Tweak - Avery Brewing Company

BeerForMuscle

New Jersey

4.31/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Black syrup, espresso, sticky brown lacing. Looks strong and viscous.

S - Bitter black coffee, espesso, semi sweet chocolate, and cocoa.

T - Bitter sweet espresso, and coffee. Cocoa powder and faint dark chocolate. Burnt grains and booze.

M - Soft, smooth, velvety. Soft, tiny bubbled carbonation with a warming dry finish.

O - Rich and luxurious all the way.

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2013 20:17:07 | More by BeerForMuscle

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.5/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On draft at Churchkey in D.C.

Served alongside Avery Mephistopheles.

The beer is black with a quarter inch of oily, dark beige head. The aroma offers a potent dose of rich coffee, followed by light booze, roast, espresso, malt, chocolate. What a bold flavor! Rich and intense with a grand coffee presence. Alcohol warmth in the finish, but not nearly the heat I was expecting and even fearing from a beer of this stature. Full bodied with moderately low carbonation. A delightful brew to sip and savor. I'm so glad I finally came across this one. Delicious.

Serving type: on-tap

03-30-2013 21:21:24 | More by Huhzubendah

Twopeaedpod

New York

5/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Had it two years at EBF now.
Dark, thick, rich, and bam! Espresso!
Perfect silky mouthfeel. Unbeatable flavor.
This is their Mephistopheles Stout, coffeed.
If you like stout and you like porter, this is for you!
Best beer, hands down, at EBF Boston! Bottle this and sell it, Avery, please!

Serving type: on-tap

03-16-2013 18:54:14 | More by Twopeaedpod

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.16/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had during Brewvival 2013! Served from tap into a Brewvival sampler shaker. Poured pitch black with a minimal brown head. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, roasted malt, dark fruit, dark chocolate, coffee, and sweet alcohol. The flavor was of sweet malt, dark chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, wood, and sweet alcohol. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. When I saw this one pop up on this list available at the festival I was rather excited to say the least. For the ABV level of this one I was really expecting this one to be an absolute booze-bomb. However, what I found was a pretty well balanced and rather enjoyable brew. The coffee added a nice touch to this one and definitely took it to a new level. Really well done high ABV brew that I would not hesitate to have again at any time it is put in front of me.

Serving type: on-tap

03-09-2013 00:58:15 | More by thagr81us

RuckusDu

Colorado

4.3/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

5 oz taster at Avery Rumpkin release. Head is thin but a deep mocha and sticks around. Body is pitch black. Tons of bourbon on the nose. Vanilla, caramel, and a little alcohol. You can tell it is going to be big. Coffee up front, bitter chocolate and some sweet vanilla. Still boozy but at 16% it hides well. mouth is lots of carbonation on a medium body. A little harsh.

Overall a wonderful beer that would make a good after dinner drink. Just sip on this in front of the fire on a warm night with a good girl in my arms. Life would be good.

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2012 01:13:13 | More by RuckusDu

Mora2000

Texas

4.33/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Avery Tap Takeover at The Common Table.

The beer pours a pitch black color with a brown head. The aroma is full of coffee with some roasted malt thrown in. The coffee is extremely intense in the aroma, as well as the flavor. This tastes like I imagine iced espresso with a shot of alcohol would taste. There is also some roasted malt and chocolate but this is really all about the coffee. Medium to thick mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Very, very nice.

Serving type: on-tap

11-12-2012 02:24:00 | More by Mora2000

denver10

Colorado

4.55/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Finally get to try this monster!

Pours midnight black with a nice mocha head. This beer is BIG in aroma, flavor and ABV. Huge coffee aroma, lots of chocolate, and some roasted malts. Flavor follows suit, huge coffee hits first, on top the roasted barley, and this leads into a great, rich chocolate finish. An aftertaste of chocolate and some alcohol. A medium to full mouthfeel, not much activity. Overall, worth the hype. A fantastic beer,, such amazing aroma and flavor and so dangerously drinkable. Honestly, I couldn't believe just how smooth and drinkable this beer was at this ABV. Avery needs to bottle this beer not just because its that good but because this is the type of better far better appreciated at home than when out at a bar or their taproom.Give me a bottle of this to sit back with at home, chill out, and just enjoy and I bet my rating for this is even higher.

