Avery Mephistopheles Stout

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

Bottle from Corral Liquors in Granite City, IL. Batch 2; November 2006. Pours jet black with a large, creamy, dark brown head that diminishes to a thin layer. On the nose are: molasses, chocolate rum cake, licorice, dark fruits and a definite hit of alcohol. You can get a high off of just smelling this stuff. Full-bodied, oily and soft with a dry and lightly metallic finish it adds a hit of alcohol to the mix, as well. The flavor is a sweet, almost syrupy, front of chocolate, dark fruits, tart cherry-like sweetness, and faint coffee, transitioning to a dry, roasted and fairly hot finish. I’m amazed at how sweet this beer remains given its ABV. It’s definitely different and interesting, but I think this one might mellow to a better balance with a couple more years under its belt. At $6 per 12 oz bottle, however, I’d much rather have a couple Expeditions.

Aroma:alcohol,light rosted malt and chocolate... Appearance:Dark,good tan head.. Flavor:rhum,alcohol and dark chocolate.....Strong but to mutch alcohol flavor...

A bit disappointing this one. Big roasted malt nose which hides really any alcohol component. Beautiful deep jet-black color with decently residual head (even in a slightly oversized snifter). However, here, this beer begins to tip itself off the table. I consider myself appreciative of big dark beer and can usually pick out at least a few different flavors, but I struggle to get more than spoiled fruit and licorice. Alcohol burn is definitely present on the palate, but overwhelming is this off-berried taste (bad bottle?). Too bad, I was really looking forward to this one. Not even in the same country code as WWS.

Pure black color, very thick, brown head with excellent lacing, nose full of sweetness, dark chocolate, roasted coffee, burnt toast, bitter hoppiness & a touch of alcohol, thick & syrupy body, huge warming effect from the alcohol content, bold & rich complex body, full body of flavors with notes of dark chocolate, espresso & dry hoppiness, very well balanced, the alcohol hits you almost immediately upon first sip, this is probably a rougher beer than DFH WWS of 2002, but just as delicious & menacing, dry & bitter finish with a port-like flavor, definitely the Devil of all beers, and I’m glad that this is probably the last beer I will rate on this site, I certainly chose a more-than-worthy beer for the moment, get your hands on this one if you can, it’s most definitely worth it

Bottle trade with boboski: Poured a dark black brown color with a thing beige head. The aroma was alcoholy with hits of rum, fruit, and coffee. The flavor was very exciting to my tongue. I could taste the sweet rum and dried fruit, but also finished with a zippy tangy alcoholic grape/wine.

NOW THIS IS A BEER! Avery Mephistopheles Stout poured a dark black colored body with a medium sized tan head. The aroma was of liquor, maybe bourbon, coffee and malty sweetness. The taste was sweet , chocolate, coffee, some dark fruit, and a very light alcohol note. I’ll have to try this again.

(2006) 12 oz. bottle shared by Zinister with myself and KAggie97 at the "Double Tree Houston" tasting. Pour is all black with a small medium khaki head. Really nice looking. Aroma is some black licorice and heat. Taste has a lot of alcohol and finishes with some really nice coffee / espresso roastiness. I did not get much depth or complexity in this, as compared to other top Imperial Stouts. Regardless, this is a very interesting and well crafted brew. Hats off to Avery.

Batch 2 Astonishing. Pours thick and oily with a decent head. Scents of chocolate and coffee. Black as night. From the first sip, you know this one is not to be taken lightly. YOU MUST LET THIS BEER WARM UP! A full Nelson on the palate with plums and raisins, roasty malt lurking behind well-balanced bitterness and similarly subtle alcohol warmth. As the beer warmed slightly, its flavor changed and improved with every few degrees. "Crafty shape shifter", indeed! One of the best beers I have ever had, and probably ought to be the last of the evening.