Way back in Week 5 I previewed Bell’s Brewery when I had their famous IPA, Hopslam. This week I’m going to profile another sought after offering of their’s, Black Note Stout. For the second consecutive week, the beer I focus one I will have had at Churchkey in DC. They got the only keg to hit the DC, Northern Virginia area, so I thought it was an opportunity I couldn’t miss.
Pitched as one of the most sought-after stouts in Bell’s history, Black Note is a blend of Expedition Stout and Double Cream Stout aged since 2010 in Old Forester Bourbon Barrels. It was released in bottles at the brewery only, and scant kegs made it to exclusive accounts only across the US. Coming in at 11.5% ABV, the beer cost $7 for a 10oz pour.
| Appearance |   |
|---|
| Viscous black pour with a small brown head. What does stick around laces decently. |
|
| Smell |  |
|---|
| The aroma is extremely well balanced. Bourbon and some booze up front, but a lot of chocolate balance it out. Roastiness, I'm guessing coffee, hides in the shadows. Making it's presence known when you need it. |
|
| Taste | |
|---|
| The taste follows the smell wonderfully. The bourbon is up front, but chocolate and booze quickly provide balance and body, before roasty coffee takes over the backend. The balance is there, the flavor profile develops nicely on the palate, and overall the taste is far above average. |
|
| Mouthfeel/Drinkability | |
|---|
| The body could have been a bit fuller, at times I believed it was too watery, still medium to heavy overall. Booze is noted, dry finish. |
| Overall | |
|---|
| Delicious, certainly lives up to the hype. Balance is enough to make it great. The bourbon is not too intrusive. I thought it was very drinkable. Happy to have had the chance to try this. |
4.38 / 5 A
Most recent batch of 4 Seasons, an IPA that changes basically every time Matt brews it. Experiences can differ significantly.
| Appearance | |
|---|
| Hazy orange pour with more than 2 fingers of white head. The lacing down the side of my Founders Brewing Company glass is beautiful and the retention is great. |
|
| Smell | |
|---|
| The aroma is extremely fruity, and a bit metallic. Floral overall, the hops hint towards pine. The fruits are very citrusy, more so grapefruit than orange. |
|
| Taste | |
|---|
| Like the smell, the taste is completely focused on the grapefruit. A piney hoppiness rests in the background, but is only an afterthought to the big citrus fruitiness. That slight metallic aroma is seemingly present on the backend of the taste. It isn't unpleasant, but I don't particularly like it. |
|
| Mouthfeel | |
|---|
| Medium body, carbonated well, dry hop finish. This beer drinks really well. |
| Overall | |
|---|
| I enjoyed it, but it could have been better. I like that it was less about the hop bitterness and more about hop fruitiness. It's an approach you seem to see less and less. |
Avery has been producing craft beers in the beer mecca that is Boulder, Colorado since 1993 and has done nothing but increased production ever since. Churchkey in Washington, DC held a tap-takeover for the craft brewery, and I took advantage of the opportunity. Among a ton of great beers, three different takes on the brewery’s imperial stout were available, and became the focus of Week 48.
Mephistophele’s Imperial Stout is “the crafty shape shifter, the second fallen angel,” according to Avery’s website, “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. IBUs 107.” Let’s see what I think
First up was a side by side pairing of the 2010 (brewed 10/2/10, 16% ABV) and 2011 (brewed 11/12/11 15.1% ABV) vintages.
2010:
| Appearance | |
|---|
| This had a way better head than 2011, brown pour with small lacing and good retention. |
|
| Smell | |
|---|
| Balanced aroma. Booze, chocolate, coffee. The coffee is really the focal point, which surprises me considering the age. |
|
| Taste | |
|---|
| The taste is a continuation of the smell. Just a ton of coffee on the backend. Chocolate beforehand and booze. So much coffee, how did they manage to keep it fresh? |
|
| Mouthfeel/Drinkability | |
|---|
| Heavy body, creamy, dry finish, and a bit boozy. |
| Overall | |
|---|
| I really enjoyed this a lot more than the fresh 2011 vintage. Very tasty. |
4.43 / 5 A
2011:
| Appearance | |
|---|
| Black pour with less head than the 2010. Head is brown and is with minimal lacing. |
|
| Smell | |
|---|
| Boozy, nearly medicinal smell. Chocolate and not a lot of coffee. Very sweet, bordering on strange, smell. Amazed at the difference a year does to the aroma. |
|
| Taste | |
|---|
| Ton of booze on the taste, way too much. The coffee on the finish tries to balance it out, but it falls short. The chocolate and balance needs some time to develop. |
|
| Mouthfeel/Drinkability | |
|---|
| Medium body, medium carbonation, creamy and full of alcohol. |
| Overall | |
|---|
