Samael's Ale - Avery Brewing Company

PorterLambic

Florida

4.95/5  rDev +27.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

First, let me say that I've had very mixed experince with barleywines. Had I known this was one, I probably wouldn't have had it. As it turns out, this was an absolutely perfect beer to toast the passing of a friend. Monte would have loved it. R.I.P.

Pours a rich dark amber color with a good, light tan head. Good retention too. Looks like bourbon.
Smell is malt, oak, bourbon with a faint hint of apple cider vinegar.
Taste is AMAZING! Sweet with flavors of bourbon, green apples, perfectly roasted malt, grape, a hint of smoke and charcoal and more that I could even figure out. The most complex beer I have ever had, by far, period.
Very full bodied, oh so extremely smooth, creamy, luxurious on the palate, just a liquid velvet flowing across my tongue.
You must drink this beer! An all-time Top 10 beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2006 20:26:08 | More by PorterLambic

eawolff99

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

05-21-2013 03:00:13 | More by eawolff99

Photekut

Azerbaijan

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

05-18-2013 22:05:46 | More by Photekut

baybassboy

California

3.5/5  rDev -9.8%

05-14-2013 04:24:06 | More by baybassboy

NastyNate11

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

05-13-2013 22:57:29 | More by NastyNate11

drummermattie02

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

05-13-2013 14:26:42 | More by drummermattie02

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.94/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

We crack a bottle labeled “April 2012, Batch No 8, 736 Cases”, and pour a brew of rich, tawny copper coloring. It holds a nicely reproducible one finger head of vanilla pudding colored bubbles, showing okay retention. This leaves spots clinging to the glass, and an aggregate over half the glass and around the edges of the liquid. A thick chill haze permeates the clarity, and large chunks of yeasty sediment are seen throughout, despite a slow pour. Carbonation appears to be moderate. The aroma starts with insane, cloying sweetness, even when cold from the fridge. As it warms, the malts are pulled more forward to match the outright syrupy sugars, taking form as toasty, bready caramels, with lighter brown malts off in the distance. Otherwise the nose fills with browned apple sweetness, thick and sweet brandy booziness, bright vanilla extract, soft oak, yeasty metallics, red cherry, milder buttery diacetyls, sweet banana esters, and black pepper spiciness. With temperatures approaching that of the room, a pseudo-smoky leathery quality came out, furthering the cause and balance against the dextrin sugars. Our first impression is that the flavoring, especially through the end, is quite hot and borders on unnatural, but remains interesting and extremely robust throughout. As we sip, the taste opens with cloying sugars, as in the nose, burning sting of booze across the tongue, stark black pepper, syrupy caramel malts, and strong phenolic plastics. Peaking is the sweetness max of the taste, with those dextrins, straight brown sugar, thickly toasted caramel malts, faint molasses, banana esters, and distant smokiness. The end comes with bite of pencil woodiness and graphite, iron, melted Army men, soft smoky char, red apple sweetness, warming Christmas spice, peppery booze, and only lighter balance at this point from those sugared caramels and cereal graininess. The aftertaste breathes of those aromatic leathers, plastics, gritty yeastiness, seriously drying oak, big moss, mineral, gravel, sweet booziness of amaretto, rice grain, metallic graphite, and tinny metallics. The body is full and thick, while carbonation is medium to high. There is wild tingle on the tongue and gooseflesh inducing pucker from the booze and the sweetness respectively. The mouth quickly burns to a definitive bone dryness, with the tongue left moving like sandpaper down the hard palate. Each sip gives nice slurp, sip, cream, froth, and finishing pop, and the lips are left a touch sticky. The abv is huge, but decently hidden, and the beer sips slowly, but nicely.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was its taste. This is actually our first taste of the “Demon” series, and it certainly did not disappoint. Samael brought it hard to the palate with massive bready sweetness, nicely matched oakiness, and strong booziness through the end of the sip. While things may have not been the most balanced and concise, the more noticeable inclusions of leather, light smoke, and plastics were happily welcomed to the party, integrating pleasantly amongst the general strength and bigness of this beer. Things calm down quite a bit with warmth, through both the nose and the taste, helping to keep it much, much closer to style and approachable. This guy is monstrous, and considering the abv alone, you should definitely fight off the darkness with some friends, or you just might get swallowed up in it.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 00:11:29 | More by TheBrewo

dalepryor

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

05-07-2013 22:29:51 | More by dalepryor

lowgear

California

4.14/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

2005 vintage.

