Tweak
Avery Brewing Company

TweakTweak
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From:
Avery Brewing Company
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
Ranked #129
ABV:
13.1%
Score:
98
Ranked #297
Avg:
4.45 | pDev: 7.42%
Reviews:
418
Ratings:
2,736
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 25, 2023
Added:
Feb 18, 2010
Wants:
  487
Gots:
  866
Formerly known as Meph Addict and Coffeestopholes.

Tweak is Avery Mephistopheles Imperial Stout, with a chunk of coffee thrown in. If you haven’t geeked out enough, the brewery aged in four months in bourbon barrels.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by zander4dawin:
Photo of zander4dawin
Rated by zander4dawin from Texas

4.35/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Deep dark brew, tense stout flavors and a boozy finish, tobacco, leather, black coffee.
Apr 04, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of mushroomcloud
Reviewed by mushroomcloud from Texas

4.5/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
12oz bottled with what looks like a date of 6-20-23. Opened 12-25-23. Merry Christmas.
Jet black body with an almost 2 finger beige head. Great retention for a 13.1% BBA beer - leaves an early lingering lace. Roasted malt, vanilla, coffee, faint bourbon, wood, and some black fruit in a very appealing aroma.
Easily one of the most well integrated BBA coffe stouts I've had, all flavors are represented but in perfect harmony.
Full body with a very smooth mouthfeel. Long, rich finish.
World Class.
Dec 25, 2023
 
Rated: 4.46 by BirdsandHops from Oregon

Nov 12, 2023
Photo of kflorence
Reviewed by kflorence from Texas

4.53/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Picked up a single bottle. It was not cheap!

Pours an opaque black with a two-finger thick, brown head on top with great retention. Lots of lacing as you drink. Carbonation is hard to see unless you swish the beer around. Exactly what I want a stout to look like.

A lot of bourbon on the nose. Past that, burnt coconut, wood, dark roasted malts, cacao and a bit of hop spice. I'll be honest, I'm not a huge fan of liquor, so there is some downside to this aroma. However, I already knew coming in that it would be very boozy and it definitely hints at a lot of complexity.

Wow. This is super potent stuff, and there's a lot going on here. Up front, I get a lot of bitter roastiness, but as it sits on the tongue the bourbon/alcohol and hop spice set in. On the swallow I'm getting a lot more burnt coconut, charred oak and coffee. The aftertaste is the same with a mix of sweet bourbon and vanilla. Definitely boozy.

This is a full bodied beer with a lot of creaminess. It's almost syrupy, but finishes slightly crisp. Definitely a palate wrecker. I really enjoy the mouthfeel of this one, and it goes down very well for such a high ABV beer.

This one seems to be worth the hype, especially if you are into bourbon. Honestly the bourbon notes here are a little too intense for me, but once you get past that there is a lot to appreciate. I really like the mouthfeel and there is a lot of complexity on the palate. This is absolutely quality stuff. Not sure that I would seek it out again unless I'm in the mood for a very boozy, bourbony beer (which I'm typically not), but I do very much appreciate what's going on here. Cheers!
Nov 11, 2023
 
Rated: 4.13 by peabody from Kentucky

Oct 18, 2023
Photo of SpaceCamp
Reviewed by SpaceCamp from Virginia

4.42/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
L: Pours a rich brunette. Forms a moderate espresso head, fades slowly to reveal a splotchy tan layer of retention on the surface and a foamy ring of lacing on the edge of the glass. Pitch-black hue, maximum opacity.

S: Strong aromas of dark chocolate, coffee, and bourbon barrel. There is some trace caramel and vanilla, and a faint whiff of malt.

T: The barrel-aging confers a strong bourbon imprint. Healthy amounts of coffee beans and cacao nibs. Pairs well with caramel and vanilla that offer some sweetness. Faint oak and char towards the finish, with a flourishing of warming booziness at the very end.

F: Full-bodied. A little thinner than the ABV would suggest, a silky and smooth mouthfeel. Light carbonation.

O: Tremendous sipper. It's not quite an RIS but it's closer to that style than it is to a pastry stout that's labeled an 'AIS'. This batch was a 13.1 ABV. Definitely hits the classic barrel-aged imperial stout profile - keeps it simple, nothing crazy. Will return.
Oct 02, 2023
Photo of bsullivanuser
Reviewed by bsullivanuser from Texas

5/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Wow! Grabbed one at a bar in Texas. Pricey, but worth it. Glad to see it after recently picking up a Memphistopholes on a trip to Colorado. Need to get to Boulder soon.
Sep 29, 2023
 
Rated: 4.21 by Jdells09 from New Jersey

Sep 10, 2023
Photo of Bouleboubier
Reviewed by Bouleboubier from New Jersey

4.52/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
(12 oz bottle, 13.1% abv, like it currently says on their site; purchased single off shelf at a surprising $6.99!... poured into a fat tulip)

L: clear, dark brown liquid; mocha brown foam reaching high enough that I couldn't empty the bottle... the head does last a bit, but finally breaks down into a bubble island and thick collar... a bit of lacing, more than I'd expected, but you know, crema

