We’ve been drinking lots of stouts, porters, and Belgians lately, so I decided that we should sample something a little more hoppy this time around. We hadn’t sampled an IPA in a while, so why not make up for that and pick a double IPA! (We could start a whole post on the double IPA vs Imperial IPA thing, but we’ll save that for another day.) When I stumbled upon the Avery Maharaja, I thought that would make an excellent candidate to drink and talk about a bit. Here’s what we thought.
Rick 
When I read the description of this beer I knew this was right up Dan and Heather’s alley. I also knew that this was either going to be hit or miss for me. Upon opening the bottle the first thing I noticed is the strong hop smell. It poured a nice orange color, and as the smell dictated, the first taste was aggressively hoppy. It wasn’t really a complete taste. To me, it was very singular in its flavor. My initial thought was this wasn’t for me, but as I drank it, I felt it growing on me… just a little bit though. If you are a hop head, this should be high on your list. If however, you prefer a more balanced and complete flavor to your beer like me, then I can not recommend.
Dan 
The Maharaja poured a cloudy, murky, amber color with a big, fluffy white head. As I smelled it, I picked up an almost Belgiany/yeasty smell that was surprising. The Maharaja is a strong beer in many ways. The alcohol is potent as are the hops. While the alcohol might be strong, it is hidden well by the malty finish (Watch out!). I thought I picked up a kind of syrupy fruit taste in the finish that kind of reminded me of a barleywine I recently tried. This is a beer for hop heads! As I consider myself to be just that, I really enjoyed this offering.
Heather 
This is one of my favorite Imperial/Double IPAs. With a murky light amber color, and a fluffy white head, I took a a good long sniff and picked up a sweet banana aroma. The taste had a hefty amount of bitter hops that overtook most of the sweetness. However, the banana still held up. The finish was dryer than I expected, but still maintained the flavors of the beer – my favorite way to finish a sip. With an ABV of over 10%, it should have tasted stronger than it did, but it didn’t. Be careful with this kingly brew, it may overtake you before you ever realize what’s happening!
Pingback: Tweets that mention Avery Maharaja | Extended Pints -- Topsy.com