Avery Mephistopheles Stout
Mephistopheles is the crafty shape shifter, the second fallen angel. Amazingly complex, coal black, velvety and liqueurish, this demon has a bouquet of vine-ripened grapes, anise and chocolate covered cherries with flavors of rum-soaked caramelized dark fruits and a double espresso finish.
Mephistopheles is the final installment of "The Demons of Ale" series.
Batch 1 (Jan 2006): 15.1% ABV.
Batch 2 (Nov 2006): 16.03% ABV.
Batch 3 (Nov 2007): 16% ABV.
Batch 4 (Nov 2008): 15.92% ABV.
Batch 5 (Dec 2009): 16.83% ABV.
Batch 6 (Dec 2010): 15.95% ABV.
Batch 7 (Nov 2011): 16.43% ABV.
Batch 8 (Nov 2012): 16.2% ABV.
Batch 9 (Dec 2013): 15.4% ABV.
Batch 12 (Oct 2016): 14.6% ABV
Mephistopheles is the final installment of "The Demons of Ale" series.
Batch 1 (Jan 2006): 15.1% ABV.
Batch 2 (Nov 2006): 16.03% ABV.
Batch 3 (Nov 2007): 16% ABV.
Batch 4 (Nov 2008): 15.92% ABV.
Batch 5 (Dec 2009): 16.83% ABV.
Batch 6 (Dec 2010): 15.95% ABV.
Batch 7 (Nov 2011): 16.43% ABV.
Batch 8 (Nov 2012): 16.2% ABV.
Batch 9 (Dec 2013): 15.4% ABV.
Batch 12 (Oct 2016): 14.6% ABV
4
1461 reviews
Boulder, United States
Community reviews
Shared 2014, 12 oz. bottles poured to snifters showing a black/brown hue, a presentable layer of brownish tan froth, with foamy spots of lacing. The nose was roasted, cocoa, lesser coffee, treacle, dark fruit, and a hint of star anise. The taste was similar, medium to full bodied, with mild carbonation, and booziness that accentuated the roasted, earthy, and slightly tannic bitterness.
(Tap) clear, bright, very dark brown colour with a tall brown head; aroma of smoked fruit; milk chocolate; rich balanced flavour with a long, medium bitter finish
Pours pitch black with thick, dense head. Aroma is chocolate, tart cherry and coffee. Taste is sharp plum with an immediate alcohol sensation and light chocolate. Flavor warms to licorice, coffee and a hint of cherry. Finish falls somewhere between warming and burning. Not for the faint of heart, it is a great stout.
A 2014 bottle from the cellar. Pours black with a nice tan head. Excellent lacing. Nose is roasty malt, cocoa powder, coffee, plums,and raisins. Flavor is sweet and malty with coffee and chocolate notes. After several years in the cellar the alcohol heat has mellowed enormously. Long, sticky finish and thick mouthfeel. Wish I had more than one bottle.
A 2017. év utolsó söreinek egyikeként fedi fel karakterét a baljós kinézetű, ördögi ital, amely mégis egy békés új esztendő hírnökeként kell, hogy megérkezzen, ezt pedig minden bizonnyal csodás ízjegyei által közvetíti majd a szerencsés fogyasztója részére. Már az illatai is kellemes percek előidézőjeként szolgálnak, mézes, marcipános, karakteres élesztős hangulatot árasztanak. Kortyai súlyosak, akácmézesek, mazsolás és zserbós jellegű elemek nyitányát adják, amihez egy hosszan kifejlődő, markáns kesernyésség, aszalt szilvás fanyarság csatlakozik egy vibrálóan élesztős lepel oltalma alatt. Az alkoholfok mértéke csak kevéssé érezhető, összességében egy igen sima futású, bársonyos modorú ital, amelynek külleme bár vészjósló, vitathatatlanul barátságos kezek alkották.
Batch 10, 2014 17,1%. Svart med litet brunt skum som lägger sig snabbt. Doft och smak har mycket mörk choklad, kaffe och lakrits men även en mörk fruktighet som körsbär inlagd i rom. Mycket välbalanserad och fantastiskt god.
