Maharaja - Avery Brewing Company

bobhits

Kentucky

2.33/5  rDev -45%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2

Feb 2007 batch 5

A. A nice thick head that leaves an ok lacing down the glass. Kinda of expected more there. It has an orange copper hue, seems a bit thinner than some of the bigger badder IPAs.

S. Over poweringly sweet. I'm not great with picking up on fruit smell or flavors, but this has a nice fruity smell and the sweetness reminds me of honey for some reason. The sweetness is a bit off setting after the first impression (which was great).

T. Sugary malt to start followed by a funky hoppy finish. I often under score an IPA the first time I have it and then it will grow on me. I'm nearly 10oz into this and I'm just not enjoying it. The smell once you start drinking becomes off putting. The hops don't have a clean finish but instead leave this off putting finish of hops and sugar or something. There are a lot of great things going on here, but they don't work together.

M. Nice an smooth texture in the mouth. A good bit of carbonation. There is a bit of hop oil here but nothing like some IPAs.

D. There is no way I would pick up on the near 10% abv. The problem is this beer is just too sweet. It just doesn't scream drink me. One of the things I like about a big IIPA is that they can be almost addictive. I'm struggling to finish this to write this review.

I came in here hoping for something special and this really didn't live up to. I highly recommend if you try this to do so with some friends. There are certainly things here to like, but it doesn't come together for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2008 00:10:49 | More by bobhits

megamass

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -5.7%

05-26-2013 02:45:08 | More by megamass

lpayette

Vermont

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%

05-25-2013 22:12:25 | More by lpayette

Meleah

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +6.1%

05-25-2013 20:15:43 | More by Meleah

Swim424

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%

05-25-2013 19:41:07 | More by Swim424

DooshBagalow

Illinois

4/5  rDev -5.7%

05-25-2013 18:58:02 | More by DooshBagalow

RayUF07

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -11.6%

05-25-2013 05:57:11 | More by RayUF07

foxyaardvark27

Washington

4/5  rDev -5.7%

05-25-2013 03:58:12 | More by foxyaardvark27

msinger1002

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +6.1%

05-24-2013 23:18:30 | More by msinger1002

bennett_loves_good_beer

Wyoming

3.41/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 2.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 3.25

Pours a dark amber with a pale white head that dissipates rather quickly. Lots of sticky lacing on the glass. Aroma contains tropical fruits, sweet maltiness, pine, and alcohol. Taste has a strong, sweet malty backbone. A little too malty for me. Maltiness overpowers the slightly bitter, fruity hop finish. No date on the bottle makes me wonder about the freshness.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 01:09:07 | More by bennett_loves_good_beer

RichardMNixon

Delaware

4.75/5  rDev +12%

05-23-2013 02:48:50 | More by RichardMNixon

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +6.1%

05-23-2013 01:12:50 | More by mikeincharleston

davesway10

Iowa

3.75/5  rDev -11.6%

05-22-2013 18:31:13 | More by davesway10

kizyle

Georgia

4.5/5  rDev +6.1%

05-22-2013 13:34:02 | More by kizyle

scottyu27

Virginia

4/5  rDev -5.7%

05-22-2013 13:05:05 | More by scottyu27

PlinyBeMiney

California

4/5  rDev -5.7%

05-21-2013 23:15:51 | More by PlinyBeMiney

ThreeFishes

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%

05-21-2013 18:46:00 | More by ThreeFishes

Busker

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -5.7%

05-21-2013 18:09:39 | More by Busker

willcabral

California

5/5  rDev +17.9%

05-21-2013 01:34:48 | More by willcabral

ericwa1154

Texas

4/5  rDev -5.7%

05-20-2013 14:49:11 | More by ericwa1154

LCB_Hostage

Pennsylvania

1.5/5  rDev -64.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.25 | overall: 1.75

This is one nasty beer. I will admit that this bomber has been sitting in my fridge for 4-6 weeks, so maybe the problem is that it ages horrifically, but my god, this was awful.

It looked pretty as I poured it into an imperial pint glass, but it was all down hill after that. The aroma was subdued, but what there was was bitter in a way that I can't associate with any known type of hops.

The taste was also bitter, but not in a pleasurable, hoppy way. More of a getting a mouthful of gasoline when you do a shitty job of siphoning way. It just burned itself into the roof of my mouth and back of my tongue and would not go away.

I see from the reviews here that a lot of people have had a much better experience with this beer than I did, so it may have been a bad bottle or at least a bottle with too much age on it. I couldn't find any dating on the bottle, but unless it was several years old, there's no excuse for it going THIS bad. But there are so many great DIPAs out there that I enjoy regularly, I will not be giving this one another shot.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 14:35:54 | More by LCB_Hostage

garuda

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A - Deep amber, brilliant, clear, white head has some retention and good lacing.

S/T/M - Huge hoppy nose, mostly pine and pineapple with underlying floral notes. Hint of booze in the smell, a little stronger in the taste. Sweet caramel malts provide a strong backbone, yet the body stays in the medium range. A little sweet overall for my liking, which is the only thing holding me back from giving even higher scores. Still finishes bitter though with resinous pine and a hint of booze.

O - A little sweet and boozy, but still maintains good hop character. I'll pass on another bottle, but would surely get it on tap.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 12:40:36 | More by garuda

PlayitAgain

New York

4.75/5  rDev +12%

05-20-2013 03:04:09 | More by PlayitAgain

Ctrauty

Minnesota

4.75/5  rDev +12%

05-20-2013 01:44:18 | More by Ctrauty

HopChef44

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -11.6%

05-20-2013 00:40:07 | More by HopChef44