by Shawn Connelly

Created on: June 23, 2008   Last Updated: November 07, 2008

I'm becoming a huge fan of Avery Brewing Company, although I've only tried a grand total of four of their beers so far, each has impressed. White Rascal (a Belgian white), The Reverend (a Belgian Quadrupel), and Salvation (a Belgian Strong Pale) have all remained at the top of my "domestic beers that rival their Belgian counterparts" beers list for some time now. The beer I'm reviewing today isn't another Belgian rendition by a long shot, however, proving Avery Brewing can produce a wide range of quality beers - particularly "big" beers - that go beyond a single category of inspiration.

Avery Mephistopheles' Stout is an American Imperial stout and one to be reckoned with. Here is an excerpt from the Avery website about Mephistopheles' Stout (please note the '06 "vintage" I'm sampling is at 16.03% ABV, not 15.1%):

Beer Style: Stout
Hop Variety: Magnum, Styrian Goldings
Malt Variety: Two-row barley, black malt,roasted barley,Belgian special B, aromatic
OG: 1.145 Alcohol By Volume: 15.1% IBU's: 107
Color: Coal Black

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. IBU's 107.

My sample is from batch #2, brewed in November of 2006. This devilish brew pours an opaque black, as if straight from the abyss. Virtually no light, no color hues show through ... a monumental head of chocolate brown emerges from the pour, threatening to overtake the tulip glass I've poured into and leaves a streaky lacing behind.

The nose is quite warm with dark roasted malts, black strap mollases, coffee grounds, and smoke.

The palate is almost shockingly sweet up front, then yielding to an incredibly full malty character that is so thick you'd swear it was a syrup rather than a beer. Following the cloyingly sweet beginning, a smoky dry element arises from within the blackened soul of this beast and hints at a unique burnt finish that is oddly dry.

The bittering hops do their job in keeping this substance from being overwhelming in it's thick, black sweetness. The 16.03% ABV is well hidden, although you can tell this is not your "average" imperial stout. As my wife put it upon tasting this beer, "this is an imperial stout on steroids."

One of the strongest, most complex imperial stouts I've sampled, hands down. I'd be hard pressed to drink more than a single 12oz bottle at any given sitting, partly because of the sinister ABV and partly because it is just so incredibly thick and sweet. This beer leaves you thirsting for a sip of water as if you've been parched by hell's own flame. Not just an "extreme beer" - this beer from the fine folks at Avery is an incredibly well-crafted and complex treat with a truly devilish appeal.

Maybe not worth a contract with the devil, but definitely go out of your way to try this stout if you can!

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