Avery Brewing Company

StoneTSR

Colorado

3.95/5  rDev -7.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | food: 2 | $

The Avey IPA is widely available in the Chicago area, so I am quite familiar with it and fond of it, but the other brews from Avery (aside from Ellie's Brown) can be tough to find.

So, when the girlfriend and I recently travelled to Boulder, CO we had to make a stop and check out some of their other offerings. Much to my delight, their tap list was extensive and delicious. The Maharaja (which I will review sometime very soon) was amazing and the rest of the beers all impressed us both.

The trip to the brewery confirmed to me that Avery is one of the op-notch breweries in the country. Plus, they had some pretty great gear. A good looking t-shirt for me and a tank top for the girlfriend that I LOVE to see her in. Yes, we are beer geeks.

Although the tasting room is in a fairly strange location (kind of an industrial park-type area), the outdoor tables provide a nice atmosphere during the warmer months and the inside is gorgeous, with a shiny wooden bar and a nice collection of classy pictures and maps throughout. It feels like a wine tasting room.

One major drawback, however, is the lack of food. We had to order from a place across the street (or alley maybe?). Another minor drawback, although the bartender was very helpful and friendly, our server seemed overworked and let it show. She was short, not very informative and more concered with turning tables than with allowing people to enjoy their expeience there.

We are looking at Boulder as a possible future home, and if we end up there, we will certainly be returning on a regular basis. World class beer at great prices.

11-11-2010 22:54:21 | More by StoneTSR

h0ppster

District of Columbia

4.79/5  rDev +12.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75 | $$

The staff are incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and ready to serve you. Price is totally reasonable for the quality of product. The brewery tour is fun and informative for both those that brand new to brewing and those that have a ton of experience. If you're in Denver or Boulder you should add this one to your list.

05-14-2013 16:51:14 | More by h0ppster

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.28/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

finally made it to avery on a day when it wasnt too crowded to enter the palce. its quite big inside, tucked back in an industrial park. few rooms, lots of people, outside seating area, maybe 15 or more taps, huge selection. all the beers were obviously fantastic, and there is always a few exclusive beers there that they dont bottle, which is great. the range was impressive, and the service was kind and good for how busy it was. prices were totally reasonable, food looked good, but we didnt eat, and it was just a great place to hole up for the afternoon and sample fine beers. definitely check it out if you make it to boulder, this place has it all, and the beer speaks for itself.

11-04-2012 16:46:01 | More by StonedTrippin

merc7186

New York

4.36/5  rDev +2.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | $$

Visited on 10/10/12. GABF Week (Stop #2 of the day)

A: Very cool place, a little hard to find as it is buried in the middle of a business park. The front tasting room is your typical tasting room with a bar that could maybe 10-12 patrons and tables that could hold another 50-60. We drank in the Back Bar area which is where they store the barrels, which was just cool as hell.

Q: Mind you that we went during GABF week and they were breaking out specialty and retired beers every couple of hours, most of them were just solid as can be.

S: Service was decent...when we arrived the place was about 1/3 full and the bartenders/servers were mildly attentive but friendly and knowledgeble. A funny thing was they were even excited to try some of the retired/specialty beers being released too.

S: Best Selection the entire trip. They were serving easily 30 different beers that covered the gambit in styles.

V: Some beers were slightly high but for the most part were reasonably valued. We paid more for the rare releases which were totally worth it.

Overall, even if you have no plans to go to Boulder...make some then hit Avery.

10-15-2012 12:54:15 | More by merc7186

bradybeer

California

4.78/5  rDev +12.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

Stop #2 of my CO beer vacation.

Even though our GPS sent us on a long roundabout path to Avery Brewing this is actually located on a road that cuts through Boulder.

Walking into the tap room the bar is located straight ahead and the seating area is to the left of the bar. There are also a few tables located in the barrel room (more on this a little later). Needless to say this beer destination was busy on a rainy Saturday night. My wife and I were able to score one of the few tables in the barrel room which was a wonderful, intimate, and sedate area of the brewery.

Our server was great and helped us to pick out a mega sampler. I recall we tasted the following brews; 19 Anniversary Ale (Belgian Triple), IPA, Buddha’s Hand (a stand out Belgian Pale Ale), Collaboration not Litigation Ale (Belgian String Dark, again a stand out), Ellie’s Brown Ale, Hog Heaven Barley Wine (a solid sedate BW), Maharaja (Double IPA, had another pint of this), Salvation, The Reverend, and a sour beer along the line of Rodenbach.

