Having started with Brabant of the Avery barrel series, I was immediately in love. That was the first of the series, and I began my quest for their second one with no luck. The same was true of the Black Tot until the gallant Sir Peter of Simply Beer rode his postal steed and sent me a bottle. First and foremost, I really have to thank him for his generosity. I’ve yet to send him anything, although he sent me this, a homebrew, and Captain’s Golden Delicious. It was a very generous gift, and I really appreciate him for it (and in general). Here is my take on the brew.
The Pour: As an Oatmeal Stout of 10.65%, this was a foreboding, black, and viscous ale. Upon pouring, I noticed its dense body with a minor amount of quickly fading head retention. The head itself was finely carbonated and brown…I wish it would have stuck around for the whole show.
The Nose: Whatever else may be said about Avery’s barrel aged beers, they are, at a minimum, very interesting. The nose on this was no exception. I noted a definite horse blanket/wet dog quality on the nose…natural bretts? A sour juiciness was present, along with some balancing sweet touches. Bits of caramel and dry coffee countered hints of rum and alcohol warmth. Very interesting and very nice. The oats were minor but present.
The Taste: Upon the first sip of the beer, the barrel was evident. Touches of smoke, a very small hint of Rum (more as the beer warmed), and a lactic sour milkiness were immediate characteristics. A sour juicy oatmeal stout wouldn’t seem to work on the surface but it really worked well and interestingly for the beer. The oats were chewy and filled out body (along with a touch of sweet), balancing the higher alcohol tones (which were a little vinous). A dry roasted coffee finish along with rais0nish sherry and caramel tones finished out the brew.
Overall, the brew was very unique and interesting. It seems that this trend in the Avery barreled beers is not going to change through the series. Personally, I enjoyed this beer, but it’s probably not for everyone. The sour milkiness might take the drinker back a bit. It is, after all, a unique beer.
Rumor is a lot of these bottles have gone bad. I wonder of the sourness in this one was the start of if it was meant to be that way. I have a bottle that I’m going to open soon.
[Reply]
I haven’t tried this from the bottle, but I did go to the release. They had tastes of the beer aged in stainless steel, plain oak, rum barrels, and whiskey barrels. The rum was the best of the bunch, but both the rum and whiskey were almost overpowering in flavor. I’d like to try it a few months on and see how the rum aged. Hopefully those bottles weren’t ruined. It would be a shame.
[Reply]
@Dave & Bazin,
Any time people use barrels, they are risking bacterial aspects in their beer. Honestly, I liked the beer and it wasn’t at all out of tune with the beer. Apparently, the rum has receded because it wasn’t big at all. I’m not sure about the intentionality of the sourness but I enjoyed it.
[Reply]
Thanks for both of the comments. Dave, let me know how your bottle is.
[Reply]
Mike, your most welcome. I got another unexpectedly in the mail a couple weeks after I sent you my last one. Good beer Karma???
Glad you enjoyed it, I thought it was pretty killer, although mine had a ton of Rum in the nose and flavor. Here are my 2 cents on the Black Tot
http://www.simplybeer.com/blog/2010/02/15/avery-black-tot/
[Reply]
Quite possible on the Karma. It seems when you are generous, people want to be generous to you. I really liked the beer.
[Reply]