Mephistopheles' Stout - Avery Brewing Company

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

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

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

sukwonee

Washington

4.08/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thank god this monster comes in a 12 oz bottle. Still was quite scared to open this bad boy. 2012 vintage (16.24% ABV). I think I paid around $9.

A: It's black with half a finger tan head.

S: Roasty malts, dark fruits (cherries) some smoke, chocolate, some cola like aroma, brown sugar, alcohol.

T: Dark fruits, roasty malt, chocholate, some hop bite towards the end (not noticeable in the nose), brown sugar, and I pick up some smoke, char. Complex. While it's boozy, I would say they did a good job balancing out the alcohol heat.

M: Thick, chewy, alcohol heat.

O: I see this beer everywhere but never tried it until now for some reason. It definitely a huge beer, definitely well crafted, and tasty.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 03:21:34 | More by sukwonee

Clonies720

Texas

5/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Pours a thick, oily black. No light shines through this beer. 1 finger chocolately head forms and dissipates to a thin ring.

Smell: Dark fruits like figs/dates/prunes, and an aroma reminiscent of wine grapes. I'm also detecting chocolate, roasty malts, and black liquorice/star anise.

Taste: Huge, intense flavors that are coming at me all at once. I'll try to interpret them all individually... It starts off very sweet, and kind of toes the line at being "cloy", which means it is sickeningly sweet. Then I taste almost like a chocolate, cherry flavor with a boozy, almost double espresso kick in the finish. Slight hints of vanilla, plum, and a dash of cinnamon.

Mouthfeel: FULL-BODIED. Carbonation is medium-high, but seems to fit the beer fairly well, despite the high alcohol content. VERY chewy. This is a beer that I like to say "you can practically eat it".

Overall: This is a life-changing beer. The sweetness is borderline too much, but the complex flavors that take over after the initial sweetness make it worth the enjoyment.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 21:59:53 | More by Clonies720

sniper061

New York

4.61/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

This is a dark brown, motor oil looking beer. A caramel head, with normal lacing. Aroma is awesome, with fresh coffee, strong roasted malt, milk chocolate, anisette, and a notable alcohol presence. The glass is of beer is bitter like black coffee.. This beer was delicious although did finish will a little alcohol heat, possibly due to it being 16% abv. I will drink it again.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 10:06:44 | More by sniper061

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.59/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

My bottle was from the Nov. 2012 vintage, and was 16.2%. Poured into a tulip.

A: Pours a very dark ruby color. It's not the thickest looking pour I've seen, especially taking its gravity into consideration. The head it an amazing 4 finger mocha shade with retention belying its strength. There's even some lacing left on the glass, as well.

S: My first impression of the aroma is how insanely chocolaty it is. Given a chance to open up, it develops a breadier tone, with plummy sweetness being a constant throughout. I'm really impressed how well concealed the alcohol is, too.

T: Initially, chocolate drapes over the palate heavily, before it gives way to notes of yeast and dark fruits. Where it falters is in the finish - it's almost obnoxiously alcoholic (certainly nothing like the nose indicated). It certainly feels like it's every bit of the advertised 16.2%, unlike some massive stouts that do a decent job of hiding the gravity. Actually, it's the lack of impressive depth that's the real killer here...still, gotta love the chocolate character.

M: It doesn't feature the thick sweetness I half-expected given its 16.2%. Naturally, this helps bring the boozy nature to the forefront. Still, the drinkability is quite reasonable considering everything that's occurring within the flavor profile.

O: Right now, it's pretty damn harsh and unrefined. But, it has a lot of potential to improve. Given a few years of age, this one could become extremely impressive.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 01:45:30 | More by ThisWangsChung

MCain04

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle purchased for $9, bottled 10/12, poured into a 12 oz Half Acre snifter.

A: Motor oil-black body with 2 fingers of milk chocolate head and amazing retention and lacing.

S: Roasty dark malts and dark chocolate. Not overly aromatic but nice flavor notes.

T: True to the taste, lots of roasty malts and dark chocolate, not hoppy or overly bitter. A lot of heat though, expected for the >16% ABV.

M: Smooth, coats the tongue, chewy, nicely (although a little overly) carbonated, wet finish.

