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Collaboration not
Litigation Ale
The opening
statement by the defense: (What the brewers want you to know)
“Salvation… the
name of two intricate Belgian-style ales, created by us Vinnie
Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing
and Adam Avery of Avery Brewing. After becoming friends a few years
ago, we realized that we both had a Salvation in our line-ups. Was
it going to be a problem? Should one of us relinquish the rights?
“Hell no!” we said. In fact, it was quickly decided that we should
blend the brews to catch the best qualities of each and create an
even more complex libation. In April 2004, in top-secret meeting at
Russian River Brewing (well actually it was packed in the pub, and many were looking
over our shoulders wondering what the hell was going on), we came up
with the perfect blend of the two Salvations. Natalie, Vinnie’s much
more significant other, exclaimed, “We should call this
Collaboration, not Litigation Ale!” “Perfect!” we shouted. We
celebrated deep into the night, (or is it morning?).”
“Fast forward to
November 14, 2006. After talking about it for over 2 years we finally decided to pull the
trigger and Vinnie flew out to Avery to brew his Salvation exactly
as he does in his brewery. This was blended with Avery’s Salvation
December
11th, 2006. We hope you enjoy it as much we enjoyed brewing and blending it.”
“All profits from
this joint venture will fund a return educational trip to Belgium with our bros Tomme (Port Brewing), Sam (Dogfish Head Brewing) and Rob (Allagash
Brewing). This pilgrimage will enable us to learn even more about
traditional brewing techniques to combine with our already strange
and unique styles here in America.”
The follow up by
the prosecution:
To do justice (pun
intended) to these tasting notes I was joined by two members of the
Kings County (Brooklyn) legal community. I will call them J.L. and Big Sam to protect the
guilty.
J.L. – “Not too
sweet… a smooth beer. My wife would like this!”
Big Sam – “If this
was a defendant I would have the charges read excessive richness
with an added count of being well balanced”
My notes:
Appearance: A deep,
dense red garnet brew that is topped with a rocky, sandy tan head.
Aroma: A green
grass, not yet mowed, aroma is subtly supported by a general grain
impression.
Mouth feel: The
fairly full mouth feel is accented with some carbonation but not
enough to affect the flavor.
Flavor: This is a
full flavored brew that must be sampled at cellar temperature (50F)
to be appreciated. Served at bar temperature (40F +-) the flavors
develop from pleasantly well balanced and dangerously quaffable to
fullness combining chocolate, caramel and molasses dancing with
sweet/sour counterpoint of green apple aroma and flavor and the
resonance of fresh green tree leaves on a warm spring afternoon.
Finish: The finish
at bar temperature is remarkable refreshing with little sweet malty
cloy or harsh alcohol. When allowed to warm to cellar temperature
the finish is equally well balanced but with many more layers of
flavors to enjoy.
VITAL STATISTICS:
Beer Style: Blended Belgian-style Strong Ale
OG: 1.079
Alcohol by Volume: 8.99%
Brewery Site:
http://www.averybrewing.com/BigBeers/seasonal/CollaborationnotLitigationAle
What others say:
RateBeer:
http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer/avery-collaboration-not-litigation/68829/
041407 |