Avery Brewing Raja

Beer Name: Raja
Brewery: Avery Brewing Co. (Boulder, CO)
ABV: 8.0%
How sold: 4-packs of 12 oz. cans
Where bought: Bought online from ShopWineDirect (Upland, CA)
Price: $10.99 for 4-pack

Date Purchased: November 5, 2015
Date Opened/Drank: November 11, 2015
When brewed? Year-round beer.
IBUs: 70

Where distributed: Avery Brewing ships to several states. While Avery ships their beer to the Pacific NW, I have not seen Raja in the Portland area as of November 2015.

What's on the Can: "Brazenly bitter. Dashingly dry-hopped. Raja is an audacious addition to our lengthy lineage of intrepic IPAs. Hops for all! All for hops!"

REVIEW:

Appearance (5%): Poured a hazy golden into a pint glass, with 2-3 mm of frothy white head. Leaves attractive rings of lacing around the glass. 4.5/5

Smell (25%): Tart citrus and floral experience. Orange, passion fruit, peach, and grapefruit. 4.25/5

Taste (40%): Initial tropical tart-citrus combined with floral qualities. Aftertaste is mostly citrus to me, but the floral remains. 4.25/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium body, dry on the tongue, with citrus-bitter also permeating the sides of the mouth. 4.25/5

Overall (20%): An excellent Double IPA. I do prefer The Maharaja if I had to pick between the two, but this holds its own. It's basically passing off as a lighter version of The Maharaja in name, with this bring the "prince" and Maharaja being the "king" of the lineup. On flavors, they are certainly different; Maharaja being more full-bodied and malty with a higher ABV. I'm also pleased to see this in 12 oz. servings, as I may not always want to drink 22 oz. of beer in one sitting. At the end of the day, Raja is a solid addition to the Avery lineup. 4.25/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4.263/5