Avery Mephistopheles Stout

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

Big alcoholic nose. Plummy, acrid body odor. Smooth and chocolatey, with a slight mocha espresso note. Appealing oily lacing and coating in the glass, blackish brown color. Pretty sweet as far as impy’s go, with a notable burnt sugar-molasses character.

Batch #3. Pours jet black with a head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is of dark roasted coffee, rich dark chocolate, dried fruit and ALCOHOL!!!!. Flavors are on spot with the aroma. Starts out creamy with a malt presence, giving way to coffee, and chocolate flavors. Finish almost bourbon like. A very tasty stout to say the least.

Dusseldorf Gathering, Bottled, says 15.1%. Avery shows that you can make a very powerfull and extreme but still good beer like many US breweries try too but don’t really succeed. They go over the top, Avery doesn’t. Very good beer. Very strong aroma with chocolate and coffee liquor most dominant. Black color, light brown head, good lace. Extremely sweet, moccha liquor, roasted bitter. Thick, viscous and syrupy. You’ll need all evening to finish it but it’s a good evening.

Bottled. 15.1%ABV version. Very black coloured. Cherries, almonds, chocolate, dried fruits, liquor and toffee in the aroma. The same stuff in the flavour plus loads of other things. Sweet. Extremely complex. Towards the finish it gets quite hoppy and dry. Very full bodied. Very smooth and soft mouthfeel. Very well balanced. The alcohol is smoothly hidden. Excellent.

12 oz bottle courtesy boutip, Batch #1, bottled January 2006. Completely opaque dark chocolate brown colour with a mostly diminishing fizzy and creamy tan head. Vinous, rich chocolate, caramel, roasty, cappuccino, raisin, and citrus aroma. Vinous, brown sugar, molasses, dark chocolate, raisin, and other dark fruit, and orange flavours with a fruity and alcohol finish. Full bodied, rich and warming mouthfeel. Alcohol is there, but definitely not 15% there. Very good.

Ok, lent is over and now it’s time for a little more serious rating. Appearance is an instant 5. Any beer with a two tone head tan on top, brown on the bottom should also get style point. Body is a dark brown, with a hint of chestnut coming through on the edges. Sweet ripe dark fruit slathered in dark chocolate and molasses. Prunes, dark cherries soaked in dark rum seem to cover a few of the scents. At times it seems a touch to sweet on the nose, but I’m sure age will help correct that. Slightly hot on the palate from the start, but smooth and silky enough to help carry it through. Sweet malty goodness all through the quaff. Anise and dark caramel and chocolate on the front of the tongue. The middle is filled with ripe cherries and a whole fruit salad. Finish is spicy, hot and fitting. Mild licorice and liquor courses through the system. I have a hard time calling this an imperial stout, more an imperial strong ale, but a fine snifter brew. A few shall find the back of my cellar and will be enjoyed several years from now.

A huge thanks to beerguy101 for sharing this one. not much nose, but oh what a flavor! lots of chocolate and brown sugar sweetness along w/ roastiness. Loved it.

Black as night, small dark tan head, port wine nose. Port wine, raisins, currants, plums, perhaps some chocolate and coffee, sweet, not terribly bitter. Hides alcohol exceptionally well.