The Kaiser - Avery Brewing Company

drabmuh

Maryland

3.98/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Been wanting to try this one for a long time, served in a shaker pint, beer is amber and clear with a lazy white head, low retention, moderate to low carbonation, no lacing.

Aroma is malty and sweet with a yeasty finish.

Beer is medium to big in body, much bigger than I expected, with a mildly bitter finish on the back end, a strong flavor, really malty, mildly sweet, minimal yeast. I did enjoy it and would have it again on draft.

Serving type: on-tap

11-16-2012 19:03:31 | More by drabmuh

socon67

New York

3.9/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark amber pour and cloudy. A frothy white foam on top laced the tulip glass nice.

S - Scents of light malts, caramel, and fresh bread. Has a slight smell of whiskey.

T - This is one hearty marzen! The Kaiser takes the style to an extreme level with rich caramel flavors, light malts, and a tangible yesty flavor. Finish has a bit of spice, but a warming burn that makes this a really good choice on a cold fall night.

M - For the heavy feel, I found this more sessionable that expected. More of a sipping beer than a sessionable seasonal. But very enjoyable from first sip to the last. Leaves plenty of rich taste on the palate.

O - I like the extreme nature of this beer. If you are looking for a potent form of this style, this is right up your alley.

Serving type: on-tap

11-09-2012 22:36:14 | More by socon67

hdelavega

Florida

2.9/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pots a rich amber with a thin white head that disappeared to nothing, fast.
Aroma is super malty, lots of sweet notes, sugar and sweet fruit.
Very sweet flavors, carmalised sugars, almost barleywine like. This tastes nothing like a märzen. I get almost no hop presents at all.
Mouthfeel is really sticky, pretty weird body, it's big but thins out realy fast. Pretty clean finish, nice lingering feel. Going for style not great.
Overall not much like a märzen, but still interesting.H

Serving type: on-tap

11-16-2011 06:00:03 | More by hdelavega

JizackFH

New York

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on-tap at Rattle N Hum in NYC on 10/25/11.
Review taken from notes.

This beer pours a nice deep copper color. This has a finger of off-white head resting on top. The head has good retention, and it leaves some specs of lace behind on the glass. The nose has some pretty big dark fruit aromas. It smells of caramel malt and has a toasted malt aroma to it. There is also a small hop presence. The flavor follows the nose pretty well. There is quite a bit of dark fruit flavors, raisin, fig, and plum. There is some toasted malt flavor and some bitterness. There is a mild hop presence here as well as a touch of booziness. The finish leaves some lingering bitterness and sweet fruitiness. The body of this is on the heavier side of medium, and it has good carbonation. It goes down easy and has a chewy quality to it. Some alcohol warmth on the back end. This has good drinkability. It is a good beer, and definitely an interesting interpretation of the style. It is a super amped up marzen. I recommend trying this one. I really enjoyed it, and I would definitely pick up a few bottles of it.

Serving type: on-tap

11-04-2011 09:55:12 | More by JizackFH

dtivp

West Virginia

3.98/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Arrived at the table in a snifter with a clear orange, copper color, a one finger light tan head that faded slowly to a thin ring with moderate lacing.

Aroma of sweet malts, caramel and a slight hint of alcohol.

Taste was initially sweet with caramel,toffee which was balanced with malt , spice, hints of hops and a very slight touch of alcohol.

Mouth Feel was medium body, light carbonation, smooth and slightly sticky. Surprisingly at 10 percent ABV, the alcohol was well masked.

Overall this was a nice Octoberfest beer to enjoy with some caution, it sneaks up on you.

Serving type: on-tap

10-28-2011 15:20:45 | More by dtivp

divineaudio

Michigan

4.3/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

served in a pint glass

a - came to the table a hazy copper liquid with a thin film of head. very little lacing present.

s - fresh baked bread, carmel, spice, subtle fruity notes.

t - carmel malt with notes of brown sugar, spice and subtle dark fruits. nice balancing bitterness in the finish. slight booziness.

m - medium body, lighter carbonation, slight alcohol warming.

o - really enjoyed this one, takes the style to a whole new level for me. probably can't drink more than one or two due to the abv, but that's ok. perfect for a cool fall afternoon in michigan. highly recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

10-21-2011 21:22:32 | More by divineaudio

chilly460

Virginia

3.58/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured a cloudy amber red with a huge three finger, off-white head and leaves decent lacing down the glass.

S - Caramel and cinammon for sure, but then comes the booze. Some doughy bread in there too.

