Avery Barrel-Aged Series 2 - Sui Generis

Sui Generis, which is #2 in our new Barrel-Aged Series, will debut at the Avery Tap Room on Wednesday, September 23rd from 3-8 PM. Due to extremely limited quantities of this brew (<150 cases will be produced), 12oz. single bottles will be sold only at the Avery Tap Room, between 3 PM and 8 PM on September 23rd. Sui Generis is a complex ale, aged and artfully blended from several types of oak barrels, and displays a delightful lactic sourness complimented by hints of brett, oak, and acetic. Intricate yet bold, deeply complex yet surprisingly refreshing, Sui Generis was crafted in the tradition of perennial Tap Room favorites De Vogelbekdieren and Voltron.

A blend of ales from 39% Cabernet Sauvignon barrels, 35% Chardonnay barrels, 13% Port barrels and 13% Bourbon barrels.

3.9

165 reviews

Boulder, United States

Community reviews

4.1 bottle share at hill farmstead, Wow! the barrel characteristics on this sour are very impressive, grapes and vineous notes all over the place. The bourbon adds good vanilla as well. Great beer!

3.9 Bottle: pour is murky dark golden with a fine bubbled off white head in this glass. Retention is mild, and lacing is mild here. The nose is vinousness, wet oak, dark malts, and some earthiness. The flavor profile is quite nice here, and quite complex. Dark fruits, dark malts, clear barrel treatment of wet oak, vinousness, and a hint of bourbon here. Some acetic, mild funk, and sour for sure. This is a nice one for sure, masks the alcohol well, and has a nice sweetness, too

3.8 Bottle thanks to Ari. Pours a hazy amber with a light brown head that lasts throughout the beer. Aroma has a good amount of tart fruits with a bit of wine and light backing funk. Flavor has a bit of mellow tartness with a good amount of wood and backing light grain.

3.6 From notes. First reviewed 12/14/2011. Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a snifter. Thanks to bauermj for bringing this over. The beer is a amber brown color with a big white frothy head. Great retention on the cap, and a bit of lace sticks to my glass. A bit of caramel, lots of dark cherry and lemon zest form a strong nose. The flavor starts with a smooth sweetness, with a bit of dark cherry and lemon zest give me a tart, lactic, and slightly acetic sour flavor. If anything, this is a bit overcarbonated. Bubbly carbonation kind of overwhelms my tongue and distracts from the taste. The body is on the light side, and there is a lactic acidity as well. A bit grainy as well. This was a definitely a solid sour. Avery makes some interesting sours for sure.

3.9 Bottle pours burnt orange with an off-white head. Aroma is tart with notes of oak, funk, juicy vinous fruit and a nice lactic sourness. Flavor is moderately sweet with additional notes of caramel, vanilla, cherry, and cassis. Overall body is moderate, sweet, boozy, and finishes with some great balancing acidity.

4.0 Bottle, big thanks to sloth: Pours a clear deep bronze amber with a stringy-lacing froth of off-white head. Has a lightly tart, funky nose with a touch of vinous oak and light fruits. Starts with effervescent carbonation and a lightly toasted malty sweetness with some drying funk/brett flavors and vinous oak complexity before a smooth, sweet-tart finish. Well-balanced and hides its alcohol. Glad to see Avery succeeding in the sour beer market.

3.9 12 oz bottle. This one pours a dark, cloudy reddish brown color and topped by a small, smooth head of tan colored foam that settles down to a thin film. Thick sticky lines of lace cling hard to the glass. The nose is very vinous up front from the influence of the various wine barrels used in the blend. There are notes of sour cherries, tart red grapes, and blackberries that are full of woody oak character. Some caramelized grain soaked in sour mash bourbon pushes through along with notes of dark cocoa, vanilla, and caramel. The flavors are nicely balanced and are equally tart and earthy with plenty of brett mustiness to add some funk in there. The port like cherries and buttery, oak chardonnay grapes blend together nicely, while the earthy brett adds some funk and dries things out. The smooth bourbon, caramel, and vanilla laden oak add smoothness and sweeten things up from the tart fruit. The body is substantial and smooth with moderate carbonation which lends to easy drinking. The palate avoids any alcoholic heat, which is a surprise considering the heft of this brew. This is a really nice blend of barrels that sports equal parts sweetness and tartness. Really good brew.

