Mr. Mephisto's Imperial Stout - Lake Louie Brewery Company

evanackerman

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer pours a deep deep ruby that appears black unless held at an angle to a strong light source. very attractive and typical of the style. Somewhat minimal head formation.

Aroma is reminiscent of fermented prune juice, not the high point of this beer.

Taste is dominated by roasted malt chocolate and coffee notes, light but pleasant hop bitterness in the finish. Not the most in-your-face imperial stout but solid flavor profile nonetheless.

mouthfeel is medium viscosity and on point for the style.

Drinkability is quite high for an RIS.

Overall, another quality offering from this great small brewery, I make it a point to seek out some Lake Louie offerings whenever I visit my home state. I think this brewery could be very popular if they had a bigger distribution footprint. definitely try is you have a chance.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2010 02:39:02 | More by evanackerman

UWBadgerFan4Life

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

06-11-2013 17:47:59 | More by UWBadgerFan4Life

MJCVII

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +5.3%

06-01-2013 15:00:27 | More by MJCVII

s_currie

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

05-24-2013 19:09:16 | More by s_currie

cashew70

Georgia

4/5  rDev +5.3%

05-01-2013 22:19:38 | More by cashew70

Devilman

Illinois

4/5  rDev +5.3%

04-27-2013 23:01:24 | More by Devilman

twbeecher

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +5.3%

04-22-2013 14:21:22 | More by twbeecher

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.13/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into a snifter.
9% ABV, 353 12 julian date.

A - Clarity is visible around the edges of the beer but this dark, dark brown brew is more of a sinister black color. A thick head isn't present for long, dissipating into a loose ring of bubbles while spotting the snifter with dots of lace.

S - Subtle dark chocolate notes drape gently over raisin and fig notes, slowly opening up with warmth to a fuller malt aroma of increasing depth; milk chocolate, caramel cube, singed bread, and smooth dark roasted coffee. Undertones of earthiness emerge suggesting a balancing hop profile but impart no real definitive aroma.

T - Rich chocolate aromas turn to strong roasted malt notes of bitter chocolate, burnt honey biscuit, and cold black coffee. Fruit undertones escape the roasted malt flavor and add a complimentary dark, gently sweetness of raisin and black cherry while hops remain more of a balancing attribute of the beer, staying out of the flavor.

M - Mr. Mephisto is a smooth-starting imperial stout despite the high level of roasted flavor it's got going on. Round and medium-full bodied with a smooth entry, it finishes dry and slightly gritty with a slightly rough-around-the-edges bitterness and subtle alcohol warmth.

O - Mr. Mephisto's Imperial Stout is a surprisingly easy drinking imperial stout for it's somewhat higher alcohol level; alcohol doesn't really even play a role in this malty, roasted barley beast. It starts smooth and chocolaty and turns to a grittier coffee-rich stout with dark fruit undertones for a passive-aggressive dense brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 00:43:23 | More by BeerFMAndy

Ri0

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

03-04-2013 00:29:08 | More by Ri0

Dactrius

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

03-03-2013 02:47:10 | More by Dactrius

Chaz

Minnesota

3.21/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Pours ink-black to the eye --cola brown when held to the light-- and topped with a sticky dark tan head. Great lacing, good head retention, looks great in a tulip. Very well filtered.

Nose is very expressive: cocoa, molasses, highly-hopped, and even some fusel alcohol.

On the first sip there's a punchy boozy character that all but overwhelms the cocoa and molasses in the nose... BOOM! Sweet, rich... bitterness and a bittersweet character kicks in close to the end of the drink, along with some dry, biscuity malt notes. Not quite a dry finish.

Definitely a "warming" character to this one. Lighter notes of anise blend with a port wine/fortified grape character (polish blackberry???), which might sound horrid to some, but they are only light notes. The dry, biscuity malt is almost "chalky" in terms of texture and this actually helps with the mouthfeel, as this one is overall quite thin for style.

Very drinkable for the style, and not at all bad. I'll definitely check for this one the next time I find myself in some out-of-the way Wisconsin gas stop ; )

Note: No traditional code, but 353 12 ink-jet on label face makes me imagine it's fresh.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2013 20:11:42 | More by Chaz

nickapalooza86

Wisconsin

3.3/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Poured from a bottle into a snifter

Pours our very dark brown, once in the glass it is black with no hints of light coming through.
Good finger of a deep tan head.