O: A big, big, stout. I got 2 bottles of these, and will keep the other on the shelf another 10 months or so to see if this boozy brew will calm down. At $9/12 oz probably won't buy too many more of these but glad to have the opportunity to try.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 02:39:28 | More by MCain04

templar316

Pennsylvania

4.6/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

Pours dark and deep into my "I Believe" snifter. A fresh vintage with massive lace, but mild head. Plenty of burn in the nose (my other bottle will age yrs) but it dissolves quickly to rich dark malt, the yeast rises again before the dark fruits smooth it all away. Some rye tannin's and alcohol burn are that's keeping this from being one of the best beer's I've ever had! After a few years to smooth this will be a Giant.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 06:05:07 | More by templar316

ElCommodoro

Texas

4.78/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Another home-run for Avery. Holy crap did they knock this one out of the park. This I'd have to compare this with maybe 2 others to side-by-side to really say whether or not I think this is the best stout I've ever had, but it's definitely a front-runner. I split a bottle between 4 friends and that was two days ago, so sadly I can't be TOO specific about this beer. what I can say is that on top of the delicious typical stout flavours, they managed to give it just the right amount of earthy flavour that I like. Absolutely perfect. Anymore and I feel like it would have started to get that soy-sauce flavour that can really destroy a super-strong stout. But god-damn was this spot on. It didn't have too much of any one flavour to cover up any other either, to further that trend of perfection. It had coffee, malty, and chocolate notes all swimming together a deliciously warm sea. I'm referring to alcohol warmth, which was very present, but had less of a bite than I was expecting. I actually like bite in my beer, so I actually prefer Avery's The Beast to this one because it's a lighter bodied, sweet brew with about the same alcohol content, providing more of an alcohol bite. But stouts aren't about bite, so this was really more about stout perfection. The perfect mingling of flavours. The feel was great too. It wasn't too acidic or gritty. It just felt good in my mouth. Great stuff, Avery. Keep it coming.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 05:28:17 | More by ElCommodoro

kagent777

Utah

4.28/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Trade to Sonofalime to get this bottle, thanks man! This was bottled in Dec 2010, batch six, and poured into my CCB snifter. This beer is barely below room temp, maybe high 50's. The bottle says 15.95 ABV on this batch.

Appearance: Solid black with a thickish pour. A nice mocha head sits atop this 2 1/4 year old beer. lacing does not stick much, but I can see alcohol legs.

Smell: Deep roast and strong dark fruits. Char and tar. One odd smell I cannot quite identify.

Taste: Deep roast dominates. Some cocoa and caramel notes along with the dark cherries and prunes. Leather and tobacco in the finish. Slight alcohol in the taste, but Avery did a good job of hiding it in something this big. The bittersweet finish goes on forever.

Mouthfeel: On the thick side, but not too viscous. To get to 15.95 %ABV from an SG of 1.135 you have to ferment down to 1.014. This is no mean feat and also reduces the mouthfeel a bit. The flavors are huge and velvety, while the carbonation is maybe 2 volumes, at the most.

Overall: I am glad that I have another bottle of this one to try after a few more years. I like this as a solid example of an extreme beer. I would love to have easy access to Avery.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 03:39:43 | More by kagent777

FeDUBBELFIST

Pennsylvania

1.85/5  rDev -55.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

12oz bottle, served in a mini snifter
15.92%
Batch 4, Bottled in Nov 2008
Sampled 01JAN01

[A] On the pour, 1 solid finger of creamy and compact head is formed. The color is medium brown and the retention is excellent. The body is as black as black gets. Minimal lacing.

[S] Sweet, boozy alcohol dominates the nose. Magic marker, caramel, badly burnt sugars, perhaps some dark chocolate and very mild roast.

[T] Wow, that is A LOT of heat. I can't imagine that this mellowed out - even a little bit - over the last 4 years. It literally tastes like 30+% ABV. Exact same flavors as aromas. Harsh and hard to deal with.

[M] Smooth texture but flabby body. The high octane ABV and aging is probably at fault for the semi-thin body. And the intense sweetness begs for some bitterness to offset.

