Merry Mischief Gingerbread Stout - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

BigBry

Alberta (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle, part of the Sam Adams Christmas Pack, thanks for sharing M and B.

Pours very dark brown body, almost black, with a thick, tan head. Foam lasted nicely, leaving some lace ribbons down the side of the glass.
Smell has a nice opening shot of gingerbread, and other spices. Roasted, dark malts with some sweetness, nice Christmas spiciness.
Taste is one of a classic sweet stout to start. Solid, toasted malt base, the come the extra flavors of gingerbread, dark chocolate or cocoa, molasses.
Medium bodied mouthfeel, low to medium carbonation, smooth and creamy.
A unique spice blend, gingerbread definatley comes through. Might be a bit too much if one were to consume the entire bottle - but works great to share.
A nice suprise, glad to have found this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 18:30:31 | More by BigBry

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.61/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

A: Tar black pour is thick and viscose from the bottle, the head is thick like whip cream, with a bronze-walnut coloring that sticks around for what seems like forever stubbonly refusing to budge. Moderate visible carbonation rises lazily while the lacing is strong.

S: Nose of cinnamon, nutmeg, and of course strong indications of ginger, Spicy, sweet buttered caramel toast.

T: Flavor was sweet upfront, spicy of ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg turning to a rich, dark, and sweetly roasted nature with some flashes of burnt toffee. Bready, vanilla, with some lightly dry milk chocolate and cookie dough. Finishes with a light dry flaked chocolate flair. The spicy hops of EKG & fuggels compliment the spices.

M: Mouthful is silky smooth, medium bodied, lighty dry on the tongue, spicy with a good vibe of carbonation.

O: Overall this is a spicy, holiday, chocolate dessert style beer. The ginger comes on strong at times, though is managebale perhaps in servings smaller then original packaging (bomber). The malting was nice here, deep and rich, Reserved for small sampling size and perhaps as a after dinner dessert beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 13:02:26 | More by beerthulhu

superspak

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 ounce bottle into snifter; batch 1, bottled in 10/2012. Pours dense pitch black color with a 1 finger dense dark khaki with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of big dark chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, gingerbread, toast, dark bread, roasted malt, molasses, toffee, floral, and light roasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance of spices and dark malt notes. Taste of dark chocolate, toffee, roasted malt, cinnamon, nutmeg, gingerbread, toast, clove, dark bread, molasses, floral, and light roasted earthiness. Lingering notes of dark chocolate, toffee, roasted malt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, dark bread, toast, clove, molasses, and light roasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Damn nice balance of roasted malt flavors with spices with good complexity; with a nice malt/spice balance; and zero cloying flavors present after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a very creamy and fairly slick mouthfeel that is very nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is an excellent spiced imperial stout! Great balance of dark malt and spice flavors with good complexity; and very smooth to sip on. Really enjoyed this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 04:16:34 | More by superspak

bmwats

Louisiana

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 650 ml bottle into a standard pint.

A: Very dark brown. Pours a giant, cascading, brown-white head, foamy head. Settles very slowly. Leaves a nice uneven, fluffy blanket. Some slight lacing.

S: Toasty malt with lots of ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and a little banana.

T: Light roasted coffee, plenty of fall spice, and a little bitter licorice and orange rind.

M: Hefty body. Bitter and coppery aftertaste. Almost synthetically bitter.

D: Sip and enjoy.

Atmosphere is really good. Dark hue, giant head, and fair enough lacing. Nose is a great combination of fall spices with some nice lightly roasted coffee. Flavor is a bitter, roasted, malty combination with a consideration of spice, but ultimately nothing really there. Overall, this is a pretty good quaff.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 03:40:14 | More by bmwats

chefhatt

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I poured this into a tulip glass, it has a black color body with a 2' tan head, which hung around for a bit. The smell is very spicy of ginger, nutmeg and some cinnamon. The taste has a very strong ginger flavor that follow with the nutmeg and clove. Then the roasted malt come in behind it. The mouth feel is very nice, kinda thick but not too thick. It leaves just a little bit of a after taste but not too much. Overall i think this is a good winter beer. I couldn't drink a bunch of them at a time but once in a while is good.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 01:29:22 | More by chefhatt

neophilus

Massachusetts

3.38/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Thick and black, generous foamy tan-colored head up top. Lots of spicing on the nose. Ginger is dominant

Dominated by the spices up front and barely saved from going too far overboard by a rush of warm malt flavor. Roasted grain leaves a subtle ash-like flavor behind. The beer needs to warm a bit before the malt flavor catches up to the spicing and the bitterness of the roasted grain. Once it does though it helps to balance it out.