T - Immediate taste is sweet caramel, very sweet, and cinammon. Mid palate, the booze hits, prickly warmth, not subtle. Finishes with surprising earthy bitter hops.

M - Chewy, thick, full bodied, low carbonation.

O - My first imperial Oktoberfest, so not quite sure what to expect. Definitely has flavor and body ratcheted up a notch, more a sipper then a session beer. Booziness is a killer, raw booze doesn't mesh well. The earthy hops are a bit odd at the end with the overall sweetness of the beer for me as well.

Serving type: on-tap

10-13-2011 18:56:17 | More by chilly460

alexipa

Colorado

4.5/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

There is no other beer quite like Kaiser for me. It reminds me of my favorite part of the year: fall. It puts me in a great mood no matter what else is going on.

The appearance is deep and dark with a copper or orange-ish hue. The smell is inviting and appealing. It's the taste that I feel is unmatched at this time by any other beer of its type. Its strong, yet balanced taste is perfect for what it's meant to be; which is a beer for drinking casually on a chilly day. The strong content will warm you, while its flavors of caramel and toffee with a slight sweetness will delight you. I like my beers big and bold; the Kaiser has plenty of both.

Interestingly, I have found more than any other beer that Kaiser changes its profile almost completely from tap to bottle. I have had it in both mediums multiple times (even a bottle from the tap room itself) and have found I do not enjoy it nearly as much from the bottle. In my opinion this is a beer you must have straight from the tap.

Serving type: on-tap

10-07-2011 20:10:36 | More by alexipa

DCon

Missouri

3.95/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Enjoyed on-tap @ the 3 Kings Public House in The Loop (St. Louis), MO for $6. Tapped from the Avery handle w/ a Red "A" on the top & too much involved with the artwork to make out what it was into a 10oz Snifter Glass.

Aroma- This "Imperial" Oktoberfest was extremely light for what I was going to be looking for. Has a light malt and lager aroma that is nice but nothing much in here.

Appearance- Received with almost no head (not even able to compared to "finger measurements") and stays this way. Has a dark amber-red body that is very clear. Leaves a bit of lacing on the glass but not much.

Flavor- Has a very extreme malt flavor that is powerful! Good amount of hops are present too. The bitterness at the finish is a medium but still is great for this one. Well-balanced.

Mouthfeel- Medium+ Bodied, Medium Carbonation, Smooth, and is more enjoyable than any other Oktoberfest I've ever had! Leaves tons of sweetness and hop on the palate.

Overall Impression- When I saw, Imperial Oktoberfest on the beer menu, I went for this immediately! Avery produces very good-world class brews and this one hit the spot! Wish it looked better but sometimes its whats in the glass that matters. Could be considered a homebrew with its weak appearance/aroma but then is an awesome bodied Marzen. Will be looking for this in bottle as well!

Serving type: on-tap

09-22-2011 20:20:50 | More by DCon

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer poured out as a nice looking brown color, the head was about and inch tall and left a pretty nice lacing. The smell of the beer was full of malts and some autumn spices. The taste was damn near perfect in my opinion. The Kaiser has so much flavor running through it. The mouthfeel is smooth and has a high drinkability to it even for a heavier beer. Overall, I love this beer it's got to be one of the top 3 Oktoberfest beers I've ever had if no the best. Really worth trying if you see it.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2011 21:03:27 | More by Knapp85

claytong

Vermont

4.47/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Best oktoberfest I've had and I spent two years in Austria an hour away from Germany.
One of my favorite brews from Avery which says quite a bit.
So I had this in April so I'd guess it to be 9 months old or there about.
Pumpkin spice, honey, molasses, and just all things nice. my goodness.
Went down so well with my dinner, I think it's a pretty easy beer to pair.
I'm gonna stock up this autumn.

Serving type: on-tap

05-28-2011 17:58:40 | More by claytong

DoubleSimcoe

New York

3.3/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Avery The Kaiser, on tap at The Pony Bar in Hell's Kitchen, NY, part of an Avery "tap takeover".

Appearance: Served in an 8-oz glass filled to the brim, almost no head, just a white mantle with bubbles. Low carbonation and good lacing (very artistic). Color is Baltic amber, slightly transparent.

Smell: Malts, controlled sweetness, Kool-Aid, glue. A slightly metallic overtone. Weird but pleasant!

