Karma - Avery Brewing Company

kojevergas

California

3.15/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a nonical pint glass in me gaff in high altitude Castle Rock, Colorado. Reviewed live. Expectations are above average given the brewery and style. 5.4% (my bottle is 2012 if that matters). No best before date can be found.

Served straight from the refrigerator and allowed to warm somewhat over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

The pour went fine, with the pressure cap coming off without issue or overcarbonation surging.

A: Pours a two finger head of beige colour, nice cream, nice thickness, and above average retention. Colour is a semitransparent dull copper. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show - though I've never seen a beer in the style that featured one. Okay lacing as the head recedes.

Sm: Belgian malts, candied sugar, yeast, light clove and orange peel, cream, Quite sugary. A moderate strength aroma.

T: Clean Belgian malts with some candi sugar and light clove. Some light underlying cream. Sugary. Simple but enjoyable. Pleasant to drink. Without much subtlety or complexity to its detriment. An interesting Belgian Pale. Nicely balanced and built for what it is. No yeast or alcohol come through. Full-bodied enough to suit the style. None of the flavours are overbearing, but none are bold or experimental either.

Mf: Smooth and wet, aiding its drinkability but not highlighting the flavours. Crystal malts could be used to good effect to add coarseness and would vastly improve the mouthfeel. Adequately carbonated. Light on the palate. Could use a bit more cream.

Dr: Quite drinkable but held back by its simplicity. It's a nicely brewed beer in its style but offers nothing unique or special for true fans. I recommend trying it, but there's nothing here to write home about. A solid offering from Avery, and one that I'd try on draught. Hides its average ABV well, though that's not particularly difficult.

C+

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 02:56:26 | More by kojevergas

JWU

Pennsylvania

2.9/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz. bottle poured into a snifter

A- a translucent amber/ruby/orange color, with a fizzy white head that dissipated very quickly.

S- Very fruity. Plums and apple juice mostly. Some white pepper is there as well.

T- Dissapointing. A little mild malt, with the plum and apple flavors from the yeast. There's just little here to get excited about.

M- a light to medium body with a very active carbonation.

O- certainly the worst I've had from Avery.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 00:33:41 | More by JWU

denver10

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a nice golden with a thumbs width white head that quickly recedes and fair lacing. A yeasty aroma with some sweet cantaloupe and pepper. Flavor follows suit. Very light and bright flavor. Medium bodied, not too much activity. Overall, a very drinkable brew. It attains some interesting flavors but a little watered down and inconsistent from one try to the next (I have had this a bunch of times). At its best times its good, at its worst times is just average.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 00:13:44 | More by denver10

MAUEX_MFA

Rhode Island

3.1/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Not much on the nose, very faint aroma of Belgian yeast and malt.

Pours golden, with a thin head.

Tastes light and clean. Refreshing but very little flavor. This is like a strong American light lager brewed with Belgian yeast, OR a very watered down Belgian ale.

This would be a pleasing session beer to drink whilst angling or watching a professional sports contest.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 02:46:55 | More by MAUEX_MFA

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

2.15/5  rDev -37.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Reviewed from tasting notes.

A. Light yet clear amber color with a flash-in-the-pan head that falls apart to nothing without any lacing despite a rather vigorous pour.

S. Very focused on floral hopping over the top of a biscuit malt. Smells like a brown ale with good hopping, not like a BSPA.

T. Unusually light flavor of toasted bread and that's about it. Tastes more like a thin brown ale without any hopping at all, which is curious considering the nose, however it is still not at all like a BSPA.

M. Light and spritzey, quite sessionable. The best thing about this beer is the soft texture it has on the palate.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 04:16:16 | More by WastingFreetime

PeterIngemi

Massachusetts

3.05/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had on tap at gulu cafe in Salem, serves in a pint glass

A: dark yellow, kind of like apple juice or pee, with half a finger of fluffy head, very clean looking, can see intense carbonation bubbles rushing to the top of the glass, very nice sticky lacing
All the way down the glass.

S: a touch of soap, and a wheaty malt sweetness, a touch of barnyard funk and citrus in there as well, a touch of spicyness, not a huge fan of the Aroma here.

