Mephistopheles' Stout - Avery Brewing Company

Thingus

California

4.22/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Live review, 2011 bottle into tulip glass...

This is not my first experience with this monster however it is my first solo attempt... I have shared a 2007 vintage recently as well as a 2011 bottle at a recent tasting get together... I felt the 2007 felt faded as compared to the 2011 and wanted to open one of my '11 bottles for the review as a result... All notes are for '11 bottle.

Appearance; poured into a 16 ounce tulip, two fingers worth of oak colored head which faded fairly quickly into a "bullseye" shaped ring of lace with a dot in the center... Moderate lace on the sides of the glass, beer is a solid black and even when held to light I can't see through it. In smaller portions it didn't appear this dark.

Smell; I get a ton of coffee on the nose of this, hints of toast and soy sauce and surprisngly no alchohol... The lack of alcohol is consistent with both of my previous experiences with this beer.

Taste; taste is in line with smell, although I can't taste any soy sauce... Hints of maple and smoke and a touch of vanilla and chocolate accompany the dominating coffee flavor quite nicely... Not a hint of the alcohol monster I know to be lurking in this brew until the finish, when a touch of booziness shows up for a moment and then disappears... Goes down smooth with no warming or afterburn...

Mouthfeel; quite smooth given the ABV in this beer, a very slight carbonation, not overwhelming by any means, but nicely compliments the taste of the beer. I don't think it's overly syrupy or viscous by any stretch but I've been really doing a number with some super thick beers lately (Labyrinth, Utopias, Black Tuesday are standouts) so I think that is a big part of why Mephistopheles doesn't seem so thick to me.

Overall; my final impressions on this beer are outstanding. I feel like the content may lure some people in for the novelty of it however on its own merit this beer isn't a sideshow freak, but rather a monster beer jammed and locked into a tiny bottle. I can see how some would be overwhelmed with the content or reputation of this beer however I think that this would be an extremely solid beer even without those. I will say that the age on the 07 really numbed this brew down for me... I far prefer the liveliness and more in your face flavors within the 11 version and will likely track down several more bottles to drink fresh. I've only got one left and I enjoy this beer quite a lot!!

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 04:51:21 | More by Thingus

Dirksen

California

4.75/5  rDev +15%

05-24-2013 19:27:12 | More by Dirksen

Boston_Steve

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +9%

05-23-2013 19:15:01 | More by Boston_Steve

jl28r1

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

05-21-2013 20:27:21 | More by jl28r1

gkozeny

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +9%

05-21-2013 18:24:23 | More by gkozeny

Whiskeydeez

Kansas

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

05-19-2013 17:07:26 | More by Whiskeydeez

vcoggins

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -9.2%

05-19-2013 16:50:21 | More by vcoggins

Photekut

Azerbaijan

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

05-18-2013 20:53:18 | More by Photekut

FUwolfpacker

South Carolina

4/5  rDev -3.1%

05-18-2013 12:55:01 | More by FUwolfpacker

ElizabethEleanor

Texas

4.75/5  rDev +15%

05-17-2013 03:11:24 | More by ElizabethEleanor

SmellsofMahagony

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -15.3%

05-17-2013 01:26:29 | More by SmellsofMahagony

MinorThreat

Colorado

4.75/5  rDev +15%

05-16-2013 00:22:56 | More by MinorThreat

Bonko_the_sane

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +9%

05-13-2013 16:47:25 | More by Bonko_the_sane

drummermattie02

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -15.3%

05-13-2013 14:24:11 | More by drummermattie02

HKUSPC40

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -15.3%

05-13-2013 08:30:46 | More by HKUSPC40

InfernoBoss

California

4.5/5  rDev +9%

05-13-2013 05:51:18 | More by InfernoBoss

ewhugh

Colorado

4.5/5  rDev +9%

05-13-2013 05:44:18 | More by ewhugh

mookihouse

California

4.5/5  rDev +9%

05-13-2013 02:49:56 | More by mookihouse

SFACRKnight

Colorado

4.5/5  rDev +9%

05-12-2013 12:52:06 | More by SFACRKnight

HopBrain

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +9%

05-08-2013 20:27:53 | More by HopBrain

Dave_Treat

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -15.3%

05-08-2013 01:43:42 | More by Dave_Treat

Lledd

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5

A: Black, little to no head fading quickly. This stuff is pitch black, no exceptions.

S: Amazingly it doesn't smell boozy at aver 16%. Nice brown sugar smell. Very faint cocoa. Roasty malts. It smells really good.

T: Wow, surprisingly smooth. I can taste "campfire", a smoky wood flavor. The turbinado sugar is noticeable and works nicely with the aggressive flavors in this beer.

M: Heat. The taste is smooth but this beer definitely leaves you warm in the mouth. Moderate to mild carbonation.

O: Excellent. Bold and smooth, smoky and sweet.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 01:00:20 | More by Lledd

PaulsBrew

West Virginia

5/5  rDev +21.1%

05-06-2013 02:13:54 | More by PaulsBrew

JoninVT

New Hampshire

4.5/5  rDev +9%

05-05-2013 05:22:38 | More by JoninVT

BrewmanCapote

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +15%

05-05-2013 03:55:59 | More by BrewmanCapote