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

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

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

jdhilt

New Hampshire

4.24/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a light tan, four-finger head that fades slowly leaving some lace. Jet black color, no highlights. Good carbonation and medium-heavy bodied. Ginger and clove nose. Flavor is almost like gingerbread, well balanced, higher ABV is hidden. $7.25 for a 22oz bottle from Tully’s Beer & Wine Wells, Me.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 23:22:29 | More by jdhilt

Lemke10

Wisconsin

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

This pours a very dark brown color with a medium brown head. There is a semi-malty and spice aroma. The taste is decently bold with mostly malts and spices. It’s fairly decent for a stout, but I was expecting a little different taste for something that was suppose to have gingerbread spices.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 19:22:51 | More by Lemke10

UCLABrewN84

California

3.1/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Batch # 1.

Pours an opaque black with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. A foamy latticework of lace coats the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, slight cocoa, and a variety of spices like cinnamon and clove. Taste is of dark roasted malt, mild spices, and a salty soy sauce flavor. There is a mild amount of roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and full bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is an average beer that sounds good on paper but isn't done all that well in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 03:22:09 | More by UCLABrewN84

silverking

Florida

4.3/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

So, I really am not a fan of Samuel Adams, but when I saw that this was the last one on the shelf I picked it up. It pours pitch black with a dark tan head with nice retention. The lacing is magnificent. It clings to the walls of the glass and then performs a slow, elegant dance as it retreats back into the black depths from which it came. Aesthetically, this beer is absolutely perfect. The aroma carries strong aromas of alcohol, along with ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. A hint of clove is also present. The taste carries hints of dark toasted malt and classic holiday spices. The cloves and nutmeg really shine through on the palate. The finish is laced with hints of chocolate and the previously mentiontioned holiday spice. The mouthfeel thick with low carbonation. Man, This beer is a home run. Every holiday beer should be this good.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 20:50:00 | More by silverking

kylehay2004

Florida

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

This one pours like motor oil with a jet black body topped by a two finger tan head with decent retention and lacing. Aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, gingerbread, caramel, vanilla and brown sugar. Very seasonally appropriate. Flavor is well done and I was shocked it wasn't too sweet with breads, cinnoman, vanilla, mild roasted malt, gingerbread. Full body and light to moderate carbonation. I was actually really surprised by this one. It's flavorful but not overdone. An excellent seasonal.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 03:58:27 | More by kylehay2004

BrewMaven

New York

4.13/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Number two in my Small Batch box.

Pours absolute black with a light cocoa head of ultra fine bubbles that drop to a cover leaving slowly receding sheets of lace. NO light passes through this beer, it's that black!

Very floral, spicy nose. Really makes you look forward to tasting being it's so pungent.

It was likely a bit on the cold side when first poured which stifled some of the flavors, but as it warmed up, it became quite complex and intriguing! Clove, ginger, licorice up front. Sweet, with a passing bitterness though the middle and a bit of heat on the finish. slick, lingering mouthfeel..fairly full bodied with subdued carbonation.

Fascinating beer, this! Unlike any I've ever tried and I'd gladly have it again!

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 23:11:25 | More by BrewMaven

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Batch #1 (2012). Poured in to tulip.

A -Black with two fingers of medium brown head that reduced to a half finger with good retention.

S - Big spice aroma up front - cinnamon, clove, all spice. A light roast profile is present in the background but is dominated by the spices.

T - Heavy spice up front with clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. A decent roast profile comes through that is more pronounced than the nose suggested but the spice profile does dominate. A hint of chocolate comes through at times.

M - Medium body with a big chew. Light carbonation.

O - Decent enough but the flavours did not produce a gingerbread like profile as expected.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 14:31:07 | More by TheSevenDuffs

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

2.8/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - Pours dark brown and borderline black in color with a hazelnut one finger creamy layer on top.

S - Ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg, smells like a big gingerbread cookie and spices - interesting aroma.

T - Taste is dominated by cloves, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, and a little touch of chocolate.

M - Medium heavy body and light carbonation.

O - I'll pass on this one next time, dominating spice drowns out the chocolate character.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 05:11:54 | More by jzeilinger

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 650 ml bottle into a Sam Adams "perfect pint" glass. Batch No. 1.

Appearance: Pours dark black with a slight hint of brown color. Lots of rising bubbles and a big four finger deep tan head with decent retention. Leaves a lot of creamy lacing around the glass.

Smell: A very spicy and bready aroma. Literally smells like liquid gingerbread. Big hints of ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon. Scent of banana bread and dark roasted malts with hints of dark bread, milk chocolate, biscuit, yeast, caramel, toffee, and nuts. Also some brown sugar sweetness in the mix. Hop presence is pretty light. Spices stand out the most. A very solid aroma.

