Meretrix - Avery Brewing Company

rye726

Colorado

4.22/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into snifter. Bottle ran about $10. After being fairly familiar with the rest of the beers in this series, I was expecting a lightly sour, mostly funky wild ale with lots of barrel presence. Well, there was a good amount of barrel character, but this was the first of the series that is adequately sour. Good job Avery, way to get one right. It took you long enough! Well balanced, nice complexity. Crisp clean body. Good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 21:16:50 | More by rye726

drummermattie02

Texas

4/5  rDev -7.2%

05-13-2013 14:31:09 | More by drummermattie02

vonnegut21

New York

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%

02-20-2013 01:48:32 | More by vonnegut21

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.5/5  rDev -42%

01-17-2013 22:58:30 | More by Thorpe429

drabmuh

Maryland

3.48/5  rDev -19.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Served with all the other Avery beers. Beer is amber with a tan / off white head, small bubbles, low retention.

Aroma is cherries and some acetic notes. A little bite.

The tartness of the cherries almost plays well with the bite from the acetic but overall this beer is over the hill and going down. Drink them now, they aren't getting any better.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 17:48:38 | More by drabmuh

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.33/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a tulip. Bottled Jun 29, 2011.

3.0 A: Moderately hazed medium amber color. Short lived fizzy off-white head.

3.5 S: Big cherry notes right from the start. Moderately tart with a potent helping of acetic acid. Plum, raisin, mixed berry, and pomagranate fruits. Caramel maltiness with vinous grape. Mildly earthy with a tough of musty funk and some outdoorsy dirtiness. Lightly tannic with soft vanilla and oak notes. Booze is well hidden.

3.5 T: Again tart cherries lead the way. More funky and less fruity than the nose, though the fruits mentioned are still easily discernable. Vinous grape is a lot more apparent though. Caramel, hints of brown sugar, and toastiness. Moderate acetic acid and a surprisingly amount of tangy lactic acid. Basement must funk predominates. Tannic astringency is a little stronger than I'd like, but it's not too distracting. Booze is also apparent in the taste, but again, not too distracting. Lots of oak and a mild vanilla.

3.0 M: Medium body. Moderate carbonation, but it's a little too bity for my liking. Also lacking creaminess.

3.0 D: Decent beer, but it's a little too unrefined. More astringency than I'd like, harsh carbonation, and not enough flavor integration. Might be better with more time, but it's still a little rough right now.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 05:17:08 | More by DavoleBomb

bauermj

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%

10-19-2012 19:43:03 | More by bauermj

MarkyMOD

Colorado

4/5  rDev -7.2%

09-10-2012 03:38:35 | More by MarkyMOD

CelticAleMan

California

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%

08-16-2012 17:49:52 | More by CelticAleMan

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

4.75/5  rDev +10.2%

08-03-2012 13:28:35 | More by beerwolf77

tdjb

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%

07-19-2012 23:12:42 | More by tdjb

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

4.18/5  rDev -3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into a tulip

A: Hazy almost murky mix of red/orange/brown with a finger of white bubbles that quickly recedes to a ring.

S: Huge sour cherry aroma with some musty funk and tartness. I get some spices in the way of nutmeg as well.

T: A bit more dry than I was expecting, lactic acid mixes with sour cherry in a pleasant and moderate way. I get quite a bit of vinous qualities as well. Everything mixes very well together.

M: A bit thicker than average with strong but appropriate carbonation.

O: Very nice. Great balance of lactic sourness with sour cherry, funk, and vinous qualities. Not overly complex, but very good.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 00:08:29 | More by coreyfmcdonald

Mora2000

Texas

4.23/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to someone for sharing this at the DFW-area Beer Advocate tasting at the Addison Flying Saucer in August 2011.

The beer pours an orange color with a white head. The aroma is heavy on the sour cherries with a good dose of brown sugar thrown in. The flavor is similar. There is a ton of sour cherry, as well as quite a bit of vinegar, some oak and some brown sugar. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 21:35:42 | More by Mora2000

kscaldef

Oregon

3.95/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours copper, just slightly brown. Minimal head and retention. Aromas of cherry and wine dominate, with earthy blackberry undertones. Intensely sour flavors of pie cherries and lemon. Just enough bitterness to finish clean. Another nice beer in the Avery barrel-aged series.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 20:49:09 | More by kscaldef

Romulux

Michigan

4/5  rDev -7.2%

05-20-2012 18:22:59 | More by Romulux

goosewhisperer

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%

04-22-2012 18:43:21 | More by goosewhisperer

leschkie

California

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%

04-19-2012 03:35:30 | More by leschkie

WeisGuy

New York

4/5  rDev -7.2%

03-31-2012 20:33:46 | More by WeisGuy

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

One of the more sour of this series. Near-wine, the taste is here but you know its not wine itself. Reddish colour, disappearing head. Above average mouthfeel, a sipper and good drinkability with a full meal. Very good creation, and worth seeking out for sour fans. Wine fumes.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 03:55:20 | More by northyorksammy

buffs9

Colorado

4/5  rDev -7.2%

02-12-2012 23:31:43 | More by buffs9

RSchaeffer

New Hampshire

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%

01-29-2012 20:22:30 | More by RSchaeffer

tlbarsh

California

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%

01-11-2012 09:00:23 | More by tlbarsh

imperialking

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%

01-08-2012 23:11:24 | More by imperialking

leprakhan

California

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%

12-30-2011 09:02:23 | More by leprakhan

Beerontwowheels

Maryland

4.53/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle dated 06/29/11. Poured into an Avery Genua glass.

A: A healthy pour displays a lightly caramel coloured beer with absolutely no head. Carbonation is present, but must be searched out.

S: A fine sour funk emanates from the glass. This one is brewed with sour cherries and aged in cabernet barrels. The aroma is very intense, both sour and sweet. Beyond the sour notes I pick up scents of cotton candy fresh spun at the fair.

T: This one packs a tart punch, just what I want in a barrel aged sour. My jaw instantly tightened after taking in the first sip. Wine like characteristics are certainly present, pretty much expected after learning this beer spends two years in a cab barrel. Very sweet and tart and the flavor thankfully lingers for several minutes after each sip.

M: The carbonation is light and prickly. This is light to medium bodied, the sweet characters leaning towards medium. Very pleasant.

O: Yet another Avery Barrel Aged Series that impresses the hell out of me. Eremita, Immitis, Rumpkin and now Meretrix. The guys at Avery know what they're doing and I commend them for this fine BA sour.

(If this were widely distributed and packaged in 6 packs, I'd easily buy 2 cases a year. I'll be hunting more of this down for sure.)

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 02:06:01 | More by Beerontwowheels