Avery Mephistopheles Stout

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Shared 355 ml bottle at local tasting. Vintage 2007, ABV is 16%. Black colour, small tan head. Intense aroma of fusel and soy sauce, also roast malts and tar. Sweet flavour, intense malty and roasty notes, also molasses and liquorice.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

I picked this bottle up from Wine Gourmet in Roanoke, VA. This beer has been on the list for a while. It is also my first beer from Avery. I was VERY impressed. This beer was big, malty, and littered with heat. The booziness is to be expected at 16.7%, but it showed up big time on the back end. That is being nit-picky. The aroma is a tad on the boozy side too. I'm okay with this in bourbon barrel beers but not in the non-barrel varieties. Either way, I am splitting hairs. This was a TREMENDOUS beer. Sampled 12 oz. on 12 April 2012. (Annual release; Nov. 2011; batch no.: 7; 768 cases)

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Thinkin this is a bit more hype than what it is. Solid brew, and fairly drinkable for the high ABV%. I wanted to try this first before sampling my DFH Worldwide Stout. Super-dark black, with not that much carbonation or head. Flavors of chocolate, toffee, coffee, anise, etc. Not rushing to try this again, but glad I did so that I compare to some other strong imperial stouts.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Bought this years ago and just never got in the mood to drink it despite seeing it in the fridge constantly. Bottled Nov 2007 batch 3. Pours deep black with a surprising good amount of foam considering the age and strength. Has a very brown color to the foam and decent lacing. Aroma is not harsh at all for 16% abv. Roasted malt dominates the aroma with hints of molasses and licorice. What really interests me is the mouthfeel. It's very heavy and very warm but not as if it's filled with alcohol. I can feel with my hand that the glass is cold, yet my mouth is tricked into thinking it's warm, with no alcohol burn. Hints of cocoa came out as it warmed but I was hoping it would be a tad more complex than it is, but it's still very good.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Pours more like milk than beer, black color with chocolate head. Roasted smells with chocolate and some smoke. This is a big beer with lots of warming alcohol all the way down. Strong flavors of coffee and molasses and booze. Great for a cold winter night, bad for a hot summer day.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Well...it pours pitch black as expected. Has aromas and flavors of burnt this and that, licorice, coffee, etc etc. The problem is it doesn't really come together, for example like a World Wide. For the price point I expect to be wowed but instead am sadly disappointed.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

The color is as it should be intensely dark black. A small, thick creamy tan head rises above. Some hang time settling into a nice lacing. The aroma is of alcohol, chocolate, coffee and roasted malt. The body is thick and syrupy. The alcohol bites intensely on the palate. And the alcohol covers the coffee, chocolate and roasted malt. This one is demonically intense.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

This bottle was shared and followed immediately after The Beast Grand Cru, well aged just like it's predecessor although not as enjoyable. Flat dark body with a fizzy head and a random spot of lacing. Nice rich aroma of dank fruits and faded cocoa along with a nice dose of star anise. Full bodied, not as demanding as I was expecting nice and easy. Flavor is in line with the aroma and leads way to some burnt caramel, vanilla and nut flavored coffee.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

I was not so enamoured with the concoction. A very dark pour with a decent sized head. Lots of coffee aroma with a hint of yeast and alcohol. The flavour was dry and bitter coffee. Very disappointed.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Pours like Quaker State 10W40. Beautiful brown head with lacing. THe aroma is assaulting because of the alcohol content, I suppose. THe flavor is much better. Very complex and malty, chocolatey, fruity..tHe name is so very apt, because after two sips, I feel the fires of hell in the pit of my stomach. I am not sure I can handle this, but I am going to give it my best beerpal try! I have 911 on speed dial.