Smell is sweet chocolate, dark fruits come through more then any other impy stout I have smelled, slight roast.

Taste is very unique, I will say that. Like a bitter bakers chocolate covered cherry... which leads to a bitter roast, finishes oddly bitter and dry.

Mouthfeel is standard Imperial stout, silky and smooth

I really do not know what to think here, do I like it? I do not know, some sips yes... others no...

I am glad I got a single, or am I, we will see? I will let this one warm and see how it changes!

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 01:33:56 | More by nickapalooza86

arthuro11

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%

02-06-2013 18:36:10 | More by arthuro11

jjheinrichs

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

01-19-2013 15:43:52 | More by jjheinrichs

tourdot

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

01-12-2013 16:12:06 | More by tourdot

bigjer78

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%

12-09-2012 01:53:22 | More by bigjer78

ncketchum

Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served cellar temp in a Duvel tulip

A - pours a dark brown with loads of light brown head, good retention

S - chocolate malt initially with a good amount of dark fruit, fruiter than most RIS I've had

T - bitter roasted malt and coffee initially, followed by chocolate and dark cherries

M - plenty smooth, a bit of burn, goes down easy

O - nice offering from Lake Louie, a good local option for an RIS

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 04:08:49 | More by ncketchum

KCM

3.25/5  rDev -14.5%

10-05-2012 22:12:35 | More by KCM

Ryan011235

Ohio

3.3/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Delirium snifter on 8/25/12

Very dark brown color; nearly black once in the glass. The head pours just under one finger but doesn't hold up - retention is pretty much a soapy skim across the top. No lace.

The aroma has a tangy coffee roast with hints of dark fruit and grains. This doesn't smell particularly strong or complex. Overall, the aroma is on the struggling side of average.

Thankfully, the taste is a step up, albeit a small one. The dark fruits and coffee are diminished in favor or roasted dark grains and chocolate. Actually, the taste improves significantly once the beer starts to warm up. Very simple, but not bad at all.

The feel has an enjoyable granular quality, which helps the otherwise medium body. Carbonation is well on the low side. All in all, the feel is fairly plush without being particularly viscous.

Overall impression? This is pretty decent. Some folks think that an imperial stout that won't floor you in 10 ounces is a bad thing. I happen to be a-ok with that.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 03:29:33 | More by Ryan011235

Yabev15

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

06-07-2012 17:21:07 | More by Yabev15

seeswo

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

05-12-2012 12:36:04 | More by seeswo

SHCC

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

05-03-2012 03:36:42 | More by SHCC

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle from O'Reilly's in late summer. Pours thickish looking very dark brown to black colour, with a bit of white head. Aroma, some roast and chocolate. Above average mouthfeel, though not at today's standard of IS.Good drinkability, competent for the style, with hazelnut and licorice.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 12:28:27 | More by northyorksammy

pschul4

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

03-24-2012 22:30:46 | More by pschul4

Reaper16

Alabama

2.33/5  rDev -38.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

12oz. bottle served into a tulip glass

Pours out a dark brown color. You're looking for black out of an impy stout, not this. Most porters are far darker than this brew. Not much head. There's basically nothing to say about this beer's appearance other than it is off.

Mr. Mephisto smells overwhelmingly of soy sauce brownies. Those aren't a real thing (at least I hope not) but that's what this beer smells like. Lots of oily soy sauce umami overload blech. Plenty of baker's chocolate too, which is nice, but then more of it than you would ever want. It's off-balance and off-putting.

Thankfully, the taste is not intense. Unfortunately, the taste is sorta' bland. Not much flavor here. Cocoa powder meets a bit of savory soy flavors. I think there's some distant hop character too. Mostly this is ambiguously malty and powdery. Odd.

The mouthfeel is pretty standard for the style. There's a decent chewiness here, but no better than the average imperial stout. Overall, this is a poor effort. A bad example of the style. I recommend avoiding it.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 05:49:59 | More by Reaper16