Avery Mephistopheles Stout

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

A pitch black beer with no head. The aroma is very sweet with primary notes of coffee, but also with light notes of vanilla and alcohol. The flavor is very sweet with a powerful presence of alcohol (no wonder), which burns the mouth slightly, the flavor also contains quite strong chocolate notes and lesser notes of wood, leading to a dry end. A very complex beer.

(Bottle 35,5 cl) Pours completely black and opaque with a creamy, light brown head. The aroma is pure alcohol with dried, sweet fruits. Very full-bodied with loads of roasted malts and some burned, ashy notes. Certainly a complex and delicate brew, but it’s simply way too excessively and stickily sweet for my palate - even for me who loves sweet, malty beers. Tasted at the Oklahoma Beer tasting March 06 hosted by mjames and lilannie. 240306 and 260708

[Bottled, thanks MrWalker!] Very black. The aroma of slivovic (plum brandy) jumps at me as soon as my nose gets close. Sweet and syrup, dominated by highly alcoholic plum brandy. The sweetness is way over the top, and kills all flavour except from the alcohol. Like most of Avery’s strong beers it is raw and completely off balance.

12 fl oz bottle (batch 2). Pours black with a dense and chocolate brown head. Aroma is chocolate, a note of vanilla, roasted malt, slight note of alcohol - and a cheese like note - a bit off it seems. Full bodied and creamy mouthfeel. Flavour starts sweet chocolate malty but soon gains in strength and turns to a darker liqourice and slight salty flavour. Underneath is a distinct coffee flavour and bitterness. Finish is sharp liqourice and with a distinct bite from the alcohol. A sharp alcohol flavour and warmth keeps lingering down my throat - slight burning. Smooth at first but bites back in a for me too sharp fashion, too brutal, but I reckon this is exactly how it was intended to be.6-5-6-2-13=3.2

From bottle #9 at sk8vikings American blind tasting. Pours dark brown with lacing chocolate brown head. Light chalky and roasted malt aroma, light smoked too. Sweet initial and hard roasted malt flavour. Roasted and solid dense flavour after the initial sweetness. Warming alcohol bite before and into the finish. Light smoked finish. Sticking sweet flavour on the lips into the finish. Solid alcohol warmth in the finish.8-4-8-4-17=4.1(adopted appearance score from first rating)

Bottle. [Batch 2 (Nov 2006): 16.03% ABV]. Clear dark black color with a huge, frothy, excellent lacing, fully lasting, light brown head. Aroma is moderate to light light heavy malty, roasted, burnt, coffee, alcohol. Flavor is heavy sweet and bitter with a long long duration. Body is medium to full, texture is creamy - syrupy, carbonation is soft, finish feel is moderate alcoholic. Very nice and powerfull .. ;o)) (100408)

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.

Bottled. Black colour, brown small head. Smoky and roasty aroma with hints of coffee and toffee. Sweet alcoholic and roasted malts in flavour. Also lots of coffee, caramel and plums. And off course alcohol, but unlike the other very strong Avery’s, this doesn’t remind me of glue...

Bottle. Black coloured with a beige head. Roasted aroma of liquorice with notes of ascorbic acid. Sweet roasted flavour of liquorice and dried fruits with notes of ascorbic acid.