Avery Mephistopheles Stout

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

this is the most intense beer I ever had. Should be served in shot glasses, definitely sipped. Its like beer concentrate. The most aromatic beer I’ve tried also. Once I got used to the intensity I could enjoy it. It costs as much as Dogfish WWS, and I would have to say is worth it. ($7/bottle) as an experience, but I wouldn’t drink it all the time.

Thanks to LeopoldStoch for this in a Drakes Barleywine trade. Batch 1 Jan 06. Opaque ebony black with a small brown head. Aroma is of smoky malt, with a dark friuty hint and a bit of chocolate. The taste immediately hits of coffee, plums, and chocolate malts. The finish is of alcohol, more plums, and a slight hop bitterness.

One of the most flavorful beers a I have ever come across. Poured jet black with a thin light brown head. The commercial description for this beer is a very good one. I would also add a slight smokiness that is very appealing. Alcohol is very apparent but just reminds that something great is being drank.

WOW. Jet black. deep tan head. aroma toffee, molasses, coffee, citrus, and caramel. flavor molassesl, roasty coffeeness, citrus, and caramel. finishes slightly bitter. wow this beer rocks.

Batch 2 Rating: Oh so very nice, back up to the quality of fresh batch 1. A beauty to behold, slow developing head, but really excellent retention (improved with time), excellent foamy lacing. Aroma was fruity, dark fruits, roasted malts, a touch of vinousness. The flavor was light roast and chocolate over vinous, dark fruit notes with an assertive pineapple hopping finish, far from sticky sweet, among the best of the imperial stouts. Mouthfeel was carbonated enough to keep the stickiness from being that sticky, finishing even with a hop twang. Nice stuff. Glad they rebrewed this, hopefully it keeps better than a month or two this time around. Numbers going back up and holding closer to my first experience with batch 1. Second tasting of batch 2 in a 3/07 horizontal against Speedway and Peche Mortel, this one came up a tad short, but it was still excellent. All I can say is that the pineapples are ever so present and this is stickier sweeter than Speedway, but still with a hop presence. Hopefully this batch isn’t gonna crash like the first one did, although this bottle seemed a little sweeter/stickier already than the first bottle I got a month ago.

Batch 1 Ratings: Third tasting of same original batch, bottles all purchased at the same time: This beer is not aging well even over only 3-4 months. It’s actually catching up (or down?) in quality with their other Beast releases, coming on strong with sickly sweetness and really hot alcohol, all hop imprints near nil now. What a disappointment, all maple sugar and soy sauce in this tasting, very disappointing. Thing is getting like Sam Adams Triple Bock blended with a bad stout. I hope these other bottles somehow improve and are only currently in a low point. Dropping my original all 9 and 10 ratings to substantially lower scores (6/7/7/5/6). I’d think I was crazy if I read my initial rating on this. I wouldn’t recommend buying this unless they re-release it and you get it fresh. Original tastings:Poured a dark brown-black color with a fantastic head (esp. at 15% ABV). Lacing was spectacular (esp at these abvs). Aroma was of brandy or bourbon or some liquor, some coffee and chocolate, malty sweet. Flavor followed suit with cherries and dark fruits present, and a touch of hops to balance the finish. Maybe too sweet a beer (inserted after second tasting), haven’t made up my mind after a couple of these. The alcohol really didn’t taste like 15% and this one was impressive. Nice thick mouthfeel, carbonation was moderate to low. One of the better impy stouts out there.

bottle - batch #2. don’t drink this one too fast - it is a true beast. Absolutely amazing... I’ve never had anything this intense before. A sipper for sure. I’ve been waiting to try this for a while since it is unavailable in GA (due to the 14% law).... I am so glad I got my hands on 3 bottles, b/c this one is an experience. Pours as dark as possible and thicker than oil (almost) with a huge 2 finger tan head which receeds to a nice lacing. Huge aromas of liqueurish, chocolate and alcohol. Very complex on the palate with a variety of flavors coming through - such as liqueurish, chocolate, fruits, espresso and cherrys. Thick full body that flows over the palate unleashing it’s alcohol intensity. As soon as the beer hits your tongue, the tip feels a tingling sensation.... this continues throughout the mouth and wraps the tongue with an almost numbing feeling filled with all the aromas and flavors previsouly described. You can really feel a slight alcohol burn in the back of the throat on the finish. Some have said that this is too strong, but I disagree.... when you open this one, knowing that it is 16% abv and are prepared for the intensity, I think it is absolutely wonderful - just don’t hurry through it. It is definitley the Czar’s big crazy brother.

2008 bottle. Pitch black appearance. Swirls VERY slowly with huge amounts of lacing. I was able to work up a pretty brown head that released a heavy roasted aroma. Very pleasing to smell. The mouthfeel is thick as expected and slow moving. Flavor - glorious tasting! A warming sensation immediately encompasses you at the first drink. Not harsh in the least, but intense beyond all measure. Roasted malts are tasted above all else. The finish provides a bitter roast that stays with you. This brew makes for a fantastic sipper. Great imperial stout that tingles all the way down.

12 oz in snifter, batch #2 of Nov 2006. Poured too quickly, 2 inch head and rising was consequently sipped. Brown head remained rocky for many minutes and left sticky lacing all over the sides of the glass. Opaque black in the glass, smells of sharp cocoa, definitely rum-soaked dark fruit which hints at the abv. Thick on the palate, molasses-like, complex... takes many sips to understand. I tried to let it warm up a bit, and during intermittent sipping it kept me warm from the lips to the bottom of my stomach. This would be amazing during winter, as it’s intended. Finishes bold and makes me want one everyday of Canadian winter.