Taste: Like the smell, lots of spices and bready notes although the spices seem even stronger. Big taste of ginger, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Dark roasted malts with a taste of dark bread, chocolate, biscuit, yeast, milk, nuts, caramel, and toffee. Also a banana bread like taste. Some brown sugar. Subtle presence of earthy hops in the background. Fairly sweet and very spice forward. A nice and interesting taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a medium to heavy level of carbonation. Creamy, silky, and very smooth. Alcohol heat is hidden very well.

Overall: A nice tasting and interesting version of a sweet stout. It could of used a little more roast to balance the spices, but what is there is pretty good anyways.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 07:00:58 | More by MattyG85

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

3.15/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22oz bottle poured into a tulip

An oily midnight black body with a foamy mocha cap. The head falls slowly to a thin layer of foam with some mild lacing. The nose is a little abrasive at first. Molasses is prominent, with ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon in tow. A touch of roast hangs in the background. On the palate, syrupy molasses coats the tongue with spices quickly overwhelming the palate. Nutmeg and ginger stand out most with some cinnamon in the background. Some very mild roast comes through as this warms. Overly sweet, cloyingly so, with the molasses just pummeling the taste buds; everything is secondary. A touch of English bittering hops in the finish. Syrupy body, with some robust flavors, but this was off-putting for me. I couldn't handle the whole bottle myself. The gingerbread flavors are all there, heavy on the molasses though, so it definitely hits the style points, but this didn't quite jive with my palate.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 14:32:01 | More by ColForbinBC

chanokokoro

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into an unbranded short stemmed tulip/snifter

Pours an opaque black with a two finger fluffy, light tan head. Above average retention, abundant splotchy lacing. Alot of spice on the nose, ginger being most prominent, followed by cinnamon, nutmeg, and hints of clove. The taste follows the nose with added chocolate, but the spicing is far too strong and completely dominates as the base beer is difficult to discern. Moderate to low carbonation, smooth with a hint of velvet. This beer has a lot of promise, however, the amount of spices used is excessive. With some changes in the recipe, this beer could become an excellent holiday treat.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 06:22:36 | More by chanokokoro

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.9/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from growler into a snifter glass

Appearance – Pours a nearly black color with a tiny tan head that fades very rapidly. Upon fading the head leaves only a very light level of lacing on the glass.

Smell- The aroma is big of spice with heavy aromas of nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon. Mixed with these spice aromas are some sweet brown sugar and caramel, some milk chocolate, a light boozy smell. Overall it smells like a alcohol infused cocoa gingerbread cookie.

Taste –The taste starts out with a sweet milk chocolate flavor mixed with a strong ginger and nutmeg taste. These flavors remain throughout the taste with the ginger and nutmeg loosing potency as the taste moves on. More toward the middle, a cinnamon flavor quickly comes to the tongue. While it comes in quickly, like the other spice flavors, it lessens in intensity as the taste advances further. Notes of a caramel sweetness replace the milky sweet tastes at the end with the milk chocolate flavor taking on a more cocoa flavor. Also at the end a light coffee and a mildly warming alcohol taste come to the tongue leaving a nice spiced fairly sweet dark flavor to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel –The body of the beer was on the average side with a carbonation level that was rather average to just above average for a imperial stout of 9% abv. The carbonation was good for the spiced flavors of the stout, but .a slightly thicker body may have been better for the darker flavors of the brew.

Overall – A rather tasty stout with a nice sweet and spiced flavor. While rather heavy in the gingerbread cookie spices up front, they dwindle down as the taste advanced, never really getting the chance to overpower the brew and producing overall a rather nice and flavorful stout.

Serving type: growler

12-27-2012 03:33:29 | More by Darkmagus82

BilbosNuts

California

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

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a goblet.

A: Pours pitch black in color with a creamy, mocha colored head that reduces to a thick film across the top. It appears very still with some solid spider web lacing.

S: There are a lot of spices up front including primarily gingerbread-like spices, cinnamon, and nutmeg. There are hints of roasted malts but it seems to be overpowered by the spices.

T: Very similar to the aroma with a blast of the aforementioned spices. It is difficult for me to pick out the dark roasted malts and wheat promised in the description due to the powerful intensity of the spices.

M: This beer has a great feel- velvety with a body on the heavier side. Finishes very smooth and hides the alcohol deceivingly well.

O: I enjoyed this take on a sweet stout, though it wasn't as balanced as I would've liked. With a bigger appearance from the roasted malts, this could have been much better. As is, it is a flawed, but unique take on one of my favorite styles that I'll try again on occasion.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 02:32:33 | More by BilbosNuts

NuclearSoAndSo

Ohio

3.95/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a beer mug.