Certainly not subtle on the spicing here, the Ginger was perhaps too dominant. I'm reminded more of an assertive pumpkin ale than a sweeter Gingerbread holiday flavor. That said this is very drinkable for a strong stout, aftertaste cleaned up nicely and the body was smooth.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 23:00:58 | More by neophilus

Pencible

Virginia

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: This poured an opaque espresso with lots of tan head.
S: It smelled like huge ginger with some clove and nutmeg, and a little mocha and cinnamon.
T: It tasted like coffee and gingerbread, with some clove and dark chocolate, and a little cinnamon. It had a clean and gingery bittersweet aftertaste.
M: It was thick with moderate carbonation. Nice full body.
D: This was a very nice holiday beer. It had tons of ginger scent and taste, but was still balanced by other elements. It had a big body and a fairly smooth finish, with well hidden alcohol, so it was pretty easy to drink. Not really sure how it would age, but I like it now. Recommended to at least try.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 16:40:40 | More by Pencible

BigBarley

Texas

4.68/5  rDev +27.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

This'll be short, folks...

A - The perfect stout. Creamy head, thick, black body, nice khaki foam. Head retains like crazy and looks kinda milky, but the fact that it sticks around like it does makes me happy.

S - Gingerbread men who've had coffee and beer recently. Smells like it should!

T - Gingerbread with a sweet chocolate undertone, touch of roasty smokey spice, black malt undertones. Very sweet though, only thing that could stop me from drinking several.

M - Perfect stout feel. Creamy, smooth, carbonated just enough to keep ya drinking. Wonderful feel.

O - The only beer I've had better than this is PUMPKINATOR, and they're both so similar, I can honestly say that DESERT IMPERIAL STOUT IS A FANTASTIC IDEA! So, come on with it folks, gimme some apple pie stout so I'll never waste money on desert again.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 16:05:23 | More by BigBarley

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.73/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Black pour with 4 fingers of head. Christ, it took forever to dissipate! Smells of ginger, cinnamon, pumpkin pie. The flavor is heavy on the ginger as expected, roasted grains, a bi of licorice. Medium body, creamy, medium carbonation.

Not a bad experience but I wouldn't want more than the one bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2013 23:28:38 | More by facundoCNB

CHickman

New York

2.5/5  rDev -31.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours as black as night, like a shark’s eyes, with a creamy 2 finger tan/brown head that didn’t move and dissipated very slowly leaving OK spotty lacing and a creamy layer on top.

Smells of clove, ginger and spices up front, followed by cinnamon, allspice, grains and more spices; too many or too strong on the spices, they were so overpowering that this did not resemble a stout nor a gingerbread cookie. This was like an over-spiced holiday ale and to me way off base for a stout.

Tastes like it smells, with clove, ginger, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, allspice and the rest of the spice rack mixed in for a dash of everything; after the extreme spice assault, there are some grains, vanilla, caramel and then more spices. It resembles a gingerbread cookie/house, but has too much spice attack and not enough bready or oatmeal flavor and feel to pull this off and this experiment feels like someone accidentally spilled too much of something in the mash. I hope my bottle was bad, as I had heard good things about this beer but to me the only thing it did right was mask the high ABV.

Mouthfeel is smooth and almost watery with a heavy dense body, mild carbonation, and a spicy finish that has metallic yeast hints mixed in with the ginger and clove.

Unless you love ginger then you won’t really like this beer. As with all stouts, as it warmed up more flavor came out – unfortunately the flavor was ginger, which is great with sushi but not in this beer. This was very disappointing for me as I had very high expectations. Tough to finish this bomber alone, so sadly some was poured down the drain.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 03:42:46 | More by CHickman

zeff80

Missouri

3.23/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

A - Poured out a jet black color with ruby highlights. It had a 3-finger head of light brown foam that left sticky lacing.

S - It smelled of ginger and lots of other Christmas spices.

T - Lots of ginger, lots and lots of ginger. Too much ginger. Some roasted malt character buried underneath the ginger.

M - It was crisp and smooth. A medium bodied ale.

O - This would be fine if split 3 or 4 ways. An entire bottle is too much ginger for one human.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 20:59:07 | More by zeff80

mattkoon

South Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +21.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

i have liked most of these sam specials. this one may be my favorite. its black with a head the color of ginger bread cookies. the smell is full of spices and brown sugar. smells like ginger bread cookies. the taste is bitter followed by sweet spices. this beer makes me think of christmas. bottle was $5.50 for a pint at 9%abv its a steal.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2013 12:40:43 | More by mattkoon

obywan59

Virginia

3.51/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours jet black, no highlights at all. I'ts topped by a 2 1/2 finger tan head that leaves moderate lacing.

