For the Rodina!
Written: Jun 04 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent weight and ABV, complex flavor, all around excellent Imperial.
Cons: Coppery hop aftertaste tends to stick to the palette, ruining the bottle's endgame.
The Bottom Line: A full bodied, complex Imperial Stout marred by a too coppery hop flavor.
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| Action_Snark's Full Review: The Czar |
Avery Brewing of Boulder, Colorado is known for some absolutely monster beers. Bottled dreadnoughts like The Kaiser, The Reverend, Hog Heaven, and of course, The Beast are de rigeur for Avery. Avery's brew forgers have come up with yet another titan of a brew in The Czar. An imperial stout, The Czar boasts some rather impressive numbers, combined with a very impressive flavor.
First, the hard numbers on the 2004 batch of The Czar: 13% ABV, bitterness at 70 IBU, and a 1.107 original gravity. For those of you who don't know what that means, all those numbers basically add up to The Czar being a brew alcohol-heavy enough to be a serviceable rocket fuel, mildly bitter, and extremely thick.
A sip of The Czar is pretty much a case study in your basic high quality imperial stout. Nose is a very syrupy, slightly malt scent, with a sharp hint of ethanol. Surprisingly enough, the ethanol note in the scent is the only alcohol I was able to detect in smell or taste. Taste is a very complex combination of hops, maple sugar, dark coffee, molasses, and just a very, very slight hint of anise. Entry is a showcase of coppery Hallertau hop flavor, that slowly suffuses into the complex body. I found the body and finish to be most enjoyable, a very suitable bellywarmer for the recently freakish stormy Colorado nights. However, I found the entry was a bit disappointing, as the hop flavor tended to meld into, and then be overpowered by a clinging, coppery aftertaste. The overall finish was surpisingly crisp, but I felt as if I'd had heavy metals deposited upon my tongue after a few sips. The aftertaste literally clings to the mouth. Overall, the aftertaste was a mildly bitter maple sugar flavor, but it had downright overpowering copper overtones to it.
Overall, I felt the flavor was well-nigh excellent, and marred only by the excessively coppery aftertaste. The brew was of suitable gravity and alcohol content to do any Imperial Stout proud, and it's flavor was an excellent example of the 'alcoholic maple syrup' flavor that is so distinctive of imperials. Being the spoiled Colorado micro-snob that I am, I feel that The Czar is a high quality imperial, about half a notch above Left Hand's imperial stout offering. Left Hand's Imperial has been my utility infielder brew for those cold mountain nights that call for a thick, hearty beer. However, the Left Hand IS lacks that extra bit of character that The Czar contains.
Overall, I'd rate The Czar high on my list of Imperial Stouts. It's impressive ABV and OG ratings mark it as something of a challenge for beer conniseurs, but rest assured that I have found few finer companions than a roaring fire, a Gibson novel, and a bomber of The Czar to keep me warm and entertained in the midst of a chill front range night.
Recommended:
Yes
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Action_Snark
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