Mephistopheles' Stout - Avery Brewing Company

joeseppy

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Annual release. November 2012. Batch No. 8

Vigorous pour into snifter. Under sunlight a chocolate brown with a fluffy mocha head that lasts awhile. Morphs into a jet black hole. I had 'clouds in my coffee' the entire session.

Burnt malt aroma, alcohol, cocoa powder and dark fruit.

Abrasive alcohol upfront, charred wood and hop. Double check the 16.2 ABV notation on label...wowwy! Alcohol wanes and dark fruits of raisin and fig covered in cocoa coat the palate. Some chocolate covered espresso bean.

Mild creaminess and good carbonation lift hops off the palate for the dry finish. Hop resins offer relief from the 'boozinous'.

Huge, bold and dark. I find the high ABV distracting from total character. Loads of booze, roast and chocolate. Right now I find this to be a challenging beer to sample. I'm confident this devil will age with grace and forgiveness.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 23:47:01 | More by joeseppy

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

jsulko

Illinois

4.51/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle poured into a snifter.

Had this bottle over a year. Finally decided to break out before it gets too warm around here.

Pours a dark oily black. Small chocolate colored head that fades rather quickly.

Smell is roasty with some of the dark fruit smells. Hint of the Belgian yeast strain.

Taste is dark fruit and malty with a little chocolate bitterness in the finish.

A very unique beer. I think the chocolate notes that others describe have faded. Time seems to have somewhat smoothed out the beer. The alcohol burn is slight which is a bit crazy with the high alcohol content.

Something I would have again. Would like to try it fresher next time.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 03:11:38 | More by jsulko

blknikon

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +15%

04-30-2013 19:26:19 | More by blknikon

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +21.1%

04-26-2013 15:33:23 | More by Jason1337

MattXT

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Batch #5 from 2009, bottle poured into a snifter.

A: Jet Black with a bit of a mocha-colored head. Dissipated quickly.

N: Very very roasty, reminded me of a straight grain mash. Picked up some dark fruits and brown sugar.

T: Pretty much followed the nose, but an overpowering grain taste. I would say that it wasnt overly boozy and didnt demonstrate much heat on the way down.

M: Full-bodied, not much booziness, reasonable carbonation given its age.

O: I very much enjoyed this bottle, and was able to share it with some other BAs. The grain flavor was a bit strong, but I'm not sure if thats just how it is or if it was a byproduct of being so old. I have another bottle of the same batch, and will hang onto is as long as possible before trying again.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 12:27:13 | More by MattXT