Alright. Rather than play on Party's obnoxious Monster tables tonight, I've decided to review more beer. Tonight's was Avery's Maharaja Imperial IPA.
My first experiences with the Avery brewery were underwhelming, so I didn't have my hopes up for this beer. After I really wasn't digging their beer when trying my favorite styles, I didn't have my hopes up for their super-IPA, which really has to be something special to impress me. Here's a picture of the bottle:
I paid a whopping $7.49 for this beer (22 oz). It weighs in at a hefty 9.9% ABV, though, so the buzz for your buck is still in the right ballpark. Here's a picture of it right after I poured it into my glass:
It has a nice amber color and a good head. It smells just like I'd expect from an IPA -- hops! I had the first half of this beer with dinner, a rib steak with a great horseradish sauce and a tomato and cucumber salad, and the second half on its own. I thought the hops might be good with the horseradish, but I wasn't sure. Anyway, on my first sip, I was pleasantly surprised. This was clearly the best beer from Avery I've tried. The hops come through with a good citrus and flowery flavor. The beer is a little sweeter than traditional IPAs, as I'd expect, but it's not as sweet as, say, the DFH 90. The flavors are well in line with what I'd expect with beers of this style, although I'd say it's dialed back from the DFH 90. Not quite as much hop flavor, and not quite as sweet. Consequently, I can't give it as good a rating. I give it [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and a half [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. It's definitely the beer from Avery that I'm most likely to buy again, but I don't think it stacks up well compared to the competition. One thing is for sure, though. This beer packs a whallop. I don't taste the alcohol much over the hops, but at this point, having just finished the bottle, I'm sure feeling it.