Mephistopheles' Stout
Avery Brewing Company

Mephistopheles' StoutMephistopheles' Stout
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From:
Avery Brewing Company
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
14.6%
Score:
94
Avg:
4.22 | pDev: 11.61%
Reviews:
937
Ratings:
2,418
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jan 14, 2024
Added:
Feb 06, 2006
Wants:
  327
Gots:
  841
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. Cellarable for 10+ years.

Mephistopheles is the final installment of “The Demons of Ale” series.

Food pairing: We like Mephistopheles’ Stout with chocolate (60% cocoa or more), chocolate lava cake, flourless chocolate cake, tiramisu or traditional fruit cake made with rum-soaked fruits.

Malt Varieties:
Roasted Barley
Black
Aromatic
Special B
2-Row

Yeast Varieties:
Westmalle Belgian Ale

Hop Varieties:
Bravo
Sterling
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by itracy63:
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Rated by itracy63 from Washington

4/5  rDev -5.2%

Jun 19, 2014
More User Ratings:
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Reviewed by Victory_Sabre1973 from Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
12 oz bottle. 2010 release consumed on 1-14-2024. Served at room temp.

Nice pop upon opening the bottle and there's a nice bit of smoke coming out. Very pitch black looking when pouring into the glass. I did an aggressive pour to see if there was any carbonation in this beer, since it's 14 years old, and I am very surprised there's a lot of it. The head produced is 2 finger and brown in color. Frothy, and smaller bubbles. Head retention is off the charts. How can the head last so long with a 15.95% ABV Beer? Some clingy and sticky lacing on the glass as it slowly dissipates. Wow!
Roasted chocolate, malty nose. Hints of vanilla and caramel. Slight hint of coffee. Nose isn't too strong, but, it's a very old beer.
Taste is where this experiment is either proven good or bad. I'm not too sure it's a success. I do get some faint notes of caramel, chocolate and vanilla. The main flavor is a boozy flavor that is somewhat bitter tasting.
This is a very thick and full feeling beer. Smooth, and a very slight burn.
Was this a beer that was outstanding in its prime? Probably, but, at 14 years, way past. I wish I would have known about this beer in its prime days.
Jan 14, 2024
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Reviewed by Whyteboar from Michigan

4.47/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
This is retired? Well that sucks. This is a world class imperial stout. I’m glad I lucked into one at Coltrane’s in Colorado Springs. I didn’t even realize it was from 2016 at the time and it was still amazing.
Aug 03, 2023
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Reviewed by sulldaddy from Connecticut

4.38/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Im sampling a cellar temp 12 oz bottle poured into my snifter. The beer is from batch 1, bottled in January 2006. Part of my cellaruary effort of 2023!
the beer pours a rich cola brown and sits like black coffee in my glass, no light passing through. I get zero carbonation on the pour and a few clingy bubbles stick to the edge of my glass, but it is certainly not a complete "layer". Looks still in my glass.
Aroma is rich and robust, even just from the cap popping. Rich dark chocolate fudge mixes with molasses and figs and raisin. I also get some light fusol booze, but this is very buried and the malts steal the nose. No hops anywhere.
First sip reveals a thick body with VERY fine and gentle soft carbonation. the carbonation does fizz up if I swirl the beer in my mouth. Beer also leaves some legs on my glass like a merlot each time I take a sip.
Flavor is rich dark chocolate fudge carrying the lead. This moves to some molasses and a bit of a tobacco and leathery note comes through in the middle. Dark fruit shows through briefly and then a bit of roast note pops up and lingers on the finish. Never any hops and no warming booze here either.
I enjoy this 17 year old beer and am glad to have a chance to share it. I remember really liking this beer when it was new and fresh and am honestly surprised I didnt have review posted from the past. Glad to have #Cellaruary to help encourage me to open these old treats!!
Feb 18, 2023
 
Rated: 4.26 by dms1767 from Nebraska

Oct 20, 2022
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Reviewed by dbl_delta from Pennsylvania

4.56/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
2016 vintage. Growler into pint glass. Pours an oily black with essentially no head. Initial impression is silky-smooth, thick, boozy, and impressive. Chocolate, coffee, and roasted malts in perfect balance with one another. Aged extremely well. Mouthfeel is slippery smooth, with plenty of body for even the most jaded Stout enthusiast. Finish is boozy but surprisingly clean and smooth (albeit with a bit of alcohol burn). Overall, an outstanding Imperial Stout - one of the best.
Aug 31, 2022
Photo of CraverII
Rated by CraverII from Colorado

