Avery Brewing - Hog Heaven [Dry-Hopped Barleywine-Style Ale] (22oz ---> Stemless wineglass : 9.2% ABV : 104 IBU)
"When pigs fly..." One often hears those words when encountering a challenge, so seeing the graphic of these hogs in their respective heaven, it was an inviting "challenge" from the beer that blankly stared back into my eyes... Challenging me to what, I couldn't precisely depict, but at that point it didn't matter... 'Cause the stars aligned and as I snatched the bottle from the shelf I bold proclaimed, in the immortal words of Barney Stinson - "Challenge, accepted!!"
Poured a beautiful reddish/amber hue with great clarity, sitting beneath a 1.5 inch head composed of mostly large bubbles, and what looked to be nice thick lacing… Without any effort, the aroma of sweet hops had found it's way up my nose as I let the beer rest, while noting it's decent retention - anxiously awaiting to see what else was in store… The smell of sweet hoppyness was EXTREMELY present, while letting hints of grapefruit sneak through… After the first sip, in comparison to other Barleywine Ale's I'd encountered, this one is much subtler than I had anticipated, and not in a bad way at all…
Immediately the hops were their to present their sweet selves but were subdued by a mildly sweet, malty backbone, which added great structure to this multilayered gem… Now to my favorite part of this brew - the finish… It's dry-hopped, so I expected the bitterness to be less-prevalent, but I noticed the IBUs were at a healthy 104… With minimal carbonation it had a devilishly smooth finish - And with that finish came the DANK!! This beer sits second only to Solemn Oath's "Kidnapped By Vikings" on the dank levels, but the way that it integrated itself amongst all the other components of this beer was simply fantastic… The dry, yet subtly bitter finish is a great closing to each sip of this brew, and its' drinkability only induces your taste buds to beckon for more!! Overall, this is one of the better beers I've come across in my life, let alone in this particular style… The way each aspect of the beer lends itself to compliment the other aspects is magnificent and I would suggest this beverage to any beer enjoying adult!! Another good brew - Cheers!!
Immediately the hops were their to present their sweet selves but were subdued by a mildly sweet, malty backbone, which added great structure to this multilayered gem… Now to my favorite part of this brew - the finish… It's dry-hopped, so I expected the bitterness to be less-prevalent, but I noticed the IBUs were at a healthy 104… With minimal carbonation it had a devilishly smooth finish - And with that finish came the DANK!! This beer sits second only to Solemn Oath's "Kidnapped By Vikings" on the dank levels, but the way that it integrated itself amongst all the other components of this beer was simply fantastic… The dry, yet subtly bitter finish is a great closing to each sip of this brew, and its' drinkability only induces your taste buds to beckon for more!! Overall, this is one of the better beers I've come across in my life, let alone in this particular style… The way each aspect of the beer lends itself to compliment the other aspects is magnificent and I would suggest this beverage to any beer enjoying adult!! Another good brew - Cheers!!
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