S: thick, malty imperial stout base with a heavy overtone of coffee-caramel hard candy... the roasted edges express boldest, malt slow to follow... little discernible ethanol... later the roasty/burnt aromas dominate, but the grainy malt base isn't sleeping

T: of course, blast of ethanol following a burst of espresso up front, while the finish brings forth that coffee hard candy note from the nose... three sips in and some bourbon barrel charcoal and caramelized/burnt wood/grain notes creep in... the aftertaste is not all that sweet, mostly charred flavors with dark roast coffee grounds flaring out on top... halfway through and nowww the malt, a molasses cookie affair, rises to meet the brash burntitude; still not nearly that (residually) sweet, a beautiful thing

F: the brew and/or the barrel aging definitely thinned this out, though a sluicy, silty, powderpuff of charry sediment glugs in the middle of each sip, giving it a brief bloom of silky sulk... the roast the ethanol certainly stun the sinuses; easy drinking, but take your time

O: nah, this ain't a BCBS coffee jawn; not a desserty delicacy... clearly there's coffee in here, clearly a bourbon barrel taint, but I wish they'd be hushed on that, as this more or less comes across as an angry version of what I'd consider to be a Russian Imperial Stout, based largely on the surly, aggressive roasty qualities... folks mostly drink their coffee sweet - I'm not one of them; black is beautiful - so they could (maybe, not maybe) get away with doing some Russian theme for this, probably more convincingly if they eschew the bourbon-barrel aging; do naked oak instead?... too many ideas abound (2215)
Aug 29, 2023
 
Rated: 4.51 by Mcb99d from Massachusetts

Aug 26, 2023
Photo of BeerIsGood1337
Reviewed by BeerIsGood1337 from Missouri

4.23/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Great stout, but the 98 rating on here is a bit much. The taste is outstanding. Complex flavors here that for the most part blend well, but I'm let down mostly on the mouthfeel. It's rather thin for an imperial. Feel for a world-class imperial stout should be much bolder and creamier. The bourbon note also bites a little too hard. If it were, again, creamier, it would mask it.

This beer makes a valiant effort to be world-class, but falls a bit short. I've had other stouts from Avery that I've enjoyed more overall.

4/5 -- very solid but flawed

Of course, tastes vary and I seem to be in the minority here. If you're a stout lover, don't hesitate to pick up a bottle of Tweak and see what you think.
Aug 03, 2023
 
Rated: 4.58 by DrStiffington from New Jersey

Jul 23, 2023
Photo of Whyteboar
Reviewed by Whyteboar from Michigan

4.19/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured stout black with a tan head that reached almost 2 inches before settling back down. Scant lacing, but no surprise considering the ABV.
Aroma lost on my Covid affected nose.
The taste, definitely bourbon and coffee with cacao, not chocolate. There was nothing sweet in this. Excellent. The flavors did seem to argue a bit, I don’t have a better way to describe it. Some flavors meld into a nice whole, these seemed to fight for dominance. Still very good though.
The feel is good, very good even. Just a wee bit thinner than I like my BBA stouts.
OA, in Colorado where these are priced reasonably, I’d have them regularly. In Michigan where they are not reasonably priced, they are a rare treat.
Jul 13, 2023
 
Rated: 4.43 by joran from Kansas

May 14, 2023
 
Rated: 4.27 by craigbelly from Iowa

Apr 23, 2023
 
Rated: 4.46 by BLPasch from Michigan

Apr 15, 2023
Photo of jkblr
Reviewed by jkblr from Indiana

4.36/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
12oz bottled Oct 27, 2017 Batch 4 poured into a tulip glass at fridge temp 16% ABV per label. Purchased at room temperature recently at a local shop with unknown storage between then and now. The beer pours opaque black with just a hint of brown if held to the light. The head is medium brown in color and hardy for over five years old. It finally settles to a thin ring and island. The aroma is mild with sweet malt, coffee and bourbon. The taste is semisweet with the coffee and roasted malt faded into the sweet vanilla of the bourbon barrels. There's a hint of actual bourbon, but it's more like bourbon ball candy (if you're familiar). Minimal bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with just less that average carbonation and a semi dry finish. 16% ABV is very well hidden in the aroma and flavor, only revealed by gentle warming of the tongue and belly over time. Overall, excellent. I would jump at the chance to try a fresher bottle.
Apr 02, 2023
 
Rated: 4.43 by The_Kriek_Freak from Pennsylvania

Mar 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by mmilyko from Nevada

Feb 27, 2023
Photo of DIM
Reviewed by DIM from Pennsylvania

3.82/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
This version is 13.1% ABV. It's kind of thin overall, in flavor and body, with little barrel presence. Up front I get a moderately strong mocha flavor that is quite nice. The finish is an ashy, bitter coffee note that, while it's not entirely unpleasant, doesn't leave me craving more. There is a little whiskey throughout and maybe oak at the end. I should add that the coffee in the aroma is more balanced and appealing than in the flavor.

I wish I could compare this to previous batches, but I've never had this before. I remember seeing on shelves years ago, but that was when I was not willing to shell out $15 for a small bottle. It's hard to believe this is what folks have raving about though. I look forward to hearing from people who've had this before.
Feb 25, 2023
Tweak from Avery Brewing Company
Beer rating: 98 out of 100 with 2736 ratings