This year, Avery Brewing celebrates its fifteenth anniversary, and as they’ve done for the last five or so years, they’re releasing a special anniversary ale, this one named “Fifteen.” The last few I’ve had have been quite wonderful and this year’s beer promises more of the same. According to the label, it’s a “refreshingly tart, fruity funky farmhouse ale brewed with black mission figs, hibiscus flowers and white pepper” and “fermented with 100% brettanomyces.”
From the press release:
For the past couple of years, we’ve been working with several strains of brettanomyces (wild yeast). We found one and deemed it the best for its tart flavor and funky, fruity aroma. Adding black mission figs for a subtle jammy aspect, hibiscus flowers for an herbal bouquet and hazy sunset hue, and white pepper for a bit of spicy twang, we’ve created FIFTEEN — a unique drinking experience inspired by the wild farmhouse ales of Belgium. Though immensely complex today, more flavors will emerge with time, so throw a few bottles in your cellar for future celebrations.
It will be available beginning May 5 in 22 oz. bottles, but you can get some before that by attending the Fifteen Release Party at the Avery Tasting Room on Wednesday, April 30th from 4-7 pm. Tickets will be $10.
So… No big hops, then. Interesting…
Maybe because the “sour” range is a cheaper cost input? And, by the way, that looks really good.
Is it really that much cheaper to brew a 100% brett beer than a really hoppy ale? I was under the impression that brett’s a really slow worker, so those fermenters would have been tied up for a fairly long time. With the cost of real estate out here, at least, the overhead needed to undertake a brew like this would more than make up for the few pounds of hops you saved on…
I quite happily admit I know nothing about these things but I would have thought “fermented with 100% brettanomyces” means that this is not a beer that is made otherwise and stored in an infected cask in a more traditional manner but Potentially made in a more revved up way. I would be as happy to be corrected but not as happy as I would be to get my hands on a few of these.
Just throwing the thought out there. I’m just happy to know that my initial thought upon reading the title (“Great, another 15% abv beer?”) was totally off the mark.