In the year and change since I've been doing this blog I've had the chance to try three of Avery's anniversary beers. First Eighteen, a rye saison, and Nineteen, a Belgian style tripel. This year is a pretty big year for Avery. Although, for a brewery, is the twentieth anniversary the big one, or do they hold off on the huge celebrations for the twenty first anniversary? Hmm. Well, whatever the case may be, twenty years of brewing excellent beer is an accomplishment to be applauded. So, I raise this glass full of dry-hopped imperial IPA to the folks at Avery. To the beer!
Twenty pours a slightly hazed coppery amber in color topped by a tall layer of frothy bone white head that leaves some spotty lacing. This is one looker of a beer.
Plenty of fruity hop aromas are all over the place here. Notes of lemon, grapefruit, and tangerine sit alongside some floral herbal hints. Toffee malt, a touch of a peppery character and a faint boozy heat come afterwards.
Twenty is medium to full bodied. A round creamy mouthfeel leads into a sweet toffee maltiness followed by a robust resiny hoppiness. Plenty of citrusy fruity hop flavors of grapefruit, tangerine, and lemon are in there as well. There's a very faint bit of vanilla which adds a nice bit of complexity. For a big 9.7% ABV IPA this beer is quite drinkable, the bitterness is very measured. It lingers slightly on the finish with a slight alcohol warming.
If you have any experience with Avery's IPAs it will come as absolutely no shock to you that this is an excellent beer. These guys know their way around a hop. It is nice to see though that this beer is so different than both Maharaja and DuganA, their other imperial IPAs. Nice and sweet, great hop flavors, and very approachable. Check this one out.
HD
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