Avery Brewing Company's Mephistopheles Stout

Well, the Avery Fanboys (a group to which I do not belong), talk this beer up big time. We'll see, I hope it's as good as they say it is.

Someone over at Avery has religion issues. But if they were going to name this one something with their constant, if trying, religious theme, this would be a good one. The art is cheesy, the description dumb, but it looks great coming out of the bottle. This is Batch 4, brewed in Nov. 2008, and it has to be an RIS the way it pours. Black. Huge, cascading deep brown head that settles to a deep tan. A great start.

Great, raw, grainy smell. Not bready, more basic than that. I mean that in a good way. A hint of hops bitterness, maybe, but mostly just grainy. One of the best smelling stouts out there.

Heavily smooth body. Almost like milk. Not as in a milk stout, but in feel alone. The alcohol comes out for the first time, since it was almost completely masked in the smell. Hard to believe it's 15.92% ABV, it doesn't feel like it although there is a little alcohol bite. Still has the solid grain taste, but much more roasted in the taste than the smell.

This would be a phenomenal beer. Would be. If not for the high alcohol content. Not only does it mute the malt, but it plays with it in an odd way. Muddles it. As the beer warms it becomes much more scotch-like, like many oak aged beers, and I hate that. The alcohol muddles the flavor and quite honestly, ruins it after a while. And on top of everything else, you can't enjoy too many beers at this high ABV, whereas you could have several beers with just as much flavor with a reasonable ABV.

Another beer that presents itself as an extreme beer, but would be much better if it wasn't.

You're on the right track guys, just stop the pissing match and make a good beer.