5/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
The best imperial stout, bar none, and I've had a few of them.
Aug 11, 2022
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Rated by tkolterman from Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Unfreaking GREAT
Apr 22, 2022
 
Rated: 4.47 by brew-Ed from Texas

Jan 23, 2022
 
Rated: 4.13 by CisPiece88 from Nebraska

Oct 12, 2021
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Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.28/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
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.
Apr 23, 2021
 
Rated: 3.96 by chossboss from Oregon

Apr 12, 2021
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Rated by gobrewsome from Louisiana

4.79/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Complex stout much aroma a slight etoh and taste cherries coffee chocolate
Apr 09, 2021
 
Rated: 4.25 by TylerJ from Iowa

Jan 22, 2021
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Reviewed by DoctorZombies from Florida

4.34/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Batch 12 Oct. 2016. Poured at 58 degrees. Rocky/mousse-like combo tan head; excellent cap retention, solid ring, medium heavy lacing; tons of suspended particles; tar black with ruby edges; thin legs. Roast malt, molasses nose; some fruity esters from the Westmalle Belgian yeast; boozy exhale. Bitter Baker’s chocolate; char; roast malt; black licorice; burnt brown sugar; dark chocolate on backend. Smooth feel, medium body; alcohol bite on tongue; full mouth warmth from 14.6% abv; dry finish. Overall, awesome multilayered flavors; some sharp alcohol, but the malt and yeast keep the booze in check; not keen on the floaties, but otherwise an impressive high gravity stout.
Jan 15, 2021
 
Rated: 4.24 by SlightlyGrey from Minnesota

Dec 24, 2020
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Reviewed by BFCarr from New Jersey

4.51/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Wow, this is complex. Pours dark brown with a thick tan head that lasts. Aroma is mild chocolate. Flavor explodes forward with chocolate, roasted notes, some wine notes and a touch of dark fruit. Feel is great, smooth and pepper hot with some whiskey burn. Overall a big complex stout with enough booze for a few beers.
Nov 27, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by cp45 from New Jersey

Nov 27, 2020
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Reviewed by Eddieeight from Ohio

5/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Purchased in oct 2020 for $10. Wow this is just an incredible beer. I like stouts but I love this beer. Big taste big feel big deal. Pours out dark brown with a tinge of deepest burgundy. Little head that dissipates quickly. Smells strongly of those dark fruits which is pretty typical. I’m getting raisin, date and maybe something like dried cranberry. The scent of alcohol also comes through pretty strongly. It’s a heavy dark scent. Taste begins with sweet cherries and chocolate, moving next into the raisin and date. Definitely a bittersweet wash to it. At the tail end a deep cocoa dryness comes through along with some alcohol. My palate feels quenched when I drink this beer, it is so warm and overwhelmingly complete of a taste. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and moderately effervescent. Overall this would definitely work as a dessert in and of itself, or a nice pairing with chocolate as suggested by the brewer. I’m overwhelmed by the deliciousness of this beer and Give it a rare 5 star rating. I don’t know why Avery stopped brewing this. I’m definitely going to remember this beer and have it again.
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OOOOHHH! I loved this so much I just had to procure some older Mephistopheles in a beer trade. This one was bottled in Dec 2010, Batch 6, weighing in at 15.95% abv. Highly unusual to get such a high abv beer all the way back in 2010. This will offically be the oldest beer I've ever tried. 13 years old now. Now I love all things satanic, so I'm loving the dark look of the devil on the face of the bottle. We'll see how it stands up. I cracked open the red foil adorning the top of the bottle. Poured out a beautiful dark brown with a dark tan head that bubbled up a half inch before receding to the edges of the glass in quiet submission. I'm already a heavy barleywine in so my tastebuds are primed for this. Nose is quite fruity and sharp, raisin and prune, plum and fig. Malty. I feel like an old person sniffing their prune juice. Taste is bold and quite like roasty coffee, dark and strong, . Quite heavy malts, but not sweet, in fact quite wonderfully bitter, heavy, roasty. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and moderately carbonated. Overall this is like midnight starbucks rain bitter baking chocolate heavy steady demonic whips of a fiery tongue charring a log of firewood on a smoky campfire. Holds up superbly over the last 13 years, for a unique taste. This is NOT the Mephistopheles I tried in 2020, I know that. But nevertheless intriguing, mysterious, evasive, and evocative that incentivises me to award this top marks once again.
Oct 31, 2020
 
Rated: 4.18 by Luscious_Malfoy from Illinois

Oct 22, 2020
Mephistopheles' Stout from Avery Brewing Company
Beer rating: 94 out of 100 with 2418 ratings