Serving type: on-tap

10-11-2012 02:08:19 | More by denver10

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.53/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2011 vintage poured from tap into tulip at falling rock denver. Pours a deep black brown with brown head. Smell is simply amazing. Coffee is obvious with slight alcohol aroma. Taste is of coffee and roasted malts...slight bitterness but so smooth its insane.
This is a fantastic brew. If you see it, get it!!!!
One of my fav, if not my actual fav coffee brews out there.

Serving type: on-tap

06-22-2012 03:26:37 | More by DrinkSlurm

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.6/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

From notes, on tap at Union Jack's on the Manatawny ~2010.

Pours a standard pitch black, opaque and a thin tan head. Intense roast espresso nose, light bitter chocolate and intense alcohol. Very smooth, creamy and chewy body, minimal carbonation and surprise surprise, a potent wallop of warming booze. Coffee is a little less intense in the nose with molasses and dark fruit adding some sweetness, but this is still an intense coffee bomb with a ton of booze. Easier to drink than expected (or than I probably described), but this was a chore and I'll pass on revisiting.

Serving type: on-tap

05-23-2012 01:50:52 | More by yourefragile

Domingo

Colorado

4.63/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this at Lucky Pie in Denver. Massive goblet pours for a rare 15-16% ABV beer? Sign me up.
Pitch black and thick, it began with a pretty large uniform white that almost looked like it came from nitro. However the massive head faded into a sheen pretty quickly. It never dissipated, though, and for a beer this massive I was surprised it stayed at all.
The nose is an even mix of a nice espresso and rich molasses-heavy imperial stout. Acidity and roasty notes coming from both angles, with just the right mix of beer to coffee.
The flavor continues that theme. Espresso on the front. Roasty, rich, and full bodied. However the middle opens up and the molasses, dark chocolate, and dried fruit character from the stout start to come out more. A nice touch is that while these other notes aren't always there, nothing ever seems to truly come and go completely. Different flavors just become slightly stronger and weaker. This is a nearly perfect blend of espresso and beer and is head and shoulders above any other examples I've had.
You'll no doubt have to sip something this strong, but make no mistake about it - you'll probably feel like you could drink it much faster. It's very quaffable to the point that your ability to function (and the cost of it - it's never cheap) are the real limiting factors.
I've encountered this beer a few times over the last year and I hope it becomes more and more common. It's truly amazing and it might be Avery's best overall beer, and maybe the best coffee beer on the planet.
I can't recommend this enough!

Note: Apparently this will be re-named "Tweak" in the very near future.

Serving type: on-tap

04-08-2012 15:52:13 | More by Domingo

hopfacebrew

Colorado

4.93/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On tap at Vine Street for Stout Month 2012. Re-post from my review of "Coffeestopheles" which is what Mountain Sun referred to the beer as, which is irritating because they specifially told me they were two different beers, turns out they just didn't like the name "Meph Addict"? Weak...Anyhow onto the review: They only allow a 4oz pour, arrived in a tiny wine glass that reminded me of a cordial offering. The beer is black, deep black, deep dark brown edges in light but this thing is dark. A decent dark brown head with good retention and excellent lacing. Looks impressive. The nose is rich in character with a ton going on: roasted malts, coffee, chocolate, oak, vanilla, and a hint of nuts. Hides the higher abv well. Perhaps a slight heat detectable but not much at all. Flavor explosion on the palette....wow. Big coffee tones begin as the rich flavors found in the nose come through. the chocolate and oak flavors provide an extremely well balanced beer. Mildly bitter. Hints of nut and raisin. I would never guess this was such a strong beer. Finishes clean and crisp and delicious. I've never had a coffee stout this good before. Amazing. Full bodied and reasonably carbonated. Overall, this beer is phenomenal. I really want another. Extremely highly recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

03-23-2012 12:55:32 | More by hopfacebrew

FeDUBBELFIST

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Draft pour into an 8oz slender tulip for $8. Th7is year's version is listed at 15.5% ABV (slightly less than the base Mephistopheles at 16.83%). Sampled 12/16/11.