Mainly spices with a bit of syrupy malt in the aroma. Gingerbread aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and especially ginger.

Tastes a bit raw, expecially at first. Mainly sweet and approaching cloying on the first swallow. Mellowing just a bit later, and becoming more sweet/tart with an overlaying bitterness. Spices are rather toned down compared to the aroma. Occazsional whiffs of gingerbread.

Mouthfeel is milky and moderately thick. Slightly sticky on the tongue with raw alcohol burn in the throat.

Overall, this is an okay beer. It gets a bit better as it warms, but for me, it never really seems to come together. Maybe it would improve with a bit more aging.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2013 03:44:40 | More by obywan59

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.69/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours an opaque jet black in color with some very subtle dark brown highlights and a light amount of visible carbonation at the surface. The beer has a two finger tall creamy dark tan to mocha head that slowly reduces to thick film covering the entire surface of the beer with a slightly thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of roasted malts, lactose, and strong aromas of gingerbread (and ginger spice).

T: Upfront there are moderate flavors of dark and roasted malts with some lactose (milk) sweetness and some very light hints of cocoa. Beyond the malts, there are strong flavors of gingerbread which include ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg spices. Very light amounts of bitterness which fade almost instantly.

M: Medium bodied with moderate to heavy amounts of carbonation. Very light amounts of alcohol warming in the finish as the beer warms up.

O: Overall the alcohol is pretty well hidden in this beer but it is just a little too light in the mouthfeel to be as enjoyable as I hoped - the flavors and aromas are very pleasant and remind me of gingerbread.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2013 01:08:49 | More by dbrauneis

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This poured out as a dark black color, kinda thick looking with a cream colored head on top. The retention was minimal and very little lacing as well. The smell of the beer is loaded with spice, not much of anything else really showing through here. The taste of is also spicy with a subtle malt sweetness in there while finishing dry and spicy. The mouthfeel is sharp, not overly smooth like I think it should be. There is a decent thickness to the beer though. Overall it's a decent brew. Glad I got to try it.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 16:17:59 | More by Knapp85

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.15/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The four fingered head quickly overflowed the tulip glass despite the careful pour. The body is black.
Well, it smells like a ginger bread house with some cinnamon on top. So it nailed that.
The taste is some roasted malt with gingerbread and a mild bitter. Fairly mild overall.
A crisp texture with moderate carbonation and medium body.
It’s an interesting idea and it smelled good but it came up a little short in the gingerbread beer concept.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 01:46:29 | More by Fatehunter

BlackBelt5112203

South Carolina

3.64/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle poured into a mug at cellar temperature.

L – Deep brown color with a 1-finger rocky tan head. Pretty good retention and lacing.

S – Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and a little nutmeg. There may be a hint of chocolate somewhere in here, but this is definitely spice-forward without many classic stout characteristics.

T – Like the aroma, the spices are the most apparent ingredients in the taste. However, some more chocolate comes through here than in the aroma, along with some roasted malts and earthy bitter hops at the finish.

F – Medium-to-full-bodied with good carbonation, a silky and creamy mouthfeel, and a mildly sweet, bitter, and dry finish. Sweet malt and added spice flavors linger pretty nicely.

O – This is a decent stout. The spices that are listed on the bottle are certainly apparent and are actually a little overpowering. With all the spices, many classic stout features are masked or lost. Nevertheless, it is a tasty and drinkable beer that is well-suited for the holidays.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 00:29:28 | More by BlackBelt5112203

CaptJackHarkness

New York

4.29/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

From one pint six ounce bottle, noted Batch No.1

Pours nearly black body with thick thick dark beige/brown head. Thick lacing of glass. Smell is lightly spiced. Taste is very ginger/spice forward, sweet with a harsh backbite note possibly clove.Alchohol is definately notable. An interesting Stout.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 23:44:18 | More by CaptJackHarkness

ichorNet

Massachusetts

3.86/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Appearance: Deep black with very minimal highlights; excellent, compact, rusty brown head with surprising lacing

Scent: Medicinal; anise, powdered cinnamon and vanilla extract, roasted chocolate malt, crystalline sugar; somewhat ester-yvers

Taste: Sweet and creamy with a pretty decent balance between clove-y phenols and a roasted malt approach. Tastes very much like a gingerbread man, actually!

