around for more than a few seconds.

This tastes and feels like an above average double IPA. It's not a total hop or booze bomb, which is nice. At 8.4% ABV I was expecting this to taste a tad on the boozy side. But Sly Fox did a decent job of balancing out the flavors in this beer, though it leans a bit more towards the hoppy side as expected. I'd get this again in a few years, but it's nothing I'd go crazy to find.