Opened without fanfare in the kitchen. No carbonation. Dark ruby red color.
Smell- lots of alcohol and fruitcake.
Taste-very sweet, prune, bourbon, very sazerac.
This one really warms your innards.
One more of this vintage in the cellar.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 03:00:30 | More by lowgear

jplopez21

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +9.5%

05-06-2013 02:37:22 | More by jplopez21

blknikon

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +16%

04-30-2013 19:24:31 | More by blknikon

IPAchris

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +9.5%

04-29-2013 21:31:01 | More by IPAchris

hollywood_15063

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +16%

04-29-2013 00:01:57 | More by hollywood_15063

Devilman

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +9.5%

04-27-2013 22:38:58 | More by Devilman

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +9.5%

04-26-2013 15:32:58 | More by Jason1337

cantfindme

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +3.1%

04-21-2013 03:39:12 | More by cantfindme

Hoppy_McMalt

Washington

5/5  rDev +28.9%

04-16-2013 03:02:51 | More by Hoppy_McMalt

Kelp

New Hampshire

3.25/5  rDev -16.2%

04-15-2013 06:03:37 | More by Kelp

Pookie

Georgia

4/5  rDev +3.1%

04-10-2013 20:55:22 | More by Pookie

Beer21

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

04-09-2013 02:17:17 | More by Beer21

Pecan

California

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

04-08-2013 23:02:22 | More by Pecan

bulldogg915

Wyoming

3.25/5  rDev -16.2%

04-03-2013 14:45:21 | More by bulldogg915

DmouthCaliBrewz

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +3.1%

03-29-2013 07:13:53 | More by DmouthCaliBrewz

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.48/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle poured into a snifter. Bottled March 2010, Batch 6, 15.82% alcohol.

Appearance - Reddish brown with a temporary khaki head. Big bubbles that burst and disappear as soon as the beer settles. The thinnest of collars remains. I pulled back the pour as soon as I saw the chunks coming. At 15.82% alcohol, I didn't really need that last ounce anyway.

Smell - Woo that's oaky. Really nice character to the oak. Lots of vanilla. Lots of brown sugar and booze. Simply, but I'm liking it.

Taste - The oak character translates very nicely into the flavor. The vanilla flavors are amplified. It takes center stage for a moment. Then it becomes a little more monotone. Slightly fruity, slightly bitter, caramel. Nothing terribly exciting here. Could use a bit of depth. Booze and oak take over in the finish.

Mouthfeel - Pretty damn boozy, but at least it isn't overly sweet. I might reassess the sweetness halfway through the glass, but for now, it's not overpowering.

Overall - The nose was quite appealing and some of those flavors held through, but this beer might just be too big for its own good.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 01:23:30 | More by Alieniloquium

AdamHart22

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From a 12oz bottle into a tulip.

A - Dark as the devil's soul with hints of brown color when held up to the light. Head and lacing non-existent

S - Oil, molasses, wood. Great nose and my favorite part of the beer.

T - This needs to mellow... most likely for several years. Its just too much when its fresh out of the barrel - everything gets kind of muddy and actually tastes like I'd imagine oil would.

M - Heavy, sweet, and cloying. Like a barley wine mixed with... oil. Notice a theme here?

O - I'd pass on this unless you intent to cellar it for at least a year. I can tell there is potential for something epic but you need to give this guy some time to develop.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 18:49:12 | More by AdamHart22