3.9 12oz bottle Tasting at RSRIZZO’s 1/13/10 (Courtesy of Beerandblues2)-Poured a dark golden/light copper. Aroma of sour and funk. Taste of sour, malt, and brett. This light to medium bodied brew was well balanced and quite tasty.

4.0 Bottle shared by DosBeerigos. Thanks bud. Another great sour from Avery. Good complexity in the aroma with hints of cherries and vinegar. Nice sour funkness in the flavor. Easy sipping beer.

3.8 Bottle. [thanks Bu11seye] Hazy orange amber with a big, frothy, off-white head. Aroma is oaky, tart, brett, crispy malts, some cherries, light lactic. Highish carbonation, fairly light mouthfeel, some oiliness. Flavour has good tartness, lots of oak, light vinious, grapes, light apples, zesty, a bit of vanilla. Elegant and very drinkable sour ale.

4.0 Bottle: Poured a lightly reddish cloudy color ale with a large foamy head with good retention. Aroma consists of vinous notes with some lightly sweet port notes and a clear tart finish. Taste is a complex mix between some vinous notes with a subtle sweet undertones and a well balanced tart finish. Body was quite full with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Very well brewed and assembled with a balanced mix between the different flavors.

3.3 !2 oz. bottle, 2009. Mike, thanks for sharing! Pours a brownish-amber with a smallish white head. Aroma was not what I expected from a sour. Subdued vinegar, with oak. Taste was more tart than sour. Tart cherries, vinous, oaky. Finish mildly tart fruit and acetic. Forgetable.

3.8 (12oz bottle generously shared by Mike!). Bottled on September 18, 2009. Pours clear amber with off-white head. Aroma is boozy with some tart cherries and other pit fruit. Taste has a sweet malt backbone with some tartness, but not very much. Medium bodied with a slick finish. Compared to a couple other sours we had, this was a bid boozy although it was still pretty nice.

4.3 Bottle @ home, courtesy of ratman. Thanks! Red maroon appearance with a foamy, light tan head. Mildly sour, oak, vinous flavor with some fruity esters. Oaky, vinous, red fruity, tart cherry, slight vanilla flavor. Tart, dark cherry, vanilla, woody, vinous finish. The alcohol is hidden extremely well. Probably my favorite sour from Avery so far.

3.7 12oz bottle sent to me very generously by bu11zeye and shared with friends at cellar temperature. Big of a gusher with a huge, frothy head. Color is dark orange and cloudy. Smells of sweet fruit & oak. Mouthfeel is slick, smooth & lightly carbonated. In the taste, I find chardonnay, pear, cider and dry oak on the finish along with mild alcohol burn. Not much bourbon to be found, but it’s very drinkable with fruity and dry champagne-like qualities.

3.6 The beer pours a medium clearish tea with a light white head not rising very much or with much lacing. The aroma is super light, can barely pull anything out of it. There is some light horse blanket. The taste to me is a little blah. There is some light horse blanket, and a little oak at the end. It finishes bitter wood, which isn’t great. The feel is ok, drinkability is a little limited. Overall, this is an average wild ale. Its no overly complex, balanced or flavorfull. It needs to be more pronononced.

4.4 Bottle courtesy of nbutler11, thanks! Murky brown color, tan edge head. Aroma of rhubarb, sour cherry, mud. Taste is prunes, dates, cherries with a deep and dry sourness. Fantastic.

3.6 Bottle from robert a while back... This bottle "spooged" every where for close to two minutes. 1/4 of it was lossed....Light red in color... Great nose with some charred wood, cheese and tartness. Taste is woody, slight funkiness with overall tartness that sat on the back of the tounge. High carbonation. Overall an enjoyable sour/tart beer, but not my cup of tea.... Thanks robert for the gift

4.3 Tasted on 1/14/11 from a 12oz bottle sent to me in a trade, bottled Sept 18, 2009. Pours hazy light orange with a brown tint and a massive white head that slowly recedes to frothy lace and leaves a ton of lace on the inside of the glass. The nose is sweet and sour with fresh peaches and apricots, lemon, some caramel malt, toasted nuts, acetic, and the oak just peaking through with light vanilla. The flavor features some acetic bitterness up front with the peaches and apricots, good citrus acidity, lactic, more vanilla than the nose, toasted nuts, and just a light hint of caramel malt. The body is medium and oily with very lively carbonation and a long citrus, vanilla, and lightly bitter finish. This beer is amazingly drinkable for being over 10%.