Taste: Dark-fruit juice, cherry, again the Kool-Aid. No alcohol, it is more of a fruity children's drink. Sweetness all around. Caramel. Some faint hops but mostly malt and sweetness. A bit underwhelming. I had i "The Kaiser" after going for Avery "The Beast", which is even sweeter, so it didn't bother me as much. My wife, though, was horrified. She found the Kaiser more cloying than the Beast.

Mouthfeel: Sweet, low carbonation, medium body and flavor. Alright, not great.

Overall: Drinkable but not too enticing. My least favorite of all the big Avery beers. A confusing beer also. Could be a Scotch Ale, a sweet big IPA, a Doppelbock... Imperial Oktoberfest? Whatever! I don't think I'll be having it again.

Serving type: on-tap

03-24-2011 04:02:40 | More by DoubleSimcoe

Duttonic

Texas

3.98/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes 10/06/10. On-tap at Dancing Bear.

A- Burnt amber, 1cm of off-white head that dissipated quickly, and little to no bubbling.

S- Roasted/caramelized brown sugar and nuts.

T/M- Strangely similar to DFH 90min in taste, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, nutty.

D- This was my first experience with an "Imperial Oktoberfest" and I enjoyed it. I will be having this again and I am really curious how it is out of the bottle.

Serving type: on-tap

11-18-2010 02:23:31 | More by Duttonic

taigor

New York

3.68/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into 8oz glass.

A - Poured clear amber color with medium head that quickly dissipated leaving average lacing around the glass.

S - Strong alcohol upfront with malts, caramel and raisins followed.

T - Sweet malts to start with followed by dark fruits and alcohol.

M - Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

D - Alcohol is not masked at all and it should have been called Double/Imperial oktoberfest. I would recommend it but dont go out of your way to try it.

Serving type: on-tap

11-04-2010 12:43:25 | More by taigor

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.03/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On tap at the brewery in August 2009. Reviewed from notes.

Pours a moderate caramel color with a half-finger white head and not much of any lacing. Nose brings some caramel and dark fruits along with quite a bit of booze. Taste is overwhelmed by alcohol and brings some dark fruit in the background. A bit of residual sweetness. Boozy, hot feel on a medium body. Drinks okay, as it somewhat reminds me of a rum-soaked dessert, but overall not a beer I really enjoyed.

Serving type: on-tap

10-13-2010 01:36:51 | More by Thorpe429

JMastrangelo

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance- Although this should give more credit to the bar (Grill Next Door, Haverhill, MA) than to the beer, appearance was even better by the fact that it was served in a proper glass.
Golden dark color at the top of the glass, with the color lightening at the bottom due to a narrower base. Medium carbonation. Not much head, but it held the head just long enough.

Smell- Fruity, especially for what they're calling an Oktoberfest. But pleasant, loving it so far.

Taste- Delicious. Fruity, creamy, smooth taste that goes down easy, if not a bit thick (Imperials, whaddyagonnado?). It tastes like the caramel is actually making it creamy while the pineapple taste adds some sweetness to it. May border a bit on too sweet, I'd never do more than maybe 2 in a night.

Mouthfeel- Coats the tongue, great aftertaste, non-abrasive carbonation. A bit too smooth, makes it feel almost oily maybe?

Drinkability- I'd give it a 5 if I'm just having one. Rapidly will decline the more you have though, so gotta bring it down to 3.5. This is a great definition of enjoyed in moderation.

Overall, a tasty beer... but something that makes me think of summer more than fall. Oktoberfests make me expect a fall beer.

Serving type: on-tap

10-02-2010 15:57:00 | More by JMastrangelo

lhaqq

California

4.6/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Amber golden body with a 1/2cm frothy white head.

S: Almost like a decent floral IPA, but with some malts and sweet flavors in the background.

T: Pretty sweet initially but the finish is rounded off pretty well with some malty grains. Fairly strong grains throughout, starts out sweet with caramel and finishes with some oats.

M: Heavy, definitely a sipping beer, but still light enough to fall in the Marzen/Oktoberfest style.

D: Haven't had an imperial Oktoberfest before. As an Oktoberfest, its probably my favorite.

Serving type: on-tap

09-21-2010 03:22:58 | More by lhaqq

soupyman10

District of Columbia

4.15/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Finally, an exception to my rule that all Marzen's taste the same, and of course, leave it to Avery to mix it up a bit - nothing like jacking the alcohol up to twice the normal levels to make it a little more interesting. In any case, this basically tasted like a doppelbock to me, big huge caramel toffee malt with a lot of dried fruit flavors and some alcohol swimming around there as well. A bit spicy. Really liked the pretty huge flavor, especially for a lager. Definitely not your standard Marzen, although I'm not sure how many I could put back.