Being able to sit among the barrels with my wife was a very good experience as we ere able to carry on a great conversation away from the hustle and bustle of the main bar area.

They did have food but we didn’t try any but what I saw looked good.

If you are in Boulder you really do need to make this a destination.

07-18-2012 14:32:56 | More by bradybeer

Rayek

Colorado

4.05/5  rDev -4.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

The last time I hit Avery, they hadn't remodeled their Tap Room. The expanded space is a nice update from the original. Inside, there's plenty of space and a large bar hosting 20 or so taps. There are lots of Tap Room Only beers to be had at any given time to provide encouragement to stop by.

Being in an industrial park doesn't help the exterior ambiance. The outdoor tables are basically in a parking lot. The vibe of the crowd; however, more than makes up for it. Avery has a deal with the catering company on the other side of the lot to provide food service. I haven't ordered, but friends of mine speak very highly of them. Service is good. The staff is friendly, knows the regulars well and is generally knowledgeable about the day's beers.

Overall, I'm glad I came back here. There are rumors afoot of Avery moving to a space that's easier to access and where they can prepare their own food. In the meantime, I'm quite happy with what they've got.

11-12-2011 22:21:35 | More by Rayek

MsRif

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +5.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I am so glad we got to try out Avery while in the area. It was EXTREMELY crowded...but that is to be expected for a place of this caliber. The tap selection was absolutely awesome. I didn't try everything on tap simply because Avery is pretty big in the Philly area, and a lot of it I had sampled before. However, I tried to get a sample of everything I hadn't tried...I think all told I ended up with about 15 samples. I definitely needed a nap afterwards, but it was worth it. All of the beers were EXCELLENT. I savored every one of them. The service here was decent considering the hoards of people who were there.

Atmosphere was not terrible...a little bit of that Boulder college-vibe going on which isn't the best...but overall, I liked the atmosphere. I would certainly visit Avery time and time again if I lived near it.

My only suggestion would be to try and go at an "off" hour. The crowd is really the only problem with this place. I think we went in the early evening on a weekend...if you can get in for lunch on a weekday, you might fare better with the crowd. Of course...this place is popular for a reason. I hope to go back again soon!

10-26-2011 00:38:18 | More by MsRif

jwhancher

Pennsylvania

4.88/5  rDev +14.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

Came here the Monday after GABF. Tucked away in a somewhat narrow industrial park. Not hard to miss due to excellent signage. Like to see pallets of empty cans parked in the the front lot and workers doing their thing. Felt easily connected to the place within arriving.

Out if this world selection. As someone who hasn't tried many of Avery's beers up til now, I stuck with most of their taproom exclusives. Everything I tried except for maybe one beer was outstanding.

Dug the taproom setup but could imagine it gets packed during busy times. Liked the various magazine articles and clippings scattered throughout.

Service was excellent as the bartender explained a lot of the beers and went out of his way to make us feel welcome and well served. Talked to another server who was from around Philly. Overall, a very friendly & pleasant staff who had nothing but great words for working there.

Thought the prices were very reasonable. Used my AHA card for a nice discount. Didn't try the food but someone else's sandwich looked appetizing.

Would definitely like to come back for some more great brews and a tour of the facility.

10-14-2011 02:16:32 | More by jwhancher

FrankenBeerStein

Colorado

3.25/5  rDev -23.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 1 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

FINALLY made the trip to the tap room and was horribly disappointed. Love Avery beers, and they had a good selection on tap, which was nearly impossible to get anything from. Yes, it was busy, and being a small tap room didn't help, but none of the staff seemed interested in doing much of anything but wandering around talking to each other. The food was good, and the beer is always awesome, but having to literally hunt down and grab someone every time you want anything is not worth it at all. Myself, and the three people I was with agreed....next time we want to enjoy some delicious Avery beer, we go to the liquor store to get it.

10-07-2011 00:59:30 | More by FrankenBeerStein

DividedAvery

Colorado

4.33/5  rDev +1.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

This is my favorite brewery around. The bartenders are lovely people, the atmosphere is great and they have a catering company next door that delivers to the tap room making for a great overall experience. My favorite would be the sweet potato tater tots. Delicious. Back to the beer though, every Friday they release a new beer on draft and always have some cask ales to try. I can't say enough about the people that work there though they are truly some of the best. If you are nearby, come through, it is definitely worth the trip.

10-05-2011 18:48:22 | More by DividedAvery