Avery Barrel-Aged Series 1 - Brabant
Brabant is a 8.65% abv dark unfiltered beer, fermented entirely with Brettanomyces and aged in Zinfandel barrels for nine months.
694 cases produced.
694 cases produced.
3.7
411 reviews
Boulder, United States
Community reviews
Tasted several times over the past few years from 12oz bottles. Pours dark brown with a red hue and an average tan head that slowly recedes to thin lace. The nose is brett, red wine, caramel, and bread. The flavor is full of very earthy and funky brett, quite vinous, and caramel and dark bread malt. The body is full and tannic with light carbonation and a long funky and vinous finish. As this beer has aged, the funky and vinous notes have become more and more prevalent. This beer was my favorite around the beginning of 2011.
Pours black, minimal off white head.
Smell is bretty, lacto, funk, and a bit of roast.
Taste is smokey and stouty with a bit of sour.
Pretty strong and heavy
Good.
Superbe robe noire avec des reflets rubis. Le nez est funky avec une charge de fruits foncés, prunes, raisins bleu, figues, mélasse et un côté mentholé presque chlorophylle. En bouche c’est moyen avec une bonne effervescence, des notes de caramel et de moka s’ajoutent au reste des saveurs. Belle créature.
All of the first 10 from the series were shared by craftbeerdesign. Pours dark mahogany, thin tan head. Mild tart cherries, mixed berries, chalk, oak, white wine, vinegar. Tame from the sour/tart standpoint, but large barrel character. Solid, but down the list of the best out of the first 10.
12oz bottle, wish I could remember from who though. Dark brown with a rich creamy light brown head. Brett, malt, alcohol, definite white wine although I’d say more chardonnay, oak, hint of cherries. High carbonation (think it might be better lowered a notch), moderate body, light sour and quite malty, chardonnay, falls a little flat on the palate though and the finish has some tartness but disappoints. Wonder if this is just a little too old but still happy to have tried it.
12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 2/10/2009. Pours hazy very dark brown color with a 1 finger fairly dense khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a thin lace cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with some moderate streaming carbonation. Aromas of tart cherry, sour apple, grape, clove, pepper, oak, leather, red wine, hay, funk, light vinegar, bread, and yeast earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of the wild yeast notes with barrel character. Taste of sour cherry, sour apple, grape, clove, pepper, oak, red wine, leather, toast, light roasted malt, hay, funk, light vinegar, and yeast earthiness. Light earthy tartness after the finish; with lingering notes of light tart fruits, clove, pepper, oak, red wine, leather, funk, toast, hay, light vinegar, and earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Solid flavor balance and complexity of yeast ester flavors and barrel notes; some moderate astringency with light oxidation; and lightly cloying flavors present after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium full bodied; with a crisp, lightly acidic, and lightly slick mouthfeel that is ok. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a small warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a pretty solid wild ale. Some nice aromas with solid flavor complexity and balance; and fairly smooth to sip on. A moderately enjoyable offering; had no problem finishing it.
Tastes of bourbon and wood, some brett funk and white wine character but overall bad.
Bottle shared by Lunch. Thanks Paul!
The last time I popped one of these with Matt, I promptly knocked my glass over and fed the beer to my living room carpet.
The beer appears a profoundly deep, dark shade of walnut brown. The beer has a sizable, thick, beige head that exhibits lasting retention and generates ample lacing upon the glass. The aroma is primarily of alcohol and wine barrels, with a slightly funky scent. The beer is funky, but not terribly sour, per se. The barrel character comes through with fervor, and the beer is very tannic in nature. The feel is medium to full bodied, quite a bit thicker than is customary for a sour / wild ale. Alcohol is evident in the olfactory senses and present throughout tasting. A good choice for a sipper, this is best shared and consumed in small quantities.
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed on: 03-10-2011
Pours a murky dark reddish color with an off-white head. Smells like red-wine vinegar, oak, and cherry. A light funkiness to it, sort of musty, maybe a little cardboard, and a light lactic note. Taste is sort of muddled and muted. Light fruitiness, hints of wine, a bit of vinegar and leather, maybe some wood. Cardboard, musty oak, and some light barnyard. Not really a fan.
