Avery Brewing Company- Eighteen (Anniversary Ale): It Just Sounded Soooo Good!!
Friday, September 9, 2011 at 1:03PM | by Jason 
A few weeks back at the Midwest Brewers Fest, I snuck a little taste of Stone’s 15th Anniversary and was in love. Since then, I have been calling around trying to find myself some and have had zero luck. It was seriously starting to depress me that I would never get to experience that joy I felt with that tiny 2 ounce sample. I figured that I would make one last attempt this past weekend. I was participating in the annual American Legion pancake breakfast as I do every year and once the cooking was done I figured that I would try the Binny’s in St. Charles to see if they happened to have any. I was expecting to hear no, but instead the guy said, “Oh yeah we got a ton!” Wow, that was a shock, so I decided to make a little bit of a detour on my way home to collect some bottles of the black. So I bet you are wondering what this has to do with Avery’s Eighteen (Anniversary Ale), I’m getting to it. I was walking along the long beer isle when I spotted a couple of stacked cases of Avery’s Eighteen (Anniversary Ale); I quickly picked up a bottle to see what style it was. Once I read Dry-Hopped Rye Saison, I was hooked! I grabbed the bottle of Avery’s and found the Stone 15th, picked up 4 bottles and made my way to the register. I am intrigued by Avery’s Eighteen, it wasn’t long ago that I didn’t much care for Saisons but I have come to have a great appreciation for the style.
Avery Brewing Company classifies this brew as a Dry-Hopped Rye Saison Ale and their website describes Eighteen (Anniversary Ale) as, “For this year’s celebratory brew, we decided to focus on the characteristics that certain yeasts bring to the party. Each of the five Belgian yeasts selected adds its own unique aspect to the flavor and aroma of this Saison. The hefty addition of rye helps dry this beauty out and lends another spicy component to the flavor. And for added fun, we dry-hopped it, too! Take your time and smell and taste the complexities that Eighteen has to offer.”
Eighteen pours a murky caramel color with a 1” beige head. The aroma is spicy, Belgian yeast, fruit and a slight citrus scent.
One of the things I really enjoy about Saisons is that they have a nice spiciness to them. When I read that this was going to be a Rye Saison I figured that there would be an extra bit of spice in the flavor. I was wrong. There is a much stronger sweet malt presence than I had expected out of Eighteen. According to Avery there is a proprietary blend of five Belgian yeasts but the typical flavor of the Belgian yeast is not quite coming through for me as it is faint. This brew is more fruity and malty sweet and really doesn’t remind me of your typical Saison. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad but to me, it’s not quite a Saison. I really had high hopes for this brew; I was thinking that maybe it might hold up to the likes of the Stone 15th Anniversary but that wasn’t the case. I wanted to love it, I wanted to be impressed with a Dry-Hopped Rye Saison…sadly, Avery’s Eighteen isn’t it. Here’s to hoping that the 19th Anniversary Ale is something a little more enjoyable.
ABV: 8.12%
Consumed: Trinity Brewing Company Stemmed Glass
Verdict: Buy a Six Pack
