Avery Mephistopheles Stout

You can smell this from 10 feet away. It is pitch black with a dark chocolate milk colored head, unfortunately, the flavor is strong but boring. A lot like Old Rasputin, no surprises or complexity. Just a crapload of malt and alcohol. In the end there is a little raspberry, but it is probably my imagination.

12oz bottle from Batch 2. Alcohol is remarkably well hidden, or at least controlled considering 16%. Aroma is chocolaty with dark fruit alcohol coming through in a caramelized cognac sort of way. Flavor has tons of chocolate, some fruit (melon & dark), and a slight alcohol bite. Finish starts with a kick of alcohol and quickly moves into an alcoholic melon fruitiness, but is soon displaced by an immense overwhelming rich decadent chocolate flavor. The alcohol has a rum-like character, which makes its inoffensiveness all the more impressive. Very smooth, but still goes down a little rough.

12oz bottle, bottled Nov 2006, enjoyed March 30, 2009. Pours very deep brown, nearly opaque, with a medium sized layer of small brown bubbles that quickly fades. Intense aroma, with dark fruit, especially plum and prune, with dark chocolate, coffee, licorice, and black cherry. Flavor has lots of chocolate and coffee, with some dark fruit. Some black cherry, caramel, charcoal, and warming alcohol round out the palate. Burnt malt, chocolate, and alcohol linger on the palate. Great stout; if only it were a bit less boozy...

12 oz bottle. Was interested because it is an Avery, and am a little scared by the 16%; while I’ve had 120 minute IPA by DFH, this is still intense. Pours a dark charcoal black color with a small tan color that I can smell for feet away. Smells of chocolate, a bit of licorice, some raisin, and a bit of rum (surprisingly?). Tastes of chocolate, some licorice, burnt caramel malt, and a TON of alcohol (a lot more than I was expecting for a 16%). Very difficult to even choke down with the alcohol content on the first swallow, but afterwhile it becomes slightly more smooth. Not bad, definitely interesting, but not as good as I was expecting.

2008 bottle. Pitch black appearance. Swirls VERY slowly with huge amounts of lacing. I was able to work up a pretty brown head that released a heavy roasted aroma. Very pleasing to smell. The mouthfeel is thick as expected and slow moving. Flavor - glorious tasting! A warming sensation immediately encompasses you at the first drink. Not harsh in the least, but intense beyond all measure. Roasted malts are tasted above all else. The finish provides a bitter roast that stays with you. This brew makes for a fantastic sipper. Great imperial stout that tingles all the way down.

Bottle. Batch 4 shared with Bman1113vr. Pours a black color with a quickly disappearing brownish head. Alcohol is strong in the aroma. Tastes of coffee and burnt malts with some smokiness. Nice sweet taste after the strong alcohol finish. Creamy and lightly fizzy mouthfeel. A good beer, but alcohol on the back end is almost overwhelming.

Pours dark black with a thin brown head. Strong aroma. More carbonated than I expected. Flavor takes a bit to build, alcohol comes through, slowly warming after each sip. Overall very good, but definitely huge.

Poured black with a brown head. Aroma of roasted coffee, caramel, and BOOZE. Very strong alcohol start and finish with hints of coffee trying to come through but couldn’t. This thing is angry and needs time to chill out.