The Czar - Avery Brewing Company

Hello Comrades!

You're probably wondering why I called you "comrades". Well, that's easy. I'm drinking The Czar from Avery Brewing Company out of Boulder Colorado. What's the Czar? The Czar is an 10.57% abv Imperial Stout, part of their Dictator Series. This particular bottle is from batch no. 10, November 2011. I've had this beer years ago and honestly, don't remember much about it. So I don't know about you, but I'm ready to do some Friday night drinking. Let me get this poured and I'll give you my thoughts on The Czar.

Comrades! The Czar pours out pretty dark but surprisingly not pitch black for a stout. There's about a finger of a beige head that really doesn't stick around very long. The retention time is pretty minimal and the lacing left behind is almost non-existent. Sort of surprising. There are some mahogany hues around the bottom of the glass but that's about it. This looks like a fairly standard stout, albeit not pitch black as night. Let's get the nose on the Czar.

Wow, first thing I get is a really sugary, dark fruit. Like some raisins that have been candied. The label says this is brewed with some candied currants and frankly, that's got to be where this is coming from. Really nice to get that immediately. There's a really nice caramel sweetness that follows behind this dark fruit that really makes things pop. I get some brown sugar sweetness. Again, playing perfectly off the currants and the caramel. Not a lot of roast up front which is fine. I'm really digging this initial blast of dark fruits, berries and sweetness. There's a rum-like alcohol presence here that really lends itself to what's going on. It's not overpowering which I'm guessing it might be fresh, but it's definitely letting you know it's lurking. Really just a nice smelling Imperial Stout. I'm ready. Let's drink!

Right up front, that caramel sweetness hits you. Some vanilla, a bit of what I'd maybe classify as a milk chocolate is present. The alcohol I was getting on the nose definitely shows up in the middle of this one. Kind of pushing the sweetness through the entire palate. Back end of this beer you get those currants, lots of them. That's paired up nicely with the roast that I was expecting but didn't pick up on the smell. Really roasty on the back end and in the back of the throat. You get a little bit of an alcohol prickle on the back end as well. For being about 2 years old, this beer still packs a bit of a punch with that alcohol. It's enjoyable though, not overpowering whatsoever. It definitely warms a bit as it makes it's way down the chest.

As I let it warm a bit more, the sweetness comes out even more. The alcohol definitely gets a little more noticeable as well. The currants are still present and definitely come out more as the beer warms. This one just gets better and better. No complaints here.

So overall, The Czar is just fantastic. Kind of reminds me a little bit of Black Butte XXV but on a lesser level. Everything in this beer co-exists in perfect harmony. Two years on the shelf definitely made this beer better. I may go buy more of these if they have any left. I paid just over $7 for the bomber and I'd say this is easily worth $12 or so. Do yourself a favor, pick up The Czar if you can get it. Stash it away for a bit. If you can find one like I did with age on it, grab it immediately and get drinking. You'll definitely be glad you did.

Rating: A

Here is a video of my wife trying The Czar.

Deschutes Brewery - The Abyss (2012 Reserve)

Happy New Year! Been a few weeks since my last review. December is always a busy month here. Lots of work, important dates, holidays, etc. Just chaos!

I'm back now though, back tonight with my final 2013 Beer of the Month beer. It's a big one too. The beer is a big one... get your minds out of the gutters!

Tonight I'm drinking The Abyss from Deschutes Brewery. This isn't the new Abyss, oh no. This is the 2012 edition! I've had this stashed away for a year, just waiting for the chance to crack it open and get my mind blown by such an epic beer. I had The Abyss a couple years ago and was completely blown away by this, fresh. But now, with a year of age in our pockets, I think this is going to be amazing.

For those that don't know The Abyss, it's an absolute beast. The 2012 reserve is 11% abv with a best AFTER date of 11/1/13. Brewed with black strap molasses, licorice, with cherry bark and vanilla added, that wasn't enough. 6% of this is aged in Oak bourbon barrels. 11% is aged in Oak barrels. And lastly, 11% is aged in oak wine barrels. So yeah, barrel aged and blended... not much better than that. So now that you've been properly introduced to the Abyss, let's get it poured and I'll give you my thoughts.

The Abyss pours out completely pitch black. No light shines through the Abyss. In fact, I think this devours the light. I'm pretty sure it's getting darker in here just with this beer poured sitting on my desk. There's about a finger of a fluffy mocha colored head. Very rocky and thick. Dissipates pretty quickly and leaves behind a very sticky lacing. An awesome looking beer and honestly, anything less doesn't deserve to be called The Abyss. Let's get the nose.

HUGE chocolate covered raisins. HUGE molasses. The black strap molasses cannot be missed in this beer. HUGE oak. A slight hint of that cherry bark. Very woody smelling. Big vanilla sweetness. Lots of dark fruits that play so well with the dark chocolate notes in this beer. There's a really nice sweet bourbon coming through that gives off the slightest hint of alcohol. For being aged a year now, the alcohol that you'd get fresh is almost gone. This is easily one of the best smelling beers I've ever had put in front of me. I'm almost drooling here so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to do some drinking.... and clean up a little.

HO-LEE-SHIT! Absolutely incredible. Right away you get those chocolate covered raisins. Lots of them. That is immediately pushed aside by incredibly bitter dark chocolate, espresso like bitterness runs wild here. Running wild like fucking Hulkamania right now! Along the sides you get the barrel characters. Lots of woody, oak flavors. Earthy like the cherry bark would be expected to be. Back end of this you get more of the oak barrel, along with some subtle vanilla sweetness, a hint of a good tobacco, maybe even some leather. Just an absolute beast of a beer. The 11% is no where to be found here. The year of aging has done this beer wonders! As I let it warm up a bit more I get more of the cherry and even notice a bit more of that Oak Wine barrel. It definitely gives off more of a sweeter fruit, maybe even a slight berry character without the tartness. Really awesome.

So overall, The Abyss from Deschutes is nothing short of incredible, probably perfect. This is an absolute must have for any beer geek, especially one who likes stouts and what barrel aging can do for a beer, or how blending the beer can set everything off to a whole new level of awesome. Honestly, I can't do this beer justice. Do yourself a favor, pick up the 2013 reserve and stash it until after the date on the bottle. You'll be glad you did.

Rating: A+