I’ve had this little guy before, but there’s nothing little about it. It is a barleywine, after all. When you pour it in a glass the piny smell from the hops is suffocatingly strong — not a bad thing. On the bottle Avery says it uses 2.5 pounds of Columbus hops per barrel. I’m guessing they aren’t lying. Columbus hops average about 12 percent alpha acid, which is on the high end for hops. It’s a deep amber color with a tannish head. Aggressively bitter from start to finish. This beer stays with you for eons. Each sip is like a delicious, mild whiskey shot, though at 9.2 percent alcohol, it settles much easier. It’s also not whiskey, but the sensation is similar to me. The bite is strongest right in the middle and then it subsides, leaving you with the hoppy aroma that rises back to your nostrils as you breath out. I picked it up on sale at Whole Foods for about five bucks. I think it’s normally about seven for a 1 pint, 6 ounce bottle. I held it up to the light to hopefully give you a good shot of the color.