T: a bit of funk an spice blending into a pear like flavor, not really a lot of hops here, a bit of Melon and toasty caramel as well, in a strange way it almost reminds me of bud heavy, well balanced I suppose.

M: high tight bubble carbonation , very very drinkable, leavs me with a strange melon like aftertaste which I am not fond of. Bet crisp.

O: not bad but nothing amazing.... Not a huge fan.

Serving type: on-tap

05-18-2012 00:13:28 | More by PeterIngemi

soulfly1492

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Aroma: Lots of fruity esters, apricot and peaches. Some peppery yeast. Mild clove. Some clean Munich malt, lots of sugars. Some barley and wheat. Little to no hop character. Very bold, nearly as strong as a mild barleywine.

Appearance: Very light copper. Lots of haze. Head is off-white with orange highlights, medium height. Mild retention and little lacing.

Flavor: Wow, lots of peach and orange citrus. Lightly astringent tannins. Black pepper phenols and yeast. Lightly bitter Munich malt. Mild clove, not as much as I picked up in the aroma. Very little to no hop flavor, what's there is floral (the website says they used American Sterling hops). Grainy, lightly toasty.

Mouthfeel: Medium body. Slick and oily. Finishes just barely dry. Low carbonation that you feel at the back of your throat on the way down. Mildly warming.

Overall: Beautiful savory fruit flavors here. Very full flavor, yet easily drinkable. No bold and/or bitter aftertaste. I will be getting this again.

Notes: Consumed on 5/7/2012.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2012 02:30:44 | More by soulfly1492

troysoy2

Pennsylvania

2.8/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Poured into a tulip, I got a good two fingers of loosely packed white head, which quickly receded to become a thin smattering of bubbles. Amber body. Not a whole lot going on as far as lacing.

"What on earth?" This beer smells like straight molasses, and maybe if you use your imagination, pecan pie. The grassy hop aroma is barely there, but it floats around, and doesn't quite seem to fit.

Much like the smell, but with a hint of cherry and plum. Very thin in both flavor and mouthfeel. Easy drinking, but never satisfying. There's a slight tartness on the finish. Almost nonexistent carbonation.

Not what I was expecting at all. I'm glad I tried it -- it's decently tasty, but nothing I'll be coming back to. Avery can, and has done better.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 19:14:52 | More by troysoy2

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.43/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

a deep amber pour with a nice initial amount of head which quickly diminished into a light ring of bubbles around the glass. smells of caramel, nuts, dates. the taste, much like the smell, is very faint.. light notes of honey, dates, a bit of an oak flavor.. not much there honestly. light/medium bodied with lots of fizzy carbonation.

i'm a bit disappointed with this beer.. it looked like it was going to be great but really ended up lacking in most aspects. as far as belgian pale ales go, it's not bad, but there are many that are tastier. as far as beers by avery, this is the only bland beer that i can remember having from them. maybe i got a bad bottle or something, i'd be willing to try it again.. it wasn't terrible, it just didn't have much taste to it.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2012 19:17:59 | More by facundoCNB

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

a very average beer by avery standards. totally nondescript in a lot of ways, but especially in the nose. after a pale amber pour with a good tall white head, it smells fairly sweet and malt based, somehow entirely missing is the belgian yeast that is supposed to power this brew. this is a majorly dumbed down beer. feel is off a bit, very weak carbonation makes the beer feel flat and heavy, instead of the bright crispy feeling usually characteristic of belgian pale ales. overall a real letdown from a brewery i have come to associate with exceptional beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2012 19:35:12 | More by StonedTrippin

gtermi

Texas

2.83/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: This pours a nice copper orange body with a thick white head that slowly fades.

S: Seems to have a ton of alcohol on the nose and the malt really is faint. Im getting some weird sweetness too, but really cant explain what it is.

T: There really isnt much here at all. It tastes like stale grain with tap water. Also has a weird lager taste to it. Really do not care for the taste of this beer.

M: Leaves a very full feeling in my mouth and a crispness on the tip of the tongue. Really nothing special here either.

O: I have loved almost every beer that Avery has put out, but this one truly falls flat. Just not a good beer at all.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 04:21:28 | More by gtermi

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a caramel color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of fruits, malts, yeast. Taste is mild, some spices, fruits, a bit malty, smooth but not strong flavor. Feels full bodied in the mouth and overall is a refreshing and easy drinking beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 14:52:05 | More by tone77

chinchill

South Carolina

3.63/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

12oz bottle. No clear date despite codes stamped on the bottle.