September 2017 - Theydon Bois' 20K Tasting at One Canada Square. Bottle with big thanks to Mr Meth-istopheles, Kenny. As 'Avery Mephistopheles Stout', 15.1%, bottled 2006 – first edition, red foil. Black, opaque, foamy brown head leaves light dotted lacing, some legs on glass. Aroma is aged chocolate, a little oxidised. Body is smooth with soft carbonation. Taste is quite oxidised, spicy, very rich molasses, some soy. Obviously a little past it. Grew on me but needed some time in the air. (5-4-6-4-14=3.3)
From Oct 2007
Pours from 12oz bottle(bottled Nov 2006 Batch 2) a near pitch black with a tiny head of foam that shrinks to a few islands in the middle with just a bit of lacing. A few minutes in and the foam is gone but that's not all that unusual for the style.
The smell hit me as soon as I popped the cap....roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, and the alcohol is very evident in the nose.
The taste has oodles of caramel malt, roasted malt, molasses, chocolate, cocoa, and it's got a big alcohol presence that warms even when it's in my mouth, never mind the swallow. Hey, this puppy is +16%abv so it comes as no surprise. This bottle is going to take me a *long* time to finish as I dare not take more than the tiniest sips at a time. Man, I do like the lingering aftertaste; it just won't quit long after taking the last sip.
The mouthfeel is fairly thick and creamy and the carbonation is lightly done. Whew. This is one *huge* Imperial Stout!!! I think I'll let my other bottle age for a few more months and see what happens.
Bottom line: Big huge taste, big huge alcohol, little tiny sips. Drinkability for me is going to be on the lower end of the spectrum because it's so strong but the flavours are a delight. A brew made for a snifter and a schedule day of nothing to do. Give it a shot and enjoy it for what it offers.
On tap at JL Beers. Black pour with a brown head. Big and boozy, lots of fudgy chocolate and bourbon, some black licorice, super rich, sweet but decently balanced.
Sampled from bottle at THT October. Black with light tan head. Big sweet deep roasted chocolate malt. Massive alcohol and ash bitter. Full body and soft carbonation. Soft carbonation.
Bottle shared at THT, 2014 17.1%. Black with dark beige head. Some smoke, massive sweet toffee and caramel, lots of bitter alcohol and herbs, nuts, blackberries, dried cranberries. Quite sweet, very bitter and light tart. Almost full bodied with lots of alcohol. Way too boozy.
Intense dark chocolate, cacao, caramel, sweet oak. Hazy, very dark brown, small, creamy, beige head. Light sweet. More intense dark chocolate, cacao, dark, toasted malts, oak, soft carbonation, full bodied. Very nice Impy. Keg at the brewery, Boulder.
Bottle shared on Level 42 for Cloin's 20K Tasting, 13/09/2017. Batch 1. Many thanks to Kenny for this one. A dark brown oily pour with a loose dirty tan head. Aroma is salty roast, tangy roast, red cranberry, jammy fruit. Flavour is composed of super sweet, sticky brown malts, salty, soy, molasses, sticky mapel. Palate is medium sweet, lowish carbonation, sticky. Decent for the age.
Bottle split at my 20 KAY tastin, thanks to the Kenny ... batch fucken juan 2006, 13/09/17.
Black with a decent tan cap that thins to a swirl.
Nose is dark fruit rinds, dates, light smoke, black pepper, faint roast, dark chocolate.
Taste comprises sticky dark fruit compote, dates, raisens, melted brown sugars, light oxidisation, ripe fruits.
Full body, fine to oily carbonation, warming boost in the close.
Decent ... has aged well.
8-4-7-4-15
Bottle, 2016. Pours black, with a creamy, mocha head. Aroma is dark roasted malts, with bread, cocoa, liquorice and muscovado, as well as wooden barrels. Creamy body, with very soft carbonation. Flavour is dark malts, with cocoa, muscovado and liquorice, as well as wooden notes.
Bottle. Dark color. Thin medium brown head. Taste is medium high bitter, medium sweet. Medium body. Dry finish. Aroma and flavour is alcohol, mint, fruit, chocolate, coffee, toffee, chili.
Svart med lavt lys brunt skum. Lukter alkohol, svisker og mørkefrukter. Fyldig. Smaker brent mørk kaffe, salt lakris, havre, dadler og svisker. Salt og alkohol i avslutningen.
Quemado intenso, resinas, azúcar. Cuerpo denso y final de amargor quenado y astringente.
