Beer Review: Tweak – Avery Brewing
A whiskey barrel-aged imperial stout loaded with espresso, Tweak delivers bold flavor, surprising balance, and a reason to slow down and savor every sip.
Story by:
B.A. Cortelletti
Avery Brewing‘s beers always stand out on the shelf. In part because they’re hard to find in my part of Florida, but also because of the big, red “A” on every can. Nothing from Avery has ever let me down, so if I come across something from them, I grab it. But beyond Avery’s iconic can logo, there is another signal of quality that screams, this beer will be special. That would be the gold foil that adorns the tops of bottles of their barrel-aged beers, also branded with the indistinguishable, red “A.” Whether it be Rumpkin, Xolotl, or Old Grumbler, Avery’s barrel-aged beers are a class of their own. For that reason, I was thrilled to receive a review sample of Tweak, one of Avery’s most well-loved imperial stouts.
Tweak is a whiskey-barrel-aged imperial stout heavily adjuncted with espresso beans. The beer was originally released in 2013 to great acclaim and is treated as a seasonal occasion, having been re-released most years since its inception. It’s actually a variation on their Mephistopheles’ Stout recipe, with the addition of coffee beans and a three-month-long stay in whiskey barrels. Part of the fun with Tweak is that each year’s release should be thought of less as the same beer coming back, and more as a new iteration on an old favorite.
Indeed, each vintage of Tweak is slightly different, making it the kind of beer where you ask yourself, how did it turn out this time? Along with the flavor, the strength also varies slightly. With this year’s batch coming in at a ridiculous 14.4% ABV, it is actually on the lower end of what previous iterations are capable of (the 2016 vintage was 17.5% ABV). Still, the bold coffee notes are as strong as ever. One of the other beauties of a beer as bold as Tweak is that it’s strong enough to hold up after many years of aging. It’s not unheard of for someone at a bottle share to pull out a bottle of Tweak that is five or more years old. As for me, I want to drink it when the coffee notes are at their freshest.
When you have a beer of this strength (and quality), there is always the dilemma of deciding when and where to drink it. This is the sort of special release that warrants being opened on a special occasion. However, I didn’t want to wait that long. Instead, I opted to save it as a weekend treat after a long week. Strong beers like this are also best enjoyed with company. In part because 12 ounces of a 14.4% ABV beer will put you on your ass, but also because the finer things in life are best enjoyed when you have someone to share them with. So, that’s how I found myself after-hours in a craft-beer bar splitting the bottle with a friend who had just finished a long bartending shift.
In case it needs to be said, this is a beer that you absolutely must pour into a glass to get the full experience, ideally a snifter glass that accents the aroma of the beer. In the glass, Tweak is perfectly obsidian in hue. While many imperial stouts come out of the bottle pitch-black, even the thin layer of head that formed took on a caramel color.
The aroma was immediately apparent. While coffee can express itself in many ways, the best comparison here would be putting your nose into a bag of freshly ground espresso beans. Beneath that were sweeter notes of fudge and toffee. In the much more succinct words of my friend: “Oh, wow.”
The first sip was a mirror image of the aroma. Roasted malt and coffee greet the tongue, while deep chocolate notes linger long after each sip. In this case, the whiskey presence was relatively subdued, with the boozy ‘burn’ tucked into the bouquet, but not too apparent in the taste.
Often, when stouts exceed the 12% ABV mark, they begin to take on a syrupy consistency. While this is its own form of decadence, the thought of drinking more than a few ounces of a thick stout puts me off. For that reason, I was thankful to find that Tweak was full-bodied, but far from being thick. While twelve ounces of this beer is a hefty serving, finising it won’t be a problem at all.
One of the other beautiful things about a beer this big is that temperature can have a major impact on taste and aroma. This is not a beer that you want to drink ice cold. If anything, let it sit out of the fridge for a few minutes before cracking it open. The beer approached room temperature while I nursed it, and the deeper chocolate notes became more apparent, as did boozy notes from the barrel.
Overall, Tweak is a treat yourself beer. Whether it be for a special occasion or to celebrate the end of a tough week (or day), a glass of Tweak invites you to slow down, unwind, and sip. While it may be tougher to find than most of Avery’s lineup, it’s worth the hunt. You can use Avery’s Brew Finder to see if there is a bottle near you. It is also available on draft at their taproom in Boulder, Colorado.
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