A: Dispensed with 2 or 3 fingers of head which was pushed out with more beer as the bartender poured. Served to me with a solid finger of foamy (yet creamy) medium dark brown head. Great retention and already coating the glass as it recedes. Pitch black as expected. Lacing continues in nearly complete sheets.

S: The nose is intensely dark with bitter, heavily roasted coffee. Chocolate covered cherry aromas come through in the second wave. Deeper inhales bring about aromas of rum-soaked dark fruit and rendered caramel.

T: Pure espresso. Alcohol is warming if not hot. Some of the nuance in the nose is lost on the palate but the intensity of the coffee flavor does not disappoint. Bitterness from the combination of espresso and hops adequately offsets the sweetness. Slightly acrid. For its octane, the ABV is masterfully concealed.

M: Full body and chewy texture with a long lingering finish. Ample carbonation provides a pleasant bite that doesn't overwhelm the rich texture of the brew. Intense bitterness on the backend aids in the dry sensation, creating a lasting acrid impression. An appropriate level of attenuation keeps the finish relatively clean. Nowhere near cloying. Absolutely fantastic.

O: Avery KILLED this one. Most coffee forward beer to date.

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2012 12:12:49 | More by FeDUBBELFIST

MsRif

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Hot damn. Had this on-tap at Capone's in Norristown, PA. Served in a 5.5oz snifter. This may be one of the very best beers I have ever had. Poured a dark midnight black with a nice cocoa head that receded slowly, leaving magnificent lacing. Had an aroma of high quality coffee/espresso, caramel, milk chocolate and a bit of booze. Tasted of luscious chocolate soaked in espresso with notes of vanilla and caramel. The booze was almost nowhere to be found other than in warming...almost no taste of it on my palate. I am giving full points for taste, because I seriously could not imagine this being any better. Amazingly, outstandingly smooth for a 16.03% ABV brew. So well-balanced, it's almost criminal...namely, because I will likely not find this one again any time soon :(

Mouthfeel is silky smooth, full, a little chewy and warming. Like dessert in a glass...I ordered two of these and ended up kicking the keg. Probably a good thing it kicked because I would have ordered more and at the high ABV, this wonderful brew is a bit dangerous! Highly recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

12-23-2011 01:29:37 | More by MsRif

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

First had: on tap at Capone's, Norristown, PA

Called "Mephaddict" at the time.

Poured into a little baby 5.5oz snifter, impenetrable dark brown-black with a thin layer of tan head that receded quite a bit, leaving some lacing on the glass. Aroma was coffee-forward, earthy, dark chocolate, roasty malts, and a bit woody. Taste of roasted coffee, smooth, dry; cocoa and dark chocolate make a serious appearance too, lending to a little bitterness, maybe a little oatmeal in this? Alcohol warmth was felt more than tasted. Full-bodied, intensely roasty; it had a little edge to it: something tells me this beer would benefit from some aging. Good selection though, and nicely drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

12-22-2011 08:25:29 | More by Rifugium

UpToMeBeer

Colorado

4.85/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: Dark pour with a two finger tan head. Solid lacing and retention.

S: A wallop of espresso beans, with some hint of chocolate and alcohol.

T: Wow. Really nice: a rich, dense, penetrating espresso flavor that just oozes throughout your mouth. Incredibly smooth finish. The chocolate is subdued but adds another dimension.

MF/D : Big, full-bodied. The feel of this beer in your mouth is just heavenly. It coats the tongue with espresso goodness; you practically chew it down. But it goes down easy and leaves just the right amount of alcohol-- not a burn, more of a hint.

O: This is a big beer, one of the biggest I've tried. What an amazing beer. Similar to Avery's Out of Sight, but much better in my opinion. I love big beer and Avery hit this one out of the park.

