Avery Mephistopheles Stout

Brewed by Avery Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Boulder, Colorado USA

Nove 2006, Batch 2 bottle from Churchill’s pub in San Marcos. Amazing 1/2 finger head that lingers forever. Super creamy dark tan microbubble head. Aroma has medium oxidation, some cardboard, leather, yeasty notes. I find myself smelling it over and over again for nearly 15 minutes, while taking the tiniest of sips. No mistaking this is a sipping beer, and a wonderful one at that. 15 minutes later the 1/2" head is still hanging on. Taste is very sweet, with a medium to heavy body. Pleasant camel, and roastiness hide in malty base. Much better as it warms up. Optimum temp=55F.

Bottle. High and creamy brown head. Pitch black body. Hoppy coffee cocoa aroma. Flavor is also very hoppy and of burned barley malt with coffee. Cocoa not tastable because of the hops bitterness. Low cabonation. Long lasting bitter aftertaste. I would never have guessed the high alcohold percentage as it is well hidden by the bitterness.

12oz bottle, batch 2. Continuing on the Johnny Corkscrew/xnoxhatex, stout-a-thon/brewday. Black opaque with burnt brown small head. Doughy aroma, with roasted grain, and bourbon alc characteristics. Flavor of a lot of those big alc, liquors, mostly bourbon, also chocolate, cookie, dark grains, very tasty. Creamy, full body. Very tasty and a lot less hot than the last bottle from this batch that I tried. Overall the alc is a lot more hidden than a 16% brew should be.

Bottle. Black with no head. Alcoholic, roasty aroma with of black currant, chocolate, liqourice and plums. Thick, sweet, almost cloiyng but amusing. It’s so intense, a mix of whiskey, stout and port. It’s so big, roasty and sweet that I find it a bit unbalanced (I*ve tasted Imp. stouts at 16% that were balanced, e.g. Dark Horizon).

Black of color with a brown head. An aroma of chocolate, alcohol, coffee and notes of liqurice. A nice flavor of coffee, liqurice, dark chocolate and alcohol. In the finish more coffee and warm alcohol.

Pours a nice opaque black/brown with dark cola head that fades quickly, leaving no lacing. Smells of sweet anise, dark chocolate, deep fruits and tobacco. Tastes of strong port wine, prune, raisin, medium roasted malts, and rich black coffee. Very strong and tart. 16% ABV? Yowza!

12oz bottle, $9.99. Aroma is coffee, dark chocolate, and port. Average sized foamy light-brown fully diminishing head that left no lace. Dark black hue. Heavy sweet flavor with a long sour finish. Full bodied syrupy flat and moderate alcohol. Just intense and heavy. Very sweet and sour.

Like Avery’s other extreme "devil demon" beers, this is sweeter ’n shit. DFHWWS is probably mild in comparison to this. Like many a stout, this has that cocoa-chalk taste/feel on the finish. Aqueehol becomes evident barely halfway through the bottle.