Brewery: Avery Brewing
Location: Boulder, CO
Style: Stout
Brewery Website
Rating: A
Today's tasting is a big, bad boy from Avery - their Mephistopheles Stout. The bottle I am sampling is from batch 5, dated 12/09 and weighing in at a gigantic 16.83% ABV. Mephistopheles is an opaque ebony color and pours with a slow-rising dark brown head that fades to a clumpy foam. The nose detects complex notes including wine, yeast, honey, raisins and wheat toast.
On the palate the Mephistopheles is off-dry, despite its somewhat syrupy mouthfeel. There is a malt note of very dark toasted rye bread and an overall heavy burnt toast characteristic. Big beer notes of honey, raisins and wine are here. There is also some espresso and a piney bitter hops note. The Avery Mephistopheles Stout has a heavy body to go with the light, clingy syrup sensation. There is also some serious warming from the potent alcohol level. The finish has lingering dark toast with some raisins and black coffee in the background.
The Mephistopheles is simply a beast. This is a complex, rich and potent stout that is quite unique. The only thing I'd change is that this is a little dryer than I'd like, but not by much. The Avery Mephistopheles Stout reminds me a lot of the Thomas Hardy's Ale. I plan on cellaring a few of these as this should only improve with age.
This was also a fantastic pairing with the Waialua Estate dark chocolate bar.
Showing posts with label Stout. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stout. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Sierra Nevada Stout
Brewery: Sierra Nevada
Location: Chico, CA
Style: Stout
Brewery Website
Rating: A
Location: Chico, CA
Style: Stout
Brewery Website
Rating: A
Today we are tasting the Sierra Nevada Stout. This stout pours up an opaque mahogany color with a huge dark tan, foamy head. Right away the nose detects some good things. There are waves of complex aromas with roasted cocoa, earth, and wine along with both fruity and floral contributions from the hops.
The complexity continues on the palate. Aromatic hops lead off with both fruit and floral notes. This is followed by roasted coffee notes from the malt. A second wave of hops then rolls in with pine, juniper and a mild bitter bite. There are also some highlights of rye bread and wine. The Sierra Nevada Stout is medium-bodied and quite drinkable for a stout. There is also a bit of warming alcohol as well. The finish has a lingering hops bite over unsweetened cocoa and espresso
The Sierra Nevada Stout is a great, unique stout. This is a rather hops-forward style for a stout. The roasted malt flavor pairs excellently with the hops, but the hops are really the top dog here. The hops flavors are well-balanced. While there are some fruity hops notes, you aren't getting hammered with a big Cascade monotone which really wouldn't work here. The Sierra Nevada Stout drinks like a "roasted IPA" (especially since the body is a bit on the lighter side for a stout). This is a great showing from Sierra Nevada and the perfect dark beer for hopheads.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Heavy Seas Peg Leg Imperial Stout
Brewery: Clipper City Brewing Co
Location: Baltimore, MD
Style: Imperial Stout
Brewery Website
Rating: B-
Todays tasting is the Peg Leg Imperial Stout from Heavy Seas. The Peg Leg is an opaque ebony color. The head is dark brownish-tan and foamy. The nose has roasted notes along with some wininess.
On the palate there are winy and roast notes up front. There is a notable residual sweetness here. Also notable is some acidity that hints at citrus and berry notes that balance out the roasted character. Some bitterness pairs with the roast and leads to some coffee undertones. There are some faint herbal hops and some pear/apple notes as well. The Peg Leg Imperial Stout has a medium-heavy body and some slight syrupiness. The finish has lingering roast notes and a faint sweet/acid background.
The Peg Leg is an interesting Imperial Stout. There is a bit too much residual sweetness for my tastes. This tastes like the bastard child of an imperial stout and a barleywine, and it kind of misses the mark for me. The roast seems a bit understated and the sweetness and acidity gives me an odd "sweet-tart" impression. The Heavy Seas Peg Leg will probably improve with age as the sweetness mellows, but it falls a bit short in its current incarnation.
Location: Baltimore, MD
Style: Imperial Stout
Brewery Website
Rating: B-
Todays tasting is the Peg Leg Imperial Stout from Heavy Seas. The Peg Leg is an opaque ebony color. The head is dark brownish-tan and foamy. The nose has roasted notes along with some wininess.
On the palate there are winy and roast notes up front. There is a notable residual sweetness here. Also notable is some acidity that hints at citrus and berry notes that balance out the roasted character. Some bitterness pairs with the roast and leads to some coffee undertones. There are some faint herbal hops and some pear/apple notes as well. The Peg Leg Imperial Stout has a medium-heavy body and some slight syrupiness. The finish has lingering roast notes and a faint sweet/acid background.
The Peg Leg is an interesting Imperial Stout. There is a bit too much residual sweetness for my tastes. This tastes like the bastard child of an imperial stout and a barleywine, and it kind of misses the mark for me. The roast seems a bit understated and the sweetness and acidity gives me an odd "sweet-tart" impression. The Heavy Seas Peg Leg will probably improve with age as the sweetness mellows, but it falls a bit short in its current incarnation.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
Brewery: North Coast Brewing Co.
