Avery Mephistopheles

Yes, I know Avery acts as a lightning rod for hate and angst around these parts -- almost as much as Lagunitas! And believe me, I've ridden on that bandwagon more times than I can count. I don't mind Avery's "routine" (read: less than 7%ABV) beers -- but their big `uns? %&$#@.....

But I have a weird tradition of drinking at least one Stout on or about St Patrick's Day. Not that I give a crap about the holiday, even with my quarter-Irish heritage, but still, I'm a creature of habit. The fact that this is a 15%ABV American Imperial Stout -- and not some dull shite from The Land Of Shamrocks -- ought to tell you where I'm going with this silly tradition of mine!

Getting back on track, I expected to detest this --and then kick myself in the ass for having popped it open before it's time. But as much as I rather not admit it -- this is a big-ass Avery beer that's not too bad.

[Caveat: drink this damn-near room temperature. You're only doing yourself a misdeed by chilling this off too much. Believe it!]

Silky and smooth in it's approach, though there's no hiding the alcohol burn. Not as bad as when i had this fresh 2+ years ago. But still, a definite slow boil from the back on my mouth all the way down to my gut. The aroma also follows this train of thinking. Very aggressive and "balls to the wall" -- the vapors off of this one (accentuated by my Stone Imperial Russian Stout snifter?) don't take prisoners.

But once you hack your way through that virtual jungle of aromas and sensations, is the trek worthwhile? Again, I expected to hate this beer. But in this case? I just can't. It's really not bad. No joke.

Some burnt sugar over here, some "left over brandy that didn't burn off the Baked Alaska" over there, and a "dark chocolate and Port Wine parfait" in the mix too. A mix of complex sugars intermingled with high-octane booziness, that somehow doesn't suck as much as you would think.

Verdict? Probably best to keep this under wraps for another 1-3 years. But if you're curious, this was far from the worst high-octane Avery beer I've had. Not half bad at all, to be honest.
//TB