Serving type: on-tap

12-20-2011 00:01:04 | More by UpToMeBeer

Retail1LO

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at Capone's. Served in a 5 oz. snifter. Pours a luscious brown hue with a thin tan head that recedes quickly. The nose is the most aromatic coffee essence that I've ever smelled in a beer. It smells better than some actual coffee. The taste is very coffee forward, with a tint of sweetness to it. Some vanilla and caramel are present. The mouthfeel is silky smooth. Where's this 16% ABV? I don't detect it even a little. Overall this is one billy bad ass coffee stout. Bottle this. Pretty please with sugar on top.

Serving type: on-tap

12-17-2011 21:53:08 | More by Retail1LO

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

on draft at the Avery tap take-over event at the Craft Ale House.

Appears jet black, thin tan head that leaves great lacing. Smells like a cup of espresso. Monster coffee bean aroma. Taste is pretty much as expected, all coffee. roasty, but not overly bitter.
Seems thinner than the base beer, and has low carbonation.

amazingly, it hides the huge alcohol content very well, totally different than the regular Mephistophele's.

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2011 02:57:04 | More by jmdrpi

BeerImmediately

Pennsylvania

4.68/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On draft at Capone's

5.5oz pour with small brown head over super deep brown body. Nice oily lacing.

Aromas are rich and roasty featuring dark chocolate, touch of alcohol, and nuttyness

Huge and rich on the palate, featuring thick roasted flavors. Bittersweet chocolate, marshmallow, and finishing with coffee grounds. Some vinous qualities as it warmed. Good bitterness.

Mouthfeel is packed - thick, sticky, and rich. The roasted bitterness keeps it in check though.

Really enjoyed but with the ABV, was happy it was in the kiddie glass.

Serving type: on-tap

12-13-2011 20:06:33 | More by BeerImmediately

mdfb79

New York

4.22/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From 12/1/11 notes. Had this on tap at Churchkey in Washington, DC at their Avery tap takeover event. Glad to see it as I missed out on it at EBF last year. 4 oz. pour in a snifter, brewed on 12/14/10 according to the menu.

a - Pours a dark brown, almost black color, with one inch of very dark tan head and light carbonation evident. Looks as expected, like a thick ass dark stout.

s - Smells of coffee, roasted malts, alcohol, sweet chocolate, sweet fruit, and bitter chocolate. As expected, lots of coffee, but not as much alcohol as I was expecting. Don't get me wrong it is there, but for over 16% ABV it isn't bad, and some nice sweet chocolate and fruits come through as well. Pretty complex and really nice here.

t - Tastes of coffee, alcohol, roasted malts, bitter chocolate, sweet chocolate, light wood or smoke as well. Again, coffee dominates up front, but alcohol is a little more prominent here than in the nose. Not as much sweetness as well, so a step down from the nose for me. Again, not nearly as much alcohol as I expected.

m - Medium to full body and low carbonation, smooth and thick. Some alcohol warmth.

o - Overall I thought this was a very good stout, and a huge improvement over Mephistopheles'. I've had Mephistopheles' fresh and wasn't a big fan of it, and got to try a version on tap tonight that was 1 or 2 years old, and this was much better than both. Would really like to have it again sometime.

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2011 18:50:14 | More by mdfb79

russwbeck

Virginia

4.6/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

2010 vintage on-tap at Churchkey in DC for the Avery Tap Takeover. $7 for a 4oz pour.

A: Dark pour with a huge brown head. Lacing and retention are well above average. 4.5

S: Wow is this a beer of a cup of coffee? Chocolate, and a lack of booze, mixes with the coffee to make a phenomenal smell. Really amazed how little alcohol I get on this. 4.5

T: Returns to the Mephistopheles taste I've become used to. Boozy and chocolatey, but this has coffee on steroids. I love the boost of roastiness this gets. Being a year old probably helps the beer as the chocolate and booze have become more mellowed, allowing the coffee to come to the forefront. 4.5

MF/D : Heavy body, creamy on the palate, dry finish, less boozy than I expected. Very drinkable. 4.5

O: Delicious, best of the night. 5

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2011 18:27:08 | More by russwbeck

axeman9182

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Rattle n Hum, this one was served in an 8oz wine glass.

