Avery Mephistopheles Stout

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

Serve in Snifter

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1/13/07. Poured out of 12 oz. bottle, purchased at Hollingshead Deli in Orange, CA 1/10/07. Batch 2. Dense black-brown color, mostly opaque but only from the depth of color-- not cloudy or muddy. Respectably creamy, tan-brown head with good uniformity and moderate retention on a deliberate pour. Fades but does not disappear. Lacing is slow and uniform but mostly does not stick. Big nose of fudge-covered cherries and zippy caramels, with a deep, dense chocolate malt essence. Some alcohol apparency on the nose, but 16% is pretty well hidden. Flavor is bold at first (alcohol, unsweetened chocolate, a surprising amount of acidity), but if you let it sit in your mouth for ten seconds or so, it really begins to frighten with its intensity (burnt treacle, numbing peppery alcohol). Some vinous qualities (reminiscent of Worldwide Stout) combine with porty and huge fudge character. Dark, unsweetened chocolate (giving an almost dry effect) and bold espresso notes emerge in the finish as the vinous tastes fade. Trails with a long, toasty finish almost like burnt bread with anise seeds, coupled with a resiny grapefruit bitterness and sourness that fades faster than everything else. Finish almost tastes like a shot of diluted molasses and maple syrup when served from a used cigar ashtray. Body is medium-full (still thinner than expected) with fairly fluffy carbonation, all things considered. Shocking intensity to the chocolate, alcohol, and roast as the beer warms. I remember the first batch being much better than this in almost every respect (I would’ve rated that at least in the mid-4s). The flavors and aromas here are all just messily integrated, and although they’re rich, intense, and at times interesting, it only barely works. Too much for its own good. Perhaps the most egregious shame is that, despite its alcohol heft and boldness of flavor, this will probably not improve at all with extended cellaring; the heavy filtration and lack of bottle-conditioning here will probably assure the only real certainty-- that this will decay with that trademark Avery oxidation.

Bottle: Batch 3: Really deep dark brown pour. Small to medium brown head, changes quick into a thicker brown lacing on top of a pitch black beer. Smell is deep, I mean deep: lot of deep black liquid liquorice and dark strong coffee/espresso, roasted oatmeal, hint of manure, some long roasted barley malts (almost burned), lot of dark dark roasted burned ingredients. There’s no hint of alcohol, nice. Taste is a strong mix of roasted spices, roasted barley malts, dark liquorice, roasted barleys, roasted chocolate, some dark chocolate, some dried dark fruits, some soya, roasted (autumnal) herbs and grass, light bitter, bit sticky, hint of caramel and brown sugars but overpowered by the roasted taste and alcohol. There is also a decent warmth. (decent considering the alcohol percentage. Aftertaste is nice light bitter with roasted barley and roasted grass. Though the grass comes through more and more, the roasted barleys and chocolate seems to combine their powers and make something like a praline/bon-bon kind of aftertaste (with a (roasted) grassy tint). Low carbo, very soft mouthfeel with a fast and top notch growing spicyness, full body and a creamy texture. Damn, this is strong (the cool label somehwat sugests to) and tasty, but you definitely taste the strong alcohol notes.

This beer changed my life... the flavors and aromas were so complex and wonderful. With each sip you get 4 different stages of flavor with the finish leaving you speechless.

Batch 3, 12 oz, trappist glass. Smoky scent upon opening, midnight black pour, tried once before, but even more tasty after 5 years of aging. Robust boozy flavor that is used the right way, an overall pleasure to drink.

Dark black with a subtle red tinge, nice chocolate head that leaves a little lacing. Aroma is oak, licorice, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, and booze. Warming to the palate with a slight slickness to the mouthfeel. Taste starts big and chocolately, followed by some vanilla, lots of oak, a little licorice and a bitter roast coffee finish. Has a bit to much overall booziness which makes it a liitle harsh, but has a good depth and will probably age nicely.

Batch 7 Pours black with a beige head. The nose has bitter chocolate, hint of raisin and red grape skin. A touch of oak/bourbon barrels. Full body. Tastes starts with booze bourbon, followed by bitter chocolate, raisin and finishes with coffee. Quite tight, with a lot of booze muting the other flavors. A very complex beer. I look forward to seeing how this cellars ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Aroma of dark roast coffee. Pours a deep black with a thick tan head. Taste has a dark roasted flavor with an intense caramel sweetness. The palate is rather dry for a stout but it is also very thick. Burnt bitterness lingers well after the taste and you can taste and feel the ABV! ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

UPDATED: APR 17, 2012 Draft at Eulogy. Batch 2011. Opaque black with a thick tan head. Strong aroma of black licorice and sour black coffee. Very thick body. Dark chocolate. Bit of an acidic bite. Slight smoke element. Quite complex. Something to sit and let develop. Certainty worth the wait.

Batch 4. Aroma is strong roasted coffee, dark cherry, almond, dark chocolate and earth. Appearance is pitch black and coats the glass like... well, like pitch or overdue motor oil. Head is thick, tan foam. The first taste is boozy, espresso and toast. The aftertaste is a liquor burn with, again, rum or whiskey-spiked coffee notes and earthy, full, fire-roasted chocolate flavor. This beer grows on you, and by the end of a bottle turns out to be pretty fantastic.

batch 7 purchased at sylvan liqour in sylvan lake michigan.pours completely black with quarter inch tan head.aroma of chocolate,anise,smoke and has the smell of a coffee that had been burnt to the bottom of the pot.flavor is chocolate covered cherries,anise,smoke and expresso.full bodied with a slick mouthfeel and a long bitter finish.ive been waiting quite some time to try this and ive not been dissapointed.if your an imperial stout drinker you got to try this.powerful,complex and definitly a sipper.

On tap at Blackthorn Pub - Holly,MI...Oh my, this is huge...would easily make a Bud Light drinker convulse into a Faustian nightmare that he might never awaken from. That’s OK, because those guys are as common as flies on shit. However, for those of us with a mature beer palate this is one not to be missed...