[O] Obnoxiously alcoholic on the nose, abrasively hot on the palate, and just downright irresponsibly sweet at every stage. Approaching 16%, Mephistopheles' is quite a brewing feat, but this beer is just too darn big to enjoy. I have no interest in finishing this.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 13:25:05 | More by FeDUBBELFIST

oxcitypauze

California

4.09/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2012 bottle, poured into goblet.

A: Poured dark with a tan two-finger head that fully dissipated after 10 or so minutes. Laced the glass as it dissipated.

S: Roasty, a little sense of the alcohol. I didn't get much from the aromatics from this one, so I was a little disappointed in that.

T: Sweet and syrupy up front, but not in an annoying way. Fig-like flavors come through in the sweetness. Transitioned to a nice full roasted flavor and finished with a nice sense of hops that faded slowly. I loved how this tasted and how the two phases worked together throughout the palette.

M: As mentioned in the taste, syrup-like with moderate small-bubble carbonation. The brew coats the mouth well, but is not a. Perfectly suited feel for the taste, in my opinion.

O: One of the better stouts I've had in the non-chocolate-focused variety. The way the taste played between fruity/sweet and roast/hops was very well done. It's a little pricey for the size, but after drinking it I feel it's worth the price of admission and a treat to have.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 17:08:59 | More by oxcitypauze

steeb

3.48/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

poured into a goblet

A: Pours with a thin head that quickly dissapated

S: Im not getting much from this smell other than English ale yeast and some cocoa. It says belgian ale yeast but i smell English.

T: Here is where the belgian yeast kicks in. Sweet and fruity flavors dominate the taste.

M: This is what i want from an imperial stout. Nice full body hiding its huge ABV

O: Overall this beer was okay, not your typical imperial stout. The complexity of it all was pretty redeeming but not enough to put this on my list of must haves.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 05:27:48 | More by steeb

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.8/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12 oz. bottle poured into a Kuhnhenn snifter. Batch 7 from November 2011.

Appearance - Inky black with a small mocha head. No retention. Not even all that leggy as I swirl it. Thought it would look more viscous.

Smell - Booze is nostril-burning. Fudge all over the place. About as strong as the booze, which I appreciate. Black patent malt aroma with fudge.

Taste - Chocolatey as all getout. Fudge flavors persist here. Just buckets of chocolate until I get a bitter roasted malt finish and a fruity uptick in the back end. It's still boozy.

Mouthfeel - Well it's gigantic and it tastes every bit of it. I actually expected it to be boozier. Decent carbonation, but it's pushing the low end of medium.

Overall - Definitely not something I need to drink again. I expected it to be worse. Pleasantly surprised that I was able to consume as much of it as I did.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 02:47:12 | More by Alieniloquium

LoCoSiEmPrE

Kentucky

4.74/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

3/5/2013

First and foremost, I need to note that I found this beer tucked away in a land in my beer cellar that time forgot. The bottled on date says November of 2006. It's ABV is listed as 16.03%, which is stronger than most wines. As I write this, snow is falling outside and it's accumulation leads me to believe that I won't be teaching classes tomorrow. I couldn't be happier about it.

Appearance: There's carbonation, but it's subtle. As you watch the glass, you'll realize, as I did, that the beer continues to bubble in the glass for some minutes after it's poured. Pours thick like motor oil. Swirls of carbonation stick to the sides of the glass well with a swirl. 4.5/5

Smell: Hints of dark liquorice intermingle with wisps of raisin and plum. Nutty, earthy aromas on the end. From the smell, there can be no doubt about what you're about to be getting yourself into. 4.75/5

Taste: The taste of this aged beer can't be overstated. I've had my share of beers over the years, but none this old. I read some other reviews on here that made me think I had waited too long, but I put those fears to rest tonight. If you want a thick, powerful stout, look no further. I'm not a regular stout drinker, but I expect this to rank near the top of my all time favorites. 4.75/5

Mouthfeel: A very nice, foamy texture on the back end. When I do drink stouts of a lesser ABV, I like them but I am not drawn to them. The mouthfeel on this particular bottle is quite enticing. It's full and rich as any high-gravity stout should be, and yet I'm not disappointed at all as the beer gradually adjusts to room temperature over the course of the drink. 4.75/5

Overall: If you can find this beer, buy it now and forget about it for 5 or 6 years. As soon as (or if?) I can get some more, that's what I plan on doing. This beer is the ultimate snow day beer. If you're trapped at your house or you just have nowhere to go, crack one open. This Avery was an early foray into my cellar collection. It leaves me instilled with the hope that the rest of what I have stored up will be give me just as much satisfaction.

