Collaboration not Litigation Ale
The story of this beer is so beautiful it just might warm the cockles of your heart. Even if it is a year old.
Stats:
Brewery – Avery Brewing Co. in Boulder, CO (with a little help from Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa, CA)
Style – Blended Belgian-style Strong Ale
OG: 1.079
ABV – 8.99%
Serving Type – 22 oz. (bomber) bottle
In the fast-paced world of craft brewing, beer names are bound to be repeated. In this case, "Salvation" became the moniker for two Belgian-style ales from two of the countries leading brewers. In one corner we have a Belgian Strong Dark Ale from Vinnie Cilurzo and the boys at Russian River Brewing dominating the flavor palette with sweet, complex malts and yeast flavors. In the other corner, with plenty of refreshing hops and spicy esters, Adam Avery from Avery Brewing enters the arena with a Belgian Strong Pale Ale.
In our overly litigious and adversarial culture no one bat an eye if these companies sued each other into the ground (although it would have been a terrible loss for the craft beer community). Instead they took a page out of Voltron's book when they had to battle the evil King Zarkon, and combined the two beers to form a new and even more powerful third beer.
In the spring of '04 Adam met with Vinnie at the Russian River Brewing pub where the two tried blending their individual beers together, in various concentrations, until they the ratio just right. As the story goes, they also found them selves more than a little "blended" by the end of the night. Vinnie's wife, Natalie, came up with the name that aptly highlights this (unfortunately) seldom used business strategy. In mid-November of aught-six Vinnie when to Avery Brewing and brewed his beer just as he would back in his own brewery. On December 11th, 2006 the two beers were finally blended together.
Glass – Thistle glass
Aroma – Definitely a Began beer. As soon as I opened the bottle I could detect a musky and yeasty aroma, which dissipated quickly. In the glass I got notes of apple and fig as well as a faint spicy and nutty scent.
Appearance – Pours with a big fluffy, stable white crown leaving big sheets of lace. The color is a crystal clear dark ruby.
Flavor – It starts off with a malty sweetness on the front of my tongue, turning slightly floral as it moves towards the middle. The apples are present in the taste profile on the sides. There is a subtle clove-like spiciness throughout. In the back it gets a little tart, and reminds me of a green apple Jolly Rancher.
Mouthfeel – It has a medium body with a dry, almost astringent, finish.
Final Thoughts – I really wish I had gotten this beer before it was a year old. After reading some of the other reviews I can tell this beer has mellowed and is a mere whisper of what it was originally intended to be. I also think it’s much drier than it would be if it was fresh. On the other hand, my bottle had a much bigger kick since the residual yeast has been working on the unfermented sugars for the past 12 months.
Stats:
Brewery – Avery Brewing Co. in Boulder, CO (with a little help from Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa, CA)
Style – Blended Belgian-style Strong Ale
OG: 1.079
ABV – 8.99%
Serving Type – 22 oz. (bomber) bottle
In the fast-paced world of craft brewing, beer names are bound to be repeated. In this case, "Salvation" became the moniker for two Belgian-style ales from two of the countries leading brewers. In one corner we have a Belgian Strong Dark Ale from Vinnie Cilurzo and the boys at Russian River Brewing dominating the flavor palette with sweet, complex malts and yeast flavors. In the other corner, with plenty of refreshing hops and spicy esters, Adam Avery from Avery Brewing enters the arena with a Belgian Strong Pale Ale.
In our overly litigious and adversarial culture no one bat an eye if these companies sued each other into the ground (although it would have been a terrible loss for the craft beer community). Instead they took a page out of Voltron's book when they had to battle the evil King Zarkon, and combined the two beers to form a new and even more powerful third beer.
In the spring of '04 Adam met with Vinnie at the Russian River Brewing pub where the two tried blending their individual beers together, in various concentrations, until they the ratio just right. As the story goes, they also found them selves more than a little "blended" by the end of the night. Vinnie's wife, Natalie, came up with the name that aptly highlights this (unfortunately) seldom used business strategy. In mid-November of aught-six Vinnie when to Avery Brewing and brewed his beer just as he would back in his own brewery. On December 11th, 2006 the two beers were finally blended together.
Glass – Thistle glass
Aroma – Definitely a Began beer. As soon as I opened the bottle I could detect a musky and yeasty aroma, which dissipated quickly. In the glass I got notes of apple and fig as well as a faint spicy and nutty scent.
Appearance – Pours with a big fluffy, stable white crown leaving big sheets of lace. The color is a crystal clear dark ruby.
Flavor – It starts off with a malty sweetness on the front of my tongue, turning slightly floral as it moves towards the middle. The apples are present in the taste profile on the sides. There is a subtle clove-like spiciness throughout. In the back it gets a little tart, and reminds me of a green apple Jolly Rancher.
Mouthfeel – It has a medium body with a dry, almost astringent, finish.
Final Thoughts – I really wish I had gotten this beer before it was a year old. After reading some of the other reviews I can tell this beer has mellowed and is a mere whisper of what it was originally intended to be. I also think it’s much drier than it would be if it was fresh. On the other hand, my bottle had a much bigger kick since the residual yeast has been working on the unfermented sugars for the past 12 months.
posted by Ben at 10:12 PM
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