By Ed Westemeier
Enquirer Contributor

In an unexpected twist, this week's recommendation is for both diehard India pale ale (IPA) hopheads and "big beer" lovers. I sample a fair number of new beers, so it takes something out of the ordinary to make me do a double-take and say, "How about that?"

Avery Hog Heaven ($5/22 ounces) is one of those remarkable beers that manages to be much more than you expect. Avery is a small, family-owned brewery in Boulder, Colo., but its label, depicting flying pigs, looks like it might have originated in Cincinnati.

It's a play on the name, of course, and it's easy to understand the smiles on those porkers if they've been imbibing this beer. Hog Heaven is a barleywine-style ale, meaning one brewed with more malt, and boasting an interesting flavor along with (inevitably) a higher alcohol content.

What makes Hog Heaven so surprising is the incredible level of bittering hops, which puts this fine barleywine in the same league as an outstanding India pale ale. It's a beer that could satisfy those looking for a winter warmer and others who seek the most aggressively hopped IPA around.

At nearly twice the strength of a normal beer, with a drinkability that makes you want another, Hog Heaven has to be called dangerous. On the other hand, I've always recommended living dangerously.

Contact Ed Westemeier by e-mail: hopfen@malz.com.