Mouthfeel: Creamy with light-to-medium carbonation and a nice, coating slickness; might be on the thin side, though. Overall, not bad

Drinkability: Amusingly both good and bad. It drinks pretty easy especially given the strangeness, but the alcohol is a bit of a mess here and there

Overall: One of the better SA small batch series in terms of being what it aimed to be... this is a good conversation piece and has some extremely complex elements to it. I'm not sure the recipe is perfect yet, and I'm convinced they won't improve or alter it for the future, but the focus on spice is a bit too narrow, in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 07:10:03 | More by ichorNet

rangerred

Tennessee

4.36/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a snifter out of a 22oz bomber.

Pours pitch black with a fairly thick one finger dark tan head. While head retention isn't especially outstanding, the lacing is. This is really a nice looking beer.

Gingerbread is huge in the aroma along with a healthy dose of clove. Really no subtleties here. Some cinnamon and allspice but I really have to try hard to pick out any stout characteristics. Almost no roast, coffee, or chocolate. A little too spice heavy.

On the taste, there is a little more going on. Still extremely heavy on the spices with ginger, nutmeg and allspice dominating. Peel that back, however, and you have some vanilla and cinnamon notes along with some hints of baked bread, molasses, and brown sugar. I honestly tastes like taking a bite of a gingerbread man. You really need to let the beer warm up a little for the flavors to make a big impact. Mouthfeel is thick and creamy but the sweetness remains dialed back enough to make this fairly drinkable.

I have to say I had my doubts at first but Samuel Adams has really pulled off a good one. This beer is so gingerbread like it is scary. Like someone put a pulverized gingerbread man into a stout. I really wish I would've tried this earlier so I could have picked up another bottle to age.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 01:28:52 | More by rangerred

thlayli87

New Jersey

4.29/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Pours a dark brown with a finger of tan head. There is slight lacing on the glass as the head recedes to a thin cap which persists for the duration. The aroma is strong of gingerbread cookie. The taste follows the nose with gingerbread spices, molasses, and brown sugar. The brew had a spicy mouthfeel with a faint pleasant burning sensation on the lips and a lively presence on the palate. Delicious. I hope that SA will make this more widely available in the future. Id gladly pick up a 6er of this if it was available. If you don't care for the taste of gingerbread you probably won't like this beer though.

Serving type: on-tap

01-22-2013 23:09:39 | More by thlayli87

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.96/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle - $6.99 at Bullock's Wine & Spirits in Woodstock, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours out a very dark brown body with a thickish, tan-hued head of foam.

Smell: Roasty, dark malts with notes of bitterish chocolate, dark caramel, a little toast, a hint of fruit, and good showing of the spice blend.

Taste: A start of solid maltiness of toast mingled amongst the roastiness. Dark chocolate squares, spiced caramel. Moderate sweetness. Scant fruitiness. A pinch of standard sugar with the spice character. MMGS features each component nicely, without me quickly tiring of the spices. The roastiness pulls back a bit to let the spices close out the smooth, creamy finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation, a bit soft. Smooth mouthfeel overall.

Overall: Well-integrated alcohol and the spice character was pleasant without being over-the-top. I thought it was better than I had expected.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 20:57:05 | More by ChainGangGuy

metter98

New York

3.69/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A: The beer is jet black in color and has a light amount of carbonation visible by way of the bubbles rising along the sides of the glass. It poured with a finger and a half high dark tan head that quickly died down, leaving a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface, a collar around the edge, and some lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: There are moderately strong aromas of ginger in the nose.
T: Like the smell, the taste has lots of ginger but this is accompanied by other flavors such as cinnamon and nutmeg along with notes of dark and roasted malts.
M: It feels nearly medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate to high amount of carbonation. There are some hints of warming from the alcohol.
O: This beer has an interesting taste and does resemble gingerbread, but overall I thought it would be much better if it had a fuller mouthfeel to support its strength. The alcohol is well hidden from the taste.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 05:10:00 | More by metter98

atr2605

New York

3.41/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

A-pours black with a tan head with pretty decent retention
S-gingerbread, coffee, roasted malt
T-gingerbread and coffee flavors mingle up front followed by a sweet chocoltate flavor with continued gingerbread presence.
M-medium bodied, lacking a bit of creaminess
O-pretty solid beer, definitely strong gingerbread presence, abv is hidden quite well but it could have used a bit more body and creaminess

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 01:47:22 | More by atr2605

tronester

Oklahoma

4.01/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a very dark brown in color, almost black, with a creamy brown head. Aromas of figs, and a hint of ginger. Taste begins with some light chocolate, followed by some plums, then some dark bread, then some herbal and nutty flavors. The finish has a big ginger flavor to it. Mouthfeel is a touch light, but smooth. Overall a very nice sweet stout, though it is somewhat surprising that it is not richer, considering the alcohol content and added milk sugar.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 00:37:48 | More by tronester