More notes: I enjoyed this bottle with some Hennings Chipotle Cheddar made with Roasted Jalapeno peppers. I was listening to a 7" vinyl of local ska/ soul / reggae acts the Pinstripes and the Green Room Rockers. If you've never heard of either of these bands, I highly recommend them both. They go well with beer tastings and relaxing when you've got nowhere to go!

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 21:16:06 | More by LoCoSiEmPrE

Darkmagus82

Montana

4.16/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Served on tap in a 10 oz chalice glass

Appearance – Served a pitch black colored beer with a tiny brown head floating atop. The small, film like head persists for quite some time with it eventually fading leaving a good deal of lacing on the sides of the glass. Upon swirling the glass the thick and viscous nature of the brew can be seen, with it clinging to the sides of the glass taking quite some time to find its way back to the bottom where gravity wants it to be.

Smell – The aroma is big and bold with a strong sweet showing. Roasted and burnt malts with coffee and dark chocolate smells make for the rich dark base. The heavy sweetness is a mix of raisin, prune, caramel, and some vanilla. These dark and sweet smells combined with a strong boozy presence to give a very warming smell.

Taste – The taste begins big and sweet with lots of roasted malt and some sweet chocolate, dark fruits of raisin and prune, along with some flavors caramel. Vanilla is present up front as well melding well with the sweet cocoa roasted malt. A roasted coffee flavor as well as some char and more woody hop flavors come to the tongue more toward the middle of the taste. As these tastes come, some of the sweetness fade a bit. Toward the end of the taste some flavors of smoke and alcohol come to the tongue. Along with these, the taste bitters quite a bit more as some bitter hop and more bitter coffee come to the tongue. The combination of all the flavors end up leaving a very roasty and slightly more bitter coffee, cocoa and hop flavor to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer was rather thick and chewy with a carbonation level that was rather average. The thickness coated the mouth bathing the tongue in all the intensely sweet, roasty, and even moderately bitter flavors of the brew. The average carbonation level made it rather more drinkable for a 15 + abv. beer with the combo of body and carbonation making for a nice feeling brew.

Overall – Another nice big series brew by Avery. Huge on the sweet and roasted flavors with a decent bitterness and a great feel. Quite tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

02-01-2013 01:19:04 | More by Darkmagus82

harrymel

Washington

4.06/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Batch 8, Bottled Nov, 2012
ABV: somewhere in the 15% plus neighborhood.
Opened and let sit for a full hour before pouring.

Dark molasses with a nearly confluent mocha sheet. Smells of sweet malts, roasted coffee, graham cracker, cocoa, dates, some leather and a hint of banana. Flavor is robust with malts, a hint of salinity and plenty of cocoa, leather, alcohol (but not in a bad way), candy sugar, molasses and coffee. Full bodied, but thinner than I expected, low carb overall smooth body with a nice warm finish. A really drinkable beer for the ABV, and surprisingly tasty as I don't recall this being so yummy. Would go well with a hot brownie w/vanilla ice cream - just before developing profound Beetus.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 07:14:41 | More by harrymel

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

tykechandler

Indiana

4.94/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

batch 4 (nov. 2008), from bottle into tulip glass.

pours black as night, little brown head. smells like booze and brulee'd apple, maybe malted chocolate. mouthfeel is like 2% milk but fizzy, really nice actually. holy. fuck. one tiny sip and my tongue exploded with flavor, front to back. chocolate, then fig newton, then booze, then roasted caramel, then back to figs for a super looong finish. this beer is some fucking serious fucking shit. wow. overall, this is just incredible. one of the best beer experiences i've had. sipping on this shit for the next 2 hours. seek out at all costs.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 05:53:30 | More by tykechandler

ummswimmin

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I poured this beer into my tulip glass. There was minimal foam that went away really quickly. This beer is extremely dark.

Off the top I get sticky, sweet aroma. You can smell toffee and coffee. This beer is extremely rich smelling (which explains how I sipped this for an 80 minute documentary).