12oz bottle black pour fluffy tan head aroma of booze and cocoa taste is sweet chocolate, bitter coffee and a nice warming booze finish my kinda beer
Oh my god... read the label before pouring the stout! This is Batch 10, and the fine print indicates an ABV of 17.1%! Ouch. Well, a few sips can’t hurt. Poured into a big Sammy Smith nonic, the chocolate colored foam filled the glass. Aroma of... wow, got me to finally read the label it was so strong. Chocolate, alcohol, molasses, vanilla... you could get a buzz just sniffing this. I’m pretty sure that this is the strongest ale I’ve ever had. The foam receded to a small film. Flavor of pretty much everything you could imagine in a high alcohol stout, dark fruits, dark sugars, alcohol, wood, chocolate, tobacco... Holy smokes, I need a seatbelt on my barstool.
This sips smooth and very complex, but the finish is a tad harsh due to the high alcohol content. There’s obviously a boatload of sugar in this, and perhaps that’s what is registering on my ’bit too much’ radar. Still, quite a remarkable and well made brew. Devilishious.
Poured from 12 fl oz bottle [batch 12 (Oct 2016) - 14.6%]. Black with tan head. Creamy sweet milk chocolate with syrupy light dried fruit and bitter roasted finish. Alcohol is very noticeable and gets in the way of the flavours.
12 oz Bottle, Batch 8 from Darrel at 2017 RIS tasting. Finally one that blew my hair back. Black, slick pour, sparse tan head. Slightly sweet aroma leads into a full, robust taste that overwhelms. So tasty and smooth, that you don’t notice the 16.2% ABV except for some gentle warmth.
Originally rated on 2/9/09. I would have rated this one much higher but the alcohol is just too overbearing in the aroma, and flavor columns and therefore the overall score is lower as well. It started out nice with aromas of chocolate, dark fruits, chocolate and alcohol. Flavors were similar with a sweet chocolate start, dark fruits, licorice and espresso finish, and then the alcohol took over. As it warmed the only thing i could taste was alcohol. It was a good beer but a little less alcohol and it would have been great
355ml bottle from Elizabeth Station. Bottled on Oct-2016, batch #12, 14.6% ABV. Pours a very dark brown with a brown head. Aroma is some berries notes, roasted malt, slightly smokey with some mazut-ish notes. Taste is sweet, oily, with roasted malt, leather and booze notes. Sweet, dark fruits, smokey and mazut-ish aftertaste. Good stuff.
2015 Pours black with trees head that last for along time. The aroma is coffee, chocolate. The flavor molasses, caramel, dark malt, and alcohol. But after, bit through. Over all body is thick and a little goes along way.
Bottle, brought back from Denver. 2012 vintage, 16,2%. Pours a jet black beer with quite a big head on top, that settles fairly quick into a small layer of beige foam around the edges. Aroma of booze, licorice, dark red fruits, vigs and plums with very much booze. Flavor is strong and sweet, full and rich, very alcoholic and strong. Not that much else going on, mostly overpowering boozyness. The fruits disappear, the caramel disappear, all returning on a strong and boozy palate. Slightly burning mouthfeel, softly carbonated and a bit messy, yet very impressive to drink this..
Black color. Big , brown head. Aroma of chocolate, cherries, molasses and dark fruits. Heavy sweetness in taste balanced by biting, roasted bitterness. Flavors of coffee , dark fruits and chocolate. Warming alcohol at the end.
Aroma is grapes/dark fruit, dark malts and a hint of sweetness. The flavor is dark fruit/grapes, dark malts, earthy and first dry and then acidic in the finish.
From K & L Wine Merchants Sf@ 12oz bottle release 2016 with 14.6% abv. Pours black, oily, with creamy brown diminished head, with good lacing as a ring on the edge of a glass. Aroma: intense roasted grain, dark chocolate, gentle smoked, peated, cacao, coffee nibs, dark fruit esters, port & red wine, molasses, licorice. Flavour just follows aroma in intensity with slightly astringent, typical for a red wines, dry finish and slight bitterness from roasted grain. Body is thick, texture smooth, carbonation is moderate.
Dark black body brown head nice lacing. Creamy palate. Strong dark cocoa dried fruit molasses aroma. Taste is rich sweet dark roast cocoa chocolate dried fruit anise some bitterness. Hot and boozy but masked with loads of flavour. Lactose. A stunner.