Pours ruby-tinted mahogany with virtually zero head to speak of and even less lace to remember. Smells of wine funk (that is almost immediate and very appropriately hard-hitting), denim jeans, molded strawberries, banana peppers, oak and lacquer. Tastes of funk, spent yeast, pineapple (brief but it’s there), aged wood, leather, rust and molasses. I was astonishingly surprised how watery this beer was. Doesn’t have the greatest aftertaste, either, but almost nothing does these days. Its aftertaste is trying to imagine a milk chocolate bar baked with black raspberries and sawdust. Not horrible but not what I would consider amazing.
355mL at the RBSG Grand Tasting LA. Pours deep black with ruby highlights. Clear. Weaker tan foam. Nose is malted milk balls, lacto / dairy, nougat, hazelnut. Taste is tangy, sharp cherry, finishing on the palate with big paper and cardboard. Hmm, overoaked it seems.
Pours dark brown/black with ruby hues and a medium dk tan head...nice retention. Aroma is oaky and vinus with winey notes...very sour. Flavor is oaky with a touch of malty roast...only slightly sour and tart...very woody...mild tart wineyness. Mouthfeel is medium and silky with a very dry oaky/roasty finish. This one smells much more sour than it tastes.
19th March 2010
Opaque black beer. Lovely nose of woody red wine and sourness. Light semi crisp palate. Light fruity sourness with a hint of red wine. A little sweet lacto malt in the background. Finishes lightly sour and a little dry. Lovely light sour beer. Very drinkable. One of the best of this style!
2/2009 bottle. Pours a deep dark brown with a bubbly tan head. Aroma is yeasty and sour, with wood, wine, malt, underripe fruits. Taste is crisp and woodsy-sour, with lemony yeast notes, wine, and malt underneath. Lingering sour lemon wood. Complex and interesting, though it’s aged a touch too long.
Bottle shared by haggerty. Pours dark brown with a thin beige head and a sour aroma. There is a sour dark malt flavor with lots of brett and a winey finish.
Originally reviewed 3/5/11. Picked up this bottle awhile ago at City Beverage. Have had it cellared since. Bottled on 2/10/09. Just a little over 2 years old. Poured into a tulip glass.
This pours much darker that I expected. I don’t have much experience with Wild Ales, and even less with Barrel-Aged WAs, but this looks like a Porter. Super dark black with a thick 2-finger tan head. Decent retention; some lace sticks around. The nose is really fruity with notes of mashed apples, pears, faint strawberry. No funk noted. Still, I like it.
The mouth still retains quite a full feel. Carbonation doesn’t seem to have dissipated over time. I didn’t sample this one fresh, but I would imagine that the fruity tartness was more pronounced. This carries some fruity qualities, but no tartness. Again, some mushy apple, sweet pear, light cocoa and some mild oak notes from the barrel. It says this was a Zinfandel-barrel. This may have added the slight dryness I notice at the finish. All-in-all, I liked this beer, but I just expected a bit more from it. I may have sat on it too long, but alas. Not earth-shattering, but still a good beer that I would never turn down.
12oz bottle, bottled Feb. 10, 2009. Nice light brown head, very dark red color, some lace. Clear if you shine a light at it, opaque otherwise. Really nice, smooth texture. Light carbonation. Really nice aged-grape aroma, very rich and robust. Light sour taste (not overpowering), some sweet, just a little alcohol warmth. I really like this, it definitely gets better as it sits. Funky but rich aroma. Only a slight bite to it. I think 3 years sitting in the bottle has done this brew good.
12 oz. bottle at Brouwer’s Cafe, pours a dark, dark brown / black with a reddish tinge and a small tan head. Aroma of brett, sour funk and red wine. Flavour of sour fruits, chocolate notes, rum and red wine barrels, as well as brett. Full-bodied with a malty, sour finish. Good, but overrated.
12oz bottle courtesy of daknole - bottled Feb 10, 2009.
Muddy amber pour with a sparse off-white head. Big woody aroma up front with cherry, pitted fruit, and some funk. Lots more dark fruit in the flavor with a nice malt backbone. Glad I got the chance to try this one.
Brabant is a American Wild Ale. Wild Ales are starting to become very big in the craft beer industry. Some say it’s the new IPA in terms of popularity. I don’t see it getting there just yet but you do see a lot of breweries starting to make Wild Ales. Some of the best come from Russian River and The Lost Abbey.
Brabants color looks like a cola. It’s dark brown. Two finger head is poured. The head is full of craters and had good retention. The smell is big and complex. First up is a vinegar aroma you pick up in a lot of Flanders Red Ales. Fighting for the top spot is a leather aroma and wood. There is also a good amount of a barnyard funk and sourness that stings the nostrils. A very nice and big aroma.
