Nuttiest Professor
Avery Brewing Company

look: Deep dark imp stout depth, sparse cola highlights when held to light. Almost no head on the pour and that recedes quickly. No lacing but an oily sheen coats the glass.
smell: rich, decadent and unique. Peanuts in rich molasses espresso.
taste: much like the nose. Rich decadent and perfectly crafted.

I spoke to ai about my feelings over this beer and Ai summarized it well for me. Below is the summary. With the exception though of a good head after 8 years now its 2025, the beer was great!



The Vintage Imperial Stout Flavor Map


I. The Body & Texture (The Foundation)

Flavor/Note Source Relationship
Motor Oil / Viscous Body High ABV (15%) + Years of Aging This is the physical foundation. It provides a thick, coating mouthfeel that carries and suspends all the rich, dense flavors, preventing them from feeling watery or thin.
No Head Retention High Alcohol + Peanut Oils (Adjuncts) The absence of foam is the trade-off for the richness. The oils and alcohol, which enhance the flavor complexity, actively kill the foam.
II. The Core Dessert Profile (The Sweet and Savory Heart)

Flavor/Note Source Relationship
Chocolate Cake Mellowed Dark Roasted Malts This is the primary sweet base. Over 8 years, the harsh bitterness of the original roast has softened into deep, rich, fudgy cocoa notes.
Roasted Peanut Butter Primary Adjunct This is the savory counterpoint. The roasted character of the peanuts blends with the malt's roast to add an earthy, slightly salty dimension that prevents the beer from being one-dimensionally sweet.
Brown Sugar / Toasted Marshmallow Malt Degradation + Barrel Sugars + Vanillin This is the caramelized bridge. The brown sugar forms the deep, foundational sweetness, while the marshmallow note is the final, perfect blend of that sweetness with the Toasted element from the dark malts.
III. The Barrel & Phenolic Notes (The Aromatic Spice)

Flavor/Note Source Relationship
Coconut / "Good Sunscreen" Vanillin (from the Barrel Oak) + Possible Coconut Adjunct This note is the aromatic lift. It enhances the overall dessert profile, providing a creamy, tropical sweetness that pairs naturally with chocolate and marshmallow.
Leather Long-Term Oxidation (Tertiary Aging) This is the sophisticated, earthy grounding. It balances the extreme sweetness, adding a dry, complex, savory depth (often linked to notes of tobacco or cedar).
IV. The Maturity & Fruit Notes (The Finish)

Flavor/Note Source Relationship
Plum Esters/Alcohols oxidizing into Dark Fruit Notes This is the vinous acidity and complexity. It brightens the beer, providing a subtle, mellow, dark fruit sweetness that cuts through the thickness, making the huge beer feel more lively and drinkable despite its size.

Conclusion

This stout is a masterpiece of aging. Every single flavor you noted is present for a reason and works in concert with the others.
The thick, chocolate-cake base is elevated by the toasted peanut butter and coconut to create a rich, savory dessert. This massive profile is then stabilized and made sophisticated by the deep, earthy notes of leather and plum—hallmarks of its 8+ years of perfect cellar age.

 

 

 

Very interested to try this. I bought it for $14 at my favorite stout store that has a wall of stouts. This beer is now retired, and in fact I bought it in Oct of 2021 and it was bottled June 19, 2017. I wonder what I was doing back in 2017, and could i have predicted I would be tasting a bottle of this in my future? In 2017 I was under a deep depression, but I'm out now, and feeling much better. Feeling good enough to test this brew. Rolling in at 15.2%, and they made 1680 cases of this, so I would venture to say this is not a large scale production beer. I love Avery beers, Mephistopheles and Uncle Jacob's are a couple of my favorites. Anyway, I pour it out deep dark brown into my goblet, and it bubbles for a minute, but then just sits there still, doing nothing, waiting for me to do something with it. Ok, I'll oblige. OK this smells like the inside of a cheap hotel that has just been cleaned with carpet cleaner. Not particularly inviting. Or maybe it smells more like aged newspaper, kind of a dull damp yellow papery vibe to it. Not particularly impressed. Or maybe it smells like the inside of an old used bookstore, yes, that's it, an old bookstore. It just became more intriguing. Now let's taste. The taste is rich and velvety, full and inviting. I chilled this a bit in the fridge and it's just the right temp to light up my mouth. Yes, as advertised, it's heavy on the nuttiness. And equal parts molasses and caramel, some deep dark rich sugary candies, kind of like a Werther's. I'm pleasantly surprised given the uninviting smell. I could really get into this flavor. Yes it's like a super sweet peanut brittle bathed in bourbon. Mouthfeel is light and bubbly, rather active for a heavy stout like this. Immediately I know i'll be buying every last bottle my local store has. Avery has done it again, a real winner.

2017 vintage. Poured from a foil topped 12 oz bottle into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Dark, dark brown pour... nearly black. A flash of fizzy mocha head that falls immediately. No lacing.

S: Boozy and roasty. Sweets and nuts.

T.F: Sweet... boozy. Vanilla and roast mixed with cocoa. Very mild coffee... some nutty character, but not overly peanut-y. A little on the fizzy side... and lighter bodied than expected. Oily and boozy... ABV apparent.

O: A solid sweet/dessert stout. Lacking on visuals and body... but good flavor. Relatively drinkable for 15.2%. Not one I'd want regularly... or even semi-regularly.

 

You can build a night around this beer, or it could also end your night early. Molasses color in the glass, not much if any head. A beer to be reckoned with--bourbon, molasses, sweet roast with a nicely subdued peanut underbelly. An absolutely monstrous 15.2% abv stayed under control, and just got a bit boozy at the bottom of the glass. Not enough for a de-merit. Have someone hide the car keys, and enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bottled 6/19/17; drank 9/18/19 @ the Yarchives.

Black appearance.

A rough pour yielded a small, noisy dark khaki head which quickly dissipated; no lace.

Peanut butter, milk chocolate & bourbon heat notes in the nose.

Thick, sticky mouthfeel.

Peanut butter & bourbon heat flavors up front; milk chocolate notes on the finish.

I aged this for two years hoping the booze heat would fade; no such luck.

12oz bottle. Bottling date is 'JUN 19 2017'.
Opaque black colored body. Not much of a head upon pouring but the surface stays active from rising bubbles. No lacing, but leaves a oily sheen.
Aroma of bourbon soaked dark roasted malts and a whiff of peanuts.
Taste is rather sweet, with a heavy bourbon presence. With dark roasted malts that express at different moments - chocolate, coffee, cherry, and caramel/molasses. I get a sense of peanuts but the flavor is not strong, but more felt in the oily texture of the beer. Slippery smooth, with a thinner mouth feel. Low carbonation.
This is a high alcohol level beer but there is little burn, but there is considerable vapor through the nostrils. Sweet enough to be a dessert beer, with the peanuts mainly appearing in a brief aftertaste. From the label description it sounds as if this beer was done as an experiment in brewing with different ingredients, such as peanuts in a high ABV% stout. The beer still hangs together well, even at the two year mark in the bottle.

Dark as night pour with abundant carbonation and an oily residue on top. Smells delicious, typically the molasses, brown sugar sweet aroma, this time with the hint of nuts, suspended near the top floating. The alcohol is strong and it has a sweet flavor of brown sugar and molasses. Not tasting the peanuts yet. It has an excellent mouthfeel, save the alcohol but for many that's part of the enjoyment of these style beers. Overall it's a fine craft beer that deserves a place among the greats at Avery Brewing. The peanuts are coming through in the aftertaste now. 12 ounce bottled on 6/20/17.