A: Apricot/amber in color; Hazy with a small, cream-colored head after a semi-vigorous pour. Head, and particularly the ring, has good retention. Decent lacing. Some sediment coated the bottom of the empty bottle.

S: Subtle; Sweet, fruity and floral, with notes of caramel and toffee over light malt. Mild and tame for style.

T: Follows the aroma: again, quite pleasant but not particularly true to style and too mild.

M: Medium-light body. Excellent carbonation. A bit watery.

O: A refreshing and exceptionally easy to drink Belgian pale ale. But this meek beer lacks substance; if there were a category for light Belgian pales, this beer would fit there. So, a decent session ale and a good transitional beer for those new to craft beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 00:13:22 | More by chinchill

Lemke10

Wisconsin

3.23/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I got this as part of a M&M 6pk at Everett's in South Beloit, IL for $9.99 in Early 2012.

Pours a golden amber color with a bubbly off white head. Not much of a scent other then some hints of grains as nothing stands out. Texture is smooth and creamy. Wheats and sweet citrus tickle your taste buds. Some hints of coriander and banana are evident as well. A good refreshing drink that is what I consider to be a high end Blue Moon beer. A great summertime drink.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 03:46:27 | More by Lemke10

FeDUBBELFIST

Pennsylvania

2.28/5  rDev -33.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

12oz bottle to stange. Batch 11103B1. Sampled 11/13/11.

A: A small, cream-colored head 1 finger high is produced on the pour, semi-long lasting. The body is lightly cloudy and golden amber in color. Spare lacing.

S: Caramel and toffee scented malts with a light and slightly faded floral hop character. Vague fruit inclusions. Spicy/fruity esters courtesy of the yeast strain. Not particularly Belgian-esque either.

T: The malt foundation sort of interferes with the hop and yeast selection. Flesh of plum and caramel struggle to co-exist. The flavor doesn't provide a whole lot to react to. Nearly void.

M: Medium body. Just the right amount of carbonation. Semi-dry finish.

O: Without a bottle date - and this being my first crack at Karma - I can't tell if this beer is fresh or not. If it is fresh, it's not apparent, and I am not a fan of this beer at all. (A quick check on Avery's website indicates that this beer is anywhere from 3 to 7 months old so, no, not very fresh at all.)

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 13:40:06 | More by FeDUBBELFIST

metter98

New York

3.35/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: The beer is clear amber-orange in color and has a light amount of carbonation. It poured with a half finger high light beige head that quickly died down, leaving a thin film of bubbles covering the surface and a thin ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: There are light aromas of caramel malts and spicy and herbal hops in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and additionally has flavors of apples and pears. There are notes of malty sweetness; no bitterness is noticeable.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a low amount of carbonation. There are some hints of dryness in the finish.
O: The beer has an interesting smell and taste but could use stronger aromas and flavors.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2012 00:49:36 | More by metter98

mountdew1

New Hampshire

3.13/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a chalice. A nice dark golden amer color, with a 2 finger bubbly dirty white head. Plenty of carbonation rose from the bottom. Head clung to the sides nicely, and left a thin central layer on top. Aroma was floral, with a small hint of spice hiding in the back. Very small tad of sour. Taste was yeasty up front, but then shifted to a light floral/citrus. Felt ok in the mouth, perhaps a smidge thin, and a smidge overcarbonated, but not terrible. Overall a reasonable beer, but nothing I would go out of my way for.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 23:13:05 | More by mountdew1

Jplachy

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: I didn't get much of a head from this beer but it poured a beautiful copper color.

S: I get mostly fruit followed by malt or caramel.

T: It's sweet with almost no bitterness. Lightly fruity, mildly malty.

M: Mildly carbonation and even a little....oily.

