Avery Hog Heaven Review

Name: Avery Hog Heaven
Style: Barleywine
ABV: 9.2%

Avery Brewing's Hog Heaven holds a very very special place in my heart as the first barleywine-style ale that I ever had. It seems like only yesterday I walked into The Four Firkins with a gift card in hand from my birthday. As I finished putting my mix-a-six together, I still had another $10 to spend. Since I was in the best place to find craft beer, I asked one of the guys working there about a barleywine that would be good for a green horn who was new the style. He pointed me in the direction of Avery's Hog Heaven and I was sold.

Following his advice of allowing it age, I sat on it for about 3 months before deciding to crack it open. Upon drinking it, was struck by how different it was from any other styles I had tried before. At the same time, I was taken aback by how great it tasted and it has since become one of my favorite styles of beer.

A couple months ago when I was reviewing Avery Salvation, I pointed out that while I was glad to be able to get Avery again, I expressed my desire to get my hands on Hog Heaven once more. Well this past weekend, I was visiting my local store when I noticed that they finally added Hog Heaven to their Avery lineup. Needless to say, I picked this up and reveled in the fact I was finally able to revisit an old favorite. So now that I have a more defined palate, it's time to see how this has stood up after all these years.

Hog Heaven pours a dark orange color with with a orange colored foamy head. The lacing left behind is mild but stick and the visible carbonation is also fairly mild.

The nose possess a very strong citrus hop and caramel malt backbone with a noticeable dry hop aroma and distinct toffee sweetness. Even 2 1/2 years later, the aroma still manages to pack the same punch that I remember.

The flavor possesses a pretty strong caramel maltiness and an equally strong citrus hop profile. There is also some toffee sweetness and a dry hop bitterness that shine through particularly in the aftertaste.

The palate has a very thick & heavy body but the carbonation is thankfully more on the mild side so you get to enjoy the flavors this beer has to offer.

Despite having had many barleywines since first having this beer, Hog Heaven still tastes just as great as I remember it. It's not as complex in terms of taste compared to other beers in the same style, but it is very robust and quite delicious! For those looking dabble in the barleywine style, Hog Heaven is a great way to get yourself started.

Avery Hog Heaven - 9/10

Avery Collaboration Not Litigation Review

Name: Avery Collaboration Not Litigation
Style: Belgian Dark Strong Ale
ABV: 8.9%

Even though it's a couple days late (Hey I'm a busy guy), I bring to you the One Year Anniversary review: Avery Collaboration Not Litigation; A Belgian Dark Strong Ale as the end result of a collaboration between Avery Brewing Company and Russian River Brewing Company. It's a beer that I have been wanting to try out for quite a while, mostly due to the fact that Russian River had a hand in making this beer. Plus this is the closest I'll get to having one of their beers until I have the money to visit Russian River or unless someone wants to do a beer trade.

The story behind the name is that each respective brewer mentioned above found out that the other made a beer called Salvation. The two breweries decided that rather than waste their time trying to sue the pants off of each other, they saw this as an opportunity to make a collaboration beer. A nice, feel good story when you consider the fact that a new lawsuit involving two different craft brewers seems to pop up almost everyday.

Originally I was going to try and procure a Game of Thrones beer as there have been several made since I reviewed Iron Throne Blonde Ale for my first review, but I figured this would have to do!

Collaboration pours a dark hazy mahogany color with a thin filmy head. The lacing left behind is rather sparse and visible carbonation is moderate in appearance.

The aroma has consists mainly of some fairly strong Belgian yeast notes, citrus hops, cloves, toffee, caramel malts and a slight bubblegum sweetness. Definitely a stronger focus on the hoppy and malty aspect of the flavors compared to the original Avery Salvation.

The flavor is still very Belgian yeast & clove forward, pretty much like the original but I'm also picking up on some prominent caramel malt notes, bubblegum sweetness and citrus hoppiness. The aftertaste is a mild Belgian yeastiness flavor. Pretty interesting considering the original Salvation had a rather piney hop aftertaste.

The overall palate is pretty heavy with some fairly moderate, fizzy carbonation which helps bring out the flavors just a little bit more.

Even though I love Salvation, I think I love this beer just a little bit more mainly because it's got a much more complex flavor, which at the same time, is very well balanced. Since it is just a seasonal beer, it is very much worth checking out if you happen to stumble upon it!

Avery Collaboration Not Litigation - 9.5/10

Avery Salvation Review

Name: Avery Salvation
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
ABV: 9%

I remember it like it was yesterday, having Hog Heaven, my first ever barleywine courtesy of Avery Brewing Company. Hog Heaven introduced to the barleywine style of beer to me and has since become one of my favorite styles of beer. So it hit me like a fist to the gut when I found out that they would be pulling out of Minnesota last winter to focus on growing their brewery. Like a broken heart whose lover left in the middle of the night without uttering a single word.

Then a couple of weeks ago while listening to the radio on the way home, the owner of Keyport Liquor over in Superior, WI, announced that Avery had made it's return to Wisconsin and they had it in stock at the store. After 2 long years, my patience had been rewarded and I now had access to it once more. When I went to pick some up, they didn't have Hog Heaven much to my disappointment but I decided on a bottle of Salvation to try out. Plus I think the Eastern Orthodox-style artwork on the label is awesome.

Salvation pours a clear golden color with a fizzy head, with some moderate carbonation and no lacing left behind.

The nose has some strong Belgian yeast, cloves, and pale malts upfront. The floral hops and mild citrus smells provide a nice balance to what is an otherwise spicy-like aroma.

Likewise the taste is very Belgian yeast forward which provides a foundation for the other flavors, which consist of cloves, spices, pale malt notes before being topped off with a moderately strong citrus hoppiness . Interestingly enough it's got a very piney/resiny aftertaste which I had not detected earlier on.  The palate is fairly moderate in weight and it gives off some pretty mild carbonation, making this pretty easy to drink.

It's nice to see that the quality which I know and love from Avery is still consistent, even after a couple years of absence. Anyone looking for a good & vibrant tasting Belgian-style ale will be pleased with what Salvation has to offer.

Avery Salvation - 9/10