Mephaddict pours a standard stout black, totally impenetrable by light. The wispy tan foam that crowns the beer is barely there, and definitely not enough of a base off of which to make any judgements about head retention or lacing. The nose is a one note coffee bomb. The almost espresso-like aroma is great, but the novelty wears off quickly with nothing else behind it. I hope there's more to this beer, as I'm not a huge fan of anything that drinks like straight cold coffee. Thankfully, in addition to the expected heavy handed coffee flavor, a nice robust dark chocolate note fills out the profile. I still would have preferred the base beer to come through a bit more relative to the coffee, but the balance here is certainly serviceable. The body is full, but not as viscous as I might have guessed given the ABV. The carbonation is just a little too bubbly though, to the point where it distracts from all the malty goodness on occasion. Mephaddict is one of the better cofee infused stouts I've had in a while.

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2011 01:19:07 | More by axeman9182

Adamostella

Washington

5/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

One of the best beers I ever tasted. Had it on-tap during GABF at Falling Rock.

Avery went all out on this one. Scramjet black, thin lacing around the head.

The coffee and almost chocolately smell overwhelms you, even when the glass is two feet from you.

The taste packs a whallop (along with the insane ABV) of espresso like blackness and it is sublimely smooth.

I could swirl and sip on one of these for hours, the complexity they baked into it is amazing.

I really hope they bottle this one someday, it is truly exceptional.

Serving type: on-tap

11-14-2011 21:44:11 | More by Adamostella

JizackFH

New York

4.72/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had on-tap at Rattle N Hum in NYC on 10/25/11.
Review taken from notes

This beer pours motor oil black in color. It has a finger of dark tan head on it. The head sticks around for a bit and it leaves some scattered lace stuck to the glass. The nose has a huge coffee aroma that comes through as the dominate smell. There is also a nice roasted malt presence, as well as some fruitiness. The taste follows the nose quite well. There is a lot of coffee flavor that really stands out. The roasted malt and dark fruit flavors are also present. There is a bit of booziness here as well, which is to expected. The finish leaves some lingering coffee and roasted malt bitterness on the palate. This has a full body and good carbonation. It goes down easy and has a chewy quality to it. There is some roasted bitterness and some sweetness. There is some alcohol warmth as well. This has great drinkability. It is a slow sipper, but the flavor is outstanding. I really love this beer. It is excellent, and I definitely recommend picking up a glass of this if you come across it. Excellent beer.

Serving type: on-tap

11-07-2011 14:01:51 | More by JizackFH

scout

District of Columbia

4.28/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On draft at Blind Tiger in NYC.

Pours jet black with a small, brown, frothy head. Smell is straight espresso and maybe some chocolately malts too. First sip is sweeter than I would have expected. Lots going on -- caramel, sticky malt, raisins, vanilla and definitely some other fruits I can't put my finger on. Espresso flavor is still there too and I love how well the sweet malty/fruity flavors balance the bitter chocolate and espresso. Great, smooth, balanced flavor and you'd never know it was 16%. The alcohol content warms you up but never even so much as gets in the way.

Exceptionally smooth mouthfeel with a creamy, roasted malt and back to the heavy espresso flavor for the finish. Great stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

11-02-2011 00:27:06 | More by scout

dbossman

Nebraska

4.47/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Quite black with a thin head and minimal lacing--actually kind of looks like espresso--if only I had some steamed milk

S: This is an espresso bomb; so much espresso with a touch of roasty malts, dark chocolates, and dark fruits underneath

T: So much espresso and so much booze; this is such a sipper; underneath the loads and loads of coffee, which do help hold down the alcohol burn that you would expect from a 16% beer; also some sweet dark fruits and chocolates hiding beneath the espresso blast

F: Sticky and viscous with very little carbonation

O: Such a great, huge beer with so much espresso; I honestly felt like I had more of a coffee than beer breath after this puppy; boy, is this good, Avery!

Serving type: on-tap

10-06-2011 01:10:46 | More by dbossman