Serving type: on-tap

09-20-2010 22:18:32 | More by soupyman10

nickhiller

Texas

1.6/5  rDev -58.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A: amber, weak head, no lacing

S: Juicy Juice, fruit roll ups, sauerkraut

T: Juicy Juice, that is literally all I taste, you could carbonate Juicy Juice and have me blind taste these and there would be a 50/50 chance I would pick the right one

M: think carbonated juice

D: way too sweet for my tastebuds. It's no secret that I am not a fan of Avery (see previous posts) and this one, sadly, lives up to the low expectations I have for this brewery

Serving type: on-tap

09-18-2010 23:00:40 | More by nickhiller

Chambic

California

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

01.09.10 at Burger Bar SF.

A: copper, looks like it's lighter body than you'd expect for that color

S: caramel, syrupy, maybe orange blossoms

T: light malt

M: nice carbonation with a clean, snappy finish

D: a nice first-beer-of-the-day beer

Pretty tasty with the zucchini fries.

Serving type: on-tap

01-15-2010 18:06:05 | More by Chambic

rfabian

Texas

3.6/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Served in a tulip glass it has a one finger amber-white head that leaves moderate lacing. The color is clear dark amber, almost red. The aroma is subtle and sweet, almost no hop smell to speak of. The taste is strongly malty and sweet with accents of cherry, maple and maybe coffee. The hops again to me are light and nondescript. The mouth-feel is rich and moderately carbonated. I was surprise to see that the alcohol content is so high -- that does not come out in the taste at all. I'd be saving this one for a quaff now and then, don't see that I'd be knocking a lot of these back in one session; it's a little too rich for that.

Serving type: on-tap

11-07-2009 00:11:00 | More by rfabian

atsprings

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at Flying Saucer served in a tulip glass a crisp dark orange with a decent frothy khaki head that diminishes to a thin layer and leaves decent lacing on the glass. Aroma is slight burnt caramel. The taste is loads of burnt caramel malts, dried fruits and slight booze. The beer is fairly heavy bodied with a decent boozy alcohol presence, but a warming sipper for a blustery fall day. This one won Gold at the GABF for Doppelbock, and I must say, this is a very tasty one, but not so good as an Oktoberfest, even if you call it Imperial, time to change the label.

Serving type: on-tap

10-15-2009 19:44:52 | More by atsprings

ChopperSmith

Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the tap into a tulip glass at the Ginger Hop bar and restaurant in Minneapolis.

Appearance: Deep clear Amber/Copper colored with a soap bubble white head that doesn't retain long and leaves a little lacing.

Smell: Sweet malts and spice notes. Has a sweet caramel aroma with some pumpkin pie and clove spice notes. Nice.

Taste: Pretty much like it smells, sweet roasted malts with caramel notes followed by some clove and cinnamon notes on the finish. A nice alcohol warming due to the higher ABV.

Mouth Feel: A medium to full body with good carbonation. Very smooth and warming to drink. An excellent fall-winter brew.

Drinkability: Now that fall is in the air, this is a perfect seasonal Märzen / Oktoberfest brew. Very easy to drink and a good ABV for a fall-winter brew.

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2009 18:39:35 | More by ChopperSmith

david18

New York

3.8/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I was told by the bartender that this was a double ipa. I knew it wasn't but I had a hard time figuring out what it was. This was actually a very good beer. Great dark amber color, good carbonation, very good and malty flavor, surprisingly drinkable based on the alcohol per volume. Yet another great beer from one of my favorite brewerys.

----

It was now called a double oktoberfest when I had it most recently and that was exactly how I'd characterize it. Very good and perfect for the fall.

Serving type: on-tap

09-21-2009 20:58:57 | More by david18

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this on tap at Bodega in Columbus. I assume it's a fresh 1/2BBL as this is Oktoberfest season, and it definitely earned the "Imperial" adjective Avery placed in the style name. This had much more hops than usual in an Oktoberfest (Magnum, Sterling, Tettnang, and Hersbrucker), lending some pungent cone aromas and a delicious but slightly bitter flavor to the extremely strong malt base. The malts are caramelly and biscuity, providing excellent counterbalance for Avery's choice of hops. I've passed on this beer for the past several Oktoberfest seasons but I was mistaken to do so, this is a top shelf lager that needs to be hoarded.

Serving type: on-tap

09-10-2009 01:08:47 | More by TurdFurgison