4.2 Bottled. Poured relatively fluid medium orange with a looser-bubbled beige head.. translucent. The aroma opened with a lovely, heavy hit of sour oak, vinous notes, and lesser cherries.. more of the same plus funky, fruity Brett as it warmed up.. wine-inspired alcohol danced gracefully on the edges of the nose.. excellent! The flavor opened slightly softer than expected, followed by tart vinous notes and oak, fruity Brett, cracked black pepper, and currants.. the Brett dried out the back, leaving essence of blended wines, black pepper, and lactic sours on the warm finish.. very satisfying. Medium-bodied and well-carbonated on the palate.. all of the barrels really worked well together, and this was a thought-provoking, remarkably well-crafted beer. Please make more.

4.0 Hazed dark yellow color with a white head. Soured citrus smell combined with dust, mustiness, wood, florals, pale malt sweetness and spice. Flavor of tart citrus, sweet malt, wood, vanilla, and leather Tasty!

4.1 Bottle during ’10 San Diego Beer Week. Marked sourness in both the aroma and flavor. The wine barrel aging contributes some light fruitiness alongside a significant malt profile that is well-balanced into an overall perception of lightness. The delicate mouthfeel and long finish round out this excellent experimental ale.

4.1 Bottle shared by Theis. Thanks! Hazy amber with a big off white head. The aroma is sweet fruit, acid, ripe wine, vinegar, balsamicco and wood. The flavour is very vinous, acid, balsamicco, oak, wood and red grapes. Highly carbonated which keeps the high alcohol on a very enjoyable level. Long fruity finish. Great.

4.2 Bottle at home - shared with Plovmand. (Thanks to Doodler for trading this). Clear reddish - white head. Nice sourness, wooden notes, light bourbon notes, wine, light sparklinglight light alco, high vineous, light vanilla, no malty sweetness, fruity, red wine, fruit sweetness, bretty, acid, dark fruits, light berries. light lactic. Very nice.

4.2 A: Pours a deep amber with a good amount of visible carbonation and a good amount of head that sticks around throughout. S: Nice, funky Brett hits me first off. Afterword, some good sour notes with some cherries and plums. T: Not as complex as the nose. Sourness and funk with hints of fruit. M: Medium body with fairly light carbonation. Some tannins but not too many. D: Overall, very drinkable. The first really solid beer that I’ve had from Avery in a while. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 08-05-2010

4.0 Thanks ratman197. Poured hazy dark amber orange, citrus rind, tart peaches, wood, little cherry.

4.1 been wanting to try this for awhile .. brown .. . tartness is wild! dirty barrel, cherry skin, tobacco, and bottom of shoe flavours .. easy to drink .. . Here you go you little slut.

3.9 12oz traded bottle. Pours a dark, brown-amber color with a medium off-white head that settles into a moldy film. Just a little lacing. Traditional sour, acidic aroma plus brett and maybe some banana. Pretty powerful sour cherry and lactic punch but it ends with smooth caramel and oak. Honestly amazed that this has 10+ ABV and you can’t notice it. Well done Avery.

4.0 Pour from a bottle at Small Bar during SDBW. Color of golden orange with a nice white head. Nice punch of sourness right up front with some prickly carbonation on your tongue. Good understated flavors of oak. Citrus & grapes. Alcohol hardly apparent. Very tasty sour!

3.9 Bottle from a trade with someone, who at the moment I can’t remember. So, thank you whoever you were. Pours a hazy orange brown with a huge creamy beige head. Fuzzy musk, wood and acid, sweet vinous notes, and a nice bit of funk. A bit sweeter than I was expecting from the nose, but still some nice sour notes, a good amount of wood and complex acids. Spicy finish with some lingering slowly developing acid and more wine barrel. Not sure if this is starting to fall apart, or just starting to come together. Sort of wish I’d had one a year ago, one now, and one for next year.