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.

Looks like I’m going against conventional wisdom with this review but I thought this beer absolutely kicked ass... Thick, dark, and downright evil looking in the pint glass. Very rich and creamy head that just hangs around and hangs around. Smells very dark with chocolate, some dark fruit, a little anise, and tons of roasted malt. Whew.... This is a bad boy here. Chocolate, malts, fruit and a tiny bit of alcohol. May be the creamiest stout I’ve ever had. Ridiculously thick, this one is. Its a bit hot but nothing that deters from the score. I absolutely loved this thing. I get the feeling that there’s no middle of the road with this one, you either love it or want to dump it. I loved it!! Awesome job, Avery!!

Bottle. This is a huge stout. somewhat like the dogfishhead world wide stout. very thick and dense. coats the mouth and glass. lots of coffee notes and roasted malts

2006 bottle, batch 1. Courtesy of Adrian. Huge thanks for this vintage gem. Pours a dangerous looking black. Nose is crazy vinous. Dark rich malt, sugar, alcohol, cherry, raisin. Flavor is just insanely huge with a massive oily mouthfeel. Soy sauce, chocolate covered raisins, cherry pits, toasted grain and alcohol. No real burn which is very suprising. Drinks like its about 10%. Age has been kind to this beer. Which is pretty harsh and boozy when young. Very nice.

The beer emerges from the 12-ounce brown bottle a soot black, the head Bunyanesque, the color a nice deep tan, the consistency thick and creamy, after its slow demise, the lace forms a glutinous blanket to obfuscate the glass. Ah that smell, toasted and roasted grain, sweet molasses, rich malt, a real foretoken of things to come, start is cotton candy sweet, the malt profile thick, the top full. Finish is merciful in its acidity; the hops mingle nicely with the 15.10 percent ABV, but a good thing to cut the sweetness, a belly warmer, and another hit for Avery.

Batch 2 bottle: This one pours an inky, thick, dark brown color. There is a finger of a light brown head on it. A bit of alcohol is the first thing that hits the nose. After that I get molasses, chocolate, rum, and some dark fruits also. Taste has a bit of alcohol to it. Somewhat sweet taste. Notes of chocolate, coffee, molasses, dark fruits. Silky feel on the tongue. Very Nice!

12oz. bottle Nov 2007 Batch 3 (from Ledger’s Liquors, Berkeley, CA). This pours one seriously thick head, especially considering the amount of alcohol in this!! Very thick body. Wonderful "dark" malty aroma that pours up from the glass. Flavor is one for the ages too. Obviously packed with lots of alcohol, but not an unpleasant alcohol. Warms the tongue just by rolling some of it over the tongue. Flavors like dark brown sugar and raisins. Reminds me of a burnt Meyer’s Rum even, though not as sugary. Says its an imperial stout, but has lots in common, flavor-wise, to a Belgian Quad. Lots of hops on the palate in the aftertaste, which is perhaps the only achiles Heel for me. I wish it was a little software in the aftertaste.It if weren’t so blasted expensive ($10/btl!!!) I’d buy several to put away and age as I think this one is going to mellow over a few years.

Pours a deep black hue with a minimal tan/brown head of fine micro-bubbles with decent lacing. Aromas of bourbon, chocolate+ coffee(the usual impy aromas) a light vanilla and good old alcohol sweetness. Mouthfeel is surprisingly medium bodied for the flavor and how Avery beers are a little too sweet and over-cloying. Flavors of raisins/prunes, honey, vanilla, a little toasted nuts and a finish not unlike fresh espresso. Very intriguing. I let this guy warm up in the bottle for about 20 minutes before cracking open, and I am glad I did as the flavors are on par. While it is sweet, it isn’t bad, but tronraner is right when he says that it could use some cellaring. wow...... This is definitely Avery’s best brew, as I normally feel their beer is over-rated.