O: I enjoyed this beer but it was nothing special. Drinking one was good and that's probably all I need.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 20:43:38 | More by Jplachy

gustogasmic

Michigan

3.15/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

it's a beautiful clear light red-brown with a quick-forming head, and big soda bubbles for a short second after pouring. light tan lacing.

smells ale-y, syrup and light hops. a little yeast.

taste is simple and great. acidic hit gives way to a beer-y leave that hangs on for a minute and sweetens in the mouth. light, crisp- harsh carbonation at first with a dry leave.

got some respect for avery after a Maharaja on tap. this is nothing close but might be an old bottle- no date listed.

a great sessionable bpa with unique equatorial hop chaacter. gotta get a fresh one.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 07:05:41 | More by gustogasmic

tdm168

North Carolina

3.6/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a light amber with an orangish hue. There's a quarter of an inch of soft, white head that has decent retention. The nose has notes of red apples and faint caramel malt. The flavor is heavy caramel with some faint apple-like fruitiness and some faint yeasty notes. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and smooth with some faint carbonation.

Overall, this is a good beer, but in the long run it's uninteresting. The taste is one dimensional, though enjoyable, the enjoyment is short lived. I wouldn't have this again.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 02:22:03 | More by tdm168

hopfacebrew

Colorado

2.9/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

After rave reviews by both Steve McKenna and my man Paul I thought I would pick some Karma up.

A - Poured from 12oz brown bottle without any dates to a pint. The beer pours a slight copper orange color with a nice 1 finger white head with decent retention and lacing. Some yeast on the bottom of the bottle.

S - A slight bit of spice on the nose along with a light honey, malt, and yeast character. Not a lot to report.

T - The beer starts with a fairly pleasant flavors with a pleasant yeast crisoness to accompany the toasted caramal malt. A mild bitterness with a wheat hint. However as the beer develops the pleasantness of the flavor dissapates to a thin watery disappointing flavor. It dies.

M - Light bodied and semi crisp and dry finish.

O - I want to like this beer but I don't. I think the aroma is lacking and the flavor dies and fades and really drops the ball. Starts out nice but just doesn't cut it. Won't be back.

Note: This review was a re-post from my former account, jmkratt, which was hacked and I lost all my reviews...sorry for the redundancy.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-31-2011 01:52:01

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 13:51:52 | More by hopfacebrew

buschbeer

Ohio

3.48/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle
Served in a snifter

A - It pours a deep amber color, and is topped with two inches of beige head.

S - The aroma is fruity and spicy. I get pear, peach, and spices.

T - The taste leans more towards the spicy side. I really don't detect the pear or peach, but I get a green apple flavor.

M - Medium with heavy carbonation.

O - It is an alright beer that I won't be getting excited over each "limited release".

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 03:09:32 | More by buschbeer

KDawg

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

poured into a tulip. Pours a nice dark orange color with a small head that disappears rather fast

nice aromas of orange peels, citrus and some hops. Lacking some depth though

medium bodied with a nice feel. Still lacking depth with some orange peels and hops

a decent beer. Lacking on both the aromas and flavor, but very drinkable with some decent hops along with it

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 03:00:15 | More by KDawg

TTAmod

Michigan

2.93/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle poured into tulip.

This beer dark for a BPA. It's a clear, dark orange. There is a minimal white head, but good lacing.

Smell is also minimal, but I detect some dark fruits (grape?)

Taste is pretty subdued dark fruits, yeast, sugar, and a hint of pepper on the finish. It's not bitter at all and tastes more like a soda rather than a beer.

Mouthfeel is fairly thin and the carbonation is prickly.

This is really the first time I've been a bit disappointed by Avery. It's not a horrible beer, but it's just "meh" and the BPA is a pretty tough category. Picked this up as part of a mixed six pack, so that's good. I couldn't really imagine having to drink six of these.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2011 23:32:47 | More by TTAmod

dorianmarley

Ohio

3.35/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance is very nice golden orange. Pancake white head and nice lacing.

Nose is caramelized malt, orange zest, and hardy hops.

Taste is an exciting assortment of caramel, orange zest, sour candy, light bread, and light hops. Tastes shift like a good Belgian. However, after a few sips, the flavors fade and mesh into a soda-like sensation.

Mouthfeel is clean and refreshing with mild carbonation. However, the carbonation picks up at the end like club soda; muddling the taste.

Overall, starts off great, but the carbonation and mouthfeel are so distracting that the entire brew becomes a disapointment.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 01:07:01 | More by dorianmarley