Location: Fort Bragg, CA
Style: Stout
Brewery Website
Rating: B+
Up today we have the Old Rasputin Imperial Stout from North Coast Brewing. Named after one of my favorite historical personalities (and one of my favorite movies), this beer is as dark as Old Rasputin's soul. It pours an opaque ebony color with a thick tan-brown head that hangs around for a good long while. The nose has fruity and floral hop notes, as well as aromas of coffee, malt and a banana-like sweetness.
On the palate the Old Rasputin has coffee and unsweetened chocolate flavors as well as a bitter hop component. There are also hints of black pepper spice. A metallic/mineral flavor is strong initially, but then fades into balance. The alcohol is noticable, which is expected at 9% ABV. The finish is quite bitter with coffee and chocolate notes. There is a creamy mouthfeel and a medium-to-heavy body that matches the big bitter flavor rather well.
The Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout is a big stout loaded with coffee and chocolate flavors. There is a nice bitter hops kick that compliments the malt quite well. This is a great curl-up-on-the-couch winter beer for coffee/chocolate stout fans.
Location: Fort Bragg, CA
Style: Stout
Brewery Website
Rating: B+
Up today we have the Old Rasputin Imperial Stout from North Coast Brewing. Named after one of my favorite historical personalities (and one of my favorite movies), this beer is as dark as Old Rasputin's soul. It pours an opaque ebony color with a thick tan-brown head that hangs around for a good long while. The nose has fruity and floral hop notes, as well as aromas of coffee, malt and a banana-like sweetness.
On the palate the Old Rasputin has coffee and unsweetened chocolate flavors as well as a bitter hop component. There are also hints of black pepper spice. A metallic/mineral flavor is strong initially, but then fades into balance. The alcohol is noticable, which is expected at 9% ABV. The finish is quite bitter with coffee and chocolate notes. There is a creamy mouthfeel and a medium-to-heavy body that matches the big bitter flavor rather well.
The Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout is a big stout loaded with coffee and chocolate flavors. There is a nice bitter hops kick that compliments the malt quite well. This is a great curl-up-on-the-couch winter beer for coffee/chocolate stout fans.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Location: Milton, DE
Style: Stout
Brewery Website
Rating: A+
Dogfish Head frequently takes chances and ends up producing a multitude of very unique beers. There are both hits and misses along the way, but generally there are more hits than misses. The World Wide Stout is one of the big hits. At 18% ABV (yes, that says eighteen), this is nothing like your typical Guinness/Murphy's style stout. This is a big beer that is not for the faint of heart.
The World Wide Stout is opaque black in color. The head pours fairly short. The tan head fades fast as is expected of a beer with such a high alcohol content. The nose is aromatic with notes of raisins, soy sauce, oatmeal, wood and smoke. The aroma is reminiscent of a port or a cream sherry.
On the palate, the World Wide Stout continues its resemblance to sherry/port with sweet malt giving rise to a familiar burnt raisin character similar to those fortified wines. There is a bitter espresso flavor, as well as nuts, earthiness, leather, oak and plums. The finish has a bitter roasted flavor and some black coffee. There is just a touch of acidity, as well as a warming, lip-tingling alcohol component. The mouthfeel is heavy with some juiciness and some syrupiness as well.
The Dogfish Head World Wide Stout is rather reminiscent of the Thomas Hardy's Ale in it's resemblance more to a fine port or sherry than a typical beer. Keep that in mind if you're new to this style of beer. This isn't up everyone's alley, but it's well worth the try if you're into extreme beer (or ports and sherries for that matter), as this beer is one of a kind. Keep in mind that the World Wide Stout is a whopping 18% alcohol, and plan your consumption accordingly. The first time I tried this beer I was unaware of its potency. When I got up off the couch I nearly fell over!
Location: Milton, DE
Style: Stout
Brewery Website
Rating: A+
Dogfish Head frequently takes chances and ends up producing a multitude of very unique beers. There are both hits and misses along the way, but generally there are more hits than misses. The World Wide Stout is one of the big hits. At 18% ABV (yes, that says eighteen), this is nothing like your typical Guinness/Murphy's style stout. This is a big beer that is not for the faint of heart.
The World Wide Stout is opaque black in color. The head pours fairly short. The tan head fades fast as is expected of a beer with such a high alcohol content. The nose is aromatic with notes of raisins, soy sauce, oatmeal, wood and smoke. The aroma is reminiscent of a port or a cream sherry.
On the palate, the World Wide Stout continues its resemblance to sherry/port with sweet malt giving rise to a familiar burnt raisin character similar to those fortified wines. There is a bitter espresso flavor, as well as nuts, earthiness, leather, oak and plums. The finish has a bitter roasted flavor and some black coffee. There is just a touch of acidity, as well as a warming, lip-tingling alcohol component. The mouthfeel is heavy with some juiciness and some syrupiness as well.
The Dogfish Head World Wide Stout is rather reminiscent of the Thomas Hardy's Ale in it's resemblance more to a fine port or sherry than a typical beer. Keep that in mind if you're new to this style of beer. This isn't up everyone's alley, but it's well worth the try if you're into extreme beer (or ports and sherries for that matter), as this beer is one of a kind. Keep in mind that the World Wide Stout is a whopping 18% alcohol, and plan your consumption accordingly. The first time I tried this beer I was unaware of its potency. When I got up off the couch I nearly fell over!
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