The flavors really coat my mouth. The thick/viscous ale really stands out. You get a ton of alcohol quality to this one. The strength stands out in each sip.

I know this beer is expensive, but I think it is well worth it. This sipper will last through three pale or IPA pours. I recommend picking up two bottles and aging one. This beer will only get better with age.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 03:11:30 | More by ummswimmin

UCLABrewN84

California

3.65/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Retsinis for sharing this one at mrbubbler's "end of the world" tasting.

Bottled 11/2012. Batch 8.

Pours an almost opaque super dark brown with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, dark fruits, and alcohol. Taste is much the same with quite an alcohol kick on the finish. There is a mild roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but it's very boozy and needs time to settle down.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 03:17:36 | More by UCLABrewN84

Kevin73

Washington

3.63/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I think this beer gets high marks because of its high ABV. But in truth there are better stouts out there. Pours a typical opaque dark rustic brown with tan head that disappears quickly with very little lacing. Dark chocolate, grape and curry... seriously that's what I smell... permeate the nose and do not entirely play well together. The rest is okay but not world class. Taste begins with a satisfying rush of intensity from the alcohol. Fortunately I didn't taste the awkward spices that I could very clearly smell. The flavor blended quickly into mocha, grilled fruit, and very light but noticeable hops bitterness on the end. The mouthfeel was good. Nice, thick. This is a beer you can really chew on. In the end most of my complaining is wiped away by the fact that this in in fact a fairly well balanced stout. Not going to deny it, the taste is actually pretty good, but just not as good as some others, granted with far lower ABVs. You can tell on I'm kind of on the fence about this. I apologize for the wavering review. Bottom line, it's worth try, if the pocketbook can afford it ($9 a 12oz bottle at my store, eee-ouch).

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 03:58:43 | More by Kevin73

Dope

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I've had this before but I wanted to review a fresh batch. This bottle fits the bill, batch 8 - November 2012.

A: Pours midnight black with a big and dense very dark brown head. Almost matches the beer for a few moments. Fades very very slowly but oddly enough seems to lack any real lacing to stick to the glass. Just little tendrils here and there. Awesome head retention, however. One of the darkest heads I've seen on any beer.

S: Big, big, big, HUGE roasted malt notes. Loads of milk chocolate primarily with a bit of char. Quite sweet and creamy but oddly enough not super boozy. Not unlike sniffing alcoholic brownie batter. Wonderful aroma.

T: Again, huge roasted malt. Wonderfully sweet and creamy chocolate up front with a bit of char, carries into the middle nicely with some caramel sweetness too. Sweetness starts to fade in the middle leaving a bitter baker's chocolate and a more acrid (but subdued) char along with a strong earthiness. Long lingering baker's chocolate in the aftertaste with that earthiness carrying along with it. Fairly sharp and boozy but no where near what I would expect for a fresh 16.2% beer. It tastes about as strong as a Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (10%)

M: Heavy, thick, viscous.

O: Wonderful huge IS. I really thought this would be a booze bomb being so fresh but man it surprised me. Huge chocolate and roasted malt aspect is really at the forefront of this one. Well-hidden alcohol despite the huge ABV. Can't wait to break out an aged version, I bet it's divine (or demonic, perhaps)

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 06:32:05 | More by Dope

acelin

Kansas

4.08/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2008,2010, and 2012 Vintages, poured from bottles during a vertical beer tasting. Epic!

Appearance: Tar black, with a brown head that dissipates minimally but leaves huge lacing. Giant lacing. Lack of bubbles present in older vintages.

Smell: Soy sauce, alcohol, dark chocolate, faint smell of burnt coffee. The hops disappear entirely within a few years.

Taste:

2008: Flat, with soy, dark chocolate, burnt barley, dark rye bread, burnt sugar, very sweet.

2010: Less flat, less soy sauce, more chocolate and dark roasted barley. Faint hops.

2012: Good carbonation, less boozy, minimal soy sauce, roasted barley, burnt sugar, fugel hops.

Mouthfeel changed from very flat and syrupy and medicinal to far more carbonated, with more spicy booze flavor in newer years.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 00:29:28 | More by acelin