Avery Mephistopheles Stout

(Bottled in 1/06, batch 1, from <A HREF=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/massachusetts/westborough/julio’s-liquors/461.htm target=blank>Julio’s Liquors, cellared for 11 mos. after purchase) Excellent, gives WorldWideStout a run for its money...Pours very, very dark brown, virtually black, opaque. 1/4" of brown head recedes to a thin covering that stays well. Aroma of rich roasted coffee, fine chocolate, port-like sweetness, currants, raisins, figs and reduced molasses. Mouthfeel smooth, sticky in finish. Outstanding lacing, both rings and sheets. Flavor of port-like sweetness, coffee, semi-sweet and bitter chocolate, roastiness and hints of dark fruit and burnt caramel. Like an appertif. Has that wow factor. Not the mouthfeel or quite the complexity I get from DFH WWS but still a kick-ass Imp Stout. Some alcohol apparency but not bad considering the ABV. Nice.

Bottle, 15.1%. Very powerful aroma of cream and coffee. The flavour is equally powerful, smoked fish, mackerel? Very sweet and quite smoky. Seems as sweet as hvidtøl. Very thick. Too much.

This is dark and nearing black with a big frothy brown head that sticks to the glass. Aroma is huge with oak, molasses, vanilla, roasted malt, burnt toast and cherry. Flavour is extremely sweet and sugary, almost like a stout mixed with molasses. As much as I like the hiding of abv, this beer is a little unbalanced for me. Lots of flavour but overly sweet and a little all over the place. Finishes slightly bitter but still quite sweet and rich.

Full bodied and a little syrupy. Very very roasty up front but surprisingly silky and smooth mouthfeel, possibly from hint of molasses, vanilla and carmel notes and alcohol is noticeable but not as much as you would think. A fantastic sipping stout. definite top 10 stout.

I promise I am not one of the overly enthusiastic types with the inability to be critical. I absolutely feel that this is the best beer I have ever had. I felt that the Czar was amazing, but this one is even better. There is really not a strong alcohol taste, surprisingly. I wish that I could get this in Tennessee. Don’t let my low number of ratings fool you. I have tried a large variety of beers from all around the world. I just don’t usually rate anything. I simply had to rate these two Averys.

Pours pitch black with a big, bubbly brown head. Aroma is rich, mild chocolate. I don’t know if that’s an oxymoron but that’s the best way I can describe it. Taste is coffee and chocolate bitterness, and surprisingly the alcohol is hidden extremely well. Very thick and syrupy. Not as complex or great as other imperials but still a great beer.

Batch 2, 12 oz. bottle, thanks to a trade with dirty martini. Pours an opaque black with a thick, creamy, frothy brown head that lasted through the entire glass. Aroma is chock full of raisins and prunes with some licorice notes as well. These same qualities are in the flavor too, however, after a few seconds, they are washed over by the immense alcohol. As the alcohol finally recedes, a bit of mocha and some hops bitterness struggle to reach the surfsce. This is a really good beer, but I think I would like it even better if the alcohol were toned down just a bit.

Thanks Immy!!! batch #1 hmmm.....well its cold outside........so cold my drivers side door has been frozen shut for two days and i have been climbing in and out the passenger side. ya know. that kinda cold. and its VD so that makes for a shitty day at work and i was supposed to hang out with my girlfriend but she has to be a awake in about three hours at this point so......i thought i would open something special. pours thick.......not as thick as i was expecting......not syrup thick...but thick deep black with a slowly disappearing dark brown head. interesting aroma. molasses anise espresso with earthy leather tobacco notes and a hint of burning alcohol. sweet.....a bit too sweet molasses toffee cocoa flavor with hints of bitter coffee and spicy alcohol. sweet molasses cocoa finish with spicy alcohol and hints of bitter espresso and anise. full thick body. nice beer. i would agree with the liqueurish comment. a bit too sweet on its own but with a dessert......or as a dessert (i dont know if i need much more than this) it might be fantastic.