Appearance- Pours a pitch black with an enormous, rich brown head.

Smell- Smells predominantly of molasses, followed by ginger and some cinnamon, clove and maybe nutmeg.

Taste- Very deep taste; some cloves and dark roasted malts. I'm also getting a coffee grounds presence, and you can taste the alcohol toward the end.

Mouthfeel- Body is very thick; smooth with medium carbonation. A very filling and satisfying beer.

Overall- A very good beer, I'm glad I sought it out. A strong Wintertime beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 15:02:20 | More by NuclearSoAndSo

RonfromJersey

New Jersey

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

$6.99 bomber from Rutherford Wine.

Ebony body topped by three fingers of light to medium tan foam.

Nose full of spice - nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves - all come through clear.

Good roasty stout foundation manages to make its own impression and then stand up to the spices. Good English hop bite clears out the swallow.

Mouthfeel is halfway from medium to syrup, and carries everything well.

Not a beer I'd have on a regular basis, but an enjoyable annual Christmas cookie.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 04:54:33 | More by RonfromJersey

mdcrouser

Missouri

3.43/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Black like a room yet to be brightened by the lights of a Chirstmas tree. No light shines through, leaving little but darkness and a slight chalky tan head. That's an exceptionally dark beer.

I'm picking up very little on the nose - a muted and unrecognizable spice, with only a waft of sweetness. My sniffer's not broken, just not picking much up here.

The ginger, cinnamon and cloves come through just like you'd imagine - wafting of baked goods, but carrying with them a significant amount of alcohol. Comes through a little hot, spicy, followed by molasses and a bit of char.

Somewhat thin to begin, but follows by pounding the tongue with the seasonal spices, then quickly goes away to nearly nothing.

I was really looking forward to this one, but have been underwhelmed. It's just another stout with spice and poorly-hidden alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 03:02:23 | More by mdcrouser

StoutHunter

Michigan

3.6/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I picked up a bottle of Samuel Adams Merry Mischief Gingerbread Stout a couple weeks ago for $6.99 at The Lager Mill. Today is Christmas and I thought this would be a fitting new beer to try today, I like gingerbread and stouts so lets see how this combination goes. 2012 vintage Batch 1. Poured from a brown 22oz bottle into a tuliped snifter.

A- The label looks good and it fits the beer nicely. It poured a very dark brown color that was almost black and when held to the light it had a slight brown highlight to it with two and a half fingers worth of dark tan head that quickly died down to a thin ring that faded away and it really didn't leave any lacing. This was a nice looking beer but I think the color could have been just a little darker with more lacing.

S- The aroma starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness and some malts that impart some bready malt aromas that are a little roasted but it could use some more roasted aromas. After that comes the spices which stick out the most and impart some nutmeg, ginger and clove, the spices impart an aroma that is similar to a gingerbread cookie. Towards the end I get a slight coffee aroma. This beer had a good aroma, but I wish more stout aromas were there to balance out the spices.

T- The taste seems to be pretty similar to the aroma and it starts off with a higher amount of sweetness followed by some bready and grainy malts that are a little toasted but could use some more roast to them. After that comes a slight molasses and coffee flavor followed by a large amount of spices that impart some nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and ginger flavors with no one spice sticking out the most. On the finish there's a slight earthy flavor followed by a medium amount of bitterness and some sweet lightly roasted malts and spices on the aftertaste. This was a nice tasting beer, but it needs some more rich and roasted flavors to balance out all those spices.

M- Smooth, silky, slightly creamy, and medium bodied with a good amount of medium carbonation. The mouthfeel was alright but it could have been a little more thicker to give it more of a stout feel.

Overall I thought this beer was alright and I thought it was a slightly above average example of style, the spices really showed up in this beer and that made it a little unbalanced, it needs more stout flavors and aromas to bring some balance to this beer and make it more stout like. This beer had ok drinkability, it went down fairly smooth, and the flavors held my attention, but I think one bomber is enough for me, after that the sweetness and spices might become too much. The alcohol was hidden very well, it's hard to believe this is 9%. What I liked the most about this beer was the aroma, it was pretty good and it had some gingerbread like quality's to it. What I liked the least about this beer was how unbalanced it was, if this beer had more balance it would be pretty damn good. I would buy a bottle of this if it's released next year, but I don't think I will be going back to get another bottle for this season, the price was good and I recommend this to just about anyone. All in All this was another solid beer from Samuel Adams, it wasn't as great as I was hoping it would be but it was still pretty good, I just wish it had more Stout aspects to it. Good job guys, this is a nice Christmas time beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 23:12:54 | More by StoutHunter