Up front in the taste is definitely the leather type of taste mixed in with the wood. As it fades away the other tastes come in. Sour cherries, funk, and a very tannic taste. Definitely one of the most complex and unique flavors I’ve had from any beer. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and nicely carbonated. Sourness sticks on your tongue and the smokiness from the barrels lingers in your mouth
Pours a deep black with a dark tan head that is present with an aggressive pour. Aroma is of heavy grape with loads of funk, cork, vanilla and tobacco.Taste is again, wine forward. More of a funky/brett wine than anything else. Mild sour notes, vanilla, bourbon and some horseblanket elements. Overall, this is one of the most complex beers I’ve experienced in this style. Dark sours are interesting but not my everyday thing.
12 fl oz bottle shared by Lubiere (merci!), served cold in a tulip glass. Bottled FEB 10 2009. 24SE11.
App.: Deep brown with a light mocha veil.
Aroma: Strong, rich, malty, tangy and funky, Sauvignon Blanc notes, some wild character with Lambic notes (a little rubber, barnyard, etc.), bitter green herbs, some sour fruit, wood notes, white pepper, minerals, lemons, nice.
Palate: Medium body, restrained effervescence.
Flav.: Dark dried fruits, rich sweet malt notes, the tang, funk and wild are turned way down here, surprising, seems like a very tangy porter, some peppery spiciness, maybe it is subliminal advertising, but there are some wine notes in the finish; off-dry with some bitterness, gentle tang and a deep sour cherry and molasses finish.
Very interesting and complex. The tartness is not missed!
Date: December 3, 2011 Mode: Bottle Source: BVery Description: Opaque dark brown pour with no head or lacing, grape and brett in aroma, taste like a whit wine wth a sour dry finish, light to medium bodied.
Bottle. Dark brown pour with a fairly minimal head. Awesome sour nose with brett, grape, and wood. Medium palate. Taste has the same elements as the nose, but the nose is a little more pleasing. Good stuff.
Bottle. Pours a reddish-brown with a medium beige head. Aroma of roasted malts, brett, tart/sour cherries and wood. Great sour flavor with notes of brett, cherries, wood and roasted malts. Sour finish. Very good.
Bottle from portableparty...Thanks! Pour is a clear dark black, with quickly diminishing cola head that leaves only a skim and a ring, with ok lacing. Aroma is tart, with a bit of dark malt character, some cherries, grape skins, wood. Nice. Taste is a bit muddled, with a slight bit of roasty malt on the front, moving to light tartness, some nice astringent grape skins. Brett funk finish, with a slightly plastic character. Some boozy heat too, which is slightly surprising. Overall, I liked this beer. I think it might have been better a bit younger, but would the brett have been present then?
Bottle thanks to portableparty! Dark black pour, a little ring of carbonation and a slightly sour red wine aroma. Light, effervescent, lively body, flavors of funky red wine, red grape peels and slightly boozy on the finish. Decent beer, worth a try if you can still find a bottle.
Bottle to snifter. Pretty stoked to see this on the shelf at my local store! Pours dark brown with a soapy kahki head that dissipates to a whispy film and tight collar. Aroma is pure funk and wet wine corks with hints of sourness and white grapes that have spoiled. Taste is really funky, but pleasent at the same time, I get wood, wine, corks, and rotten grapes with a sour bitterness throughout. The sourness is definitly on the back end of this compared to other sours, but the funk is strong. Palate is medium and slick with a subtle fizz and ends dry. Really glad I got to try this one, definitly worth trying!
A deep dark brown sour ale with a thick brown head. In aroma, a superb molassy anf grassy sour mash, with white grapeskins, Orval Brett, cork and pepper and alcohol warmth. In mouth, a smooth yet sour dark malt with dark fruits, molasses, soysauce, fruity acidity, warming and nice. Tasted with Probstk. Bottle from Federal Wine in Boston, approx. a year old.
12 oz bottle. Pours pretty much black with a yellowy off-white head. Tart, funky aroma, vinegary with barrel notes, red fruits, and dark fruits. First thing that strikes me in the flavor after a quick tart note is a nutty, earthy flavor, moving into red grape and cocoa, oak, still with a general tartness and dry bretty funk. This is pretty good, but it feels like it could stand to be less restrained. The flavors are overall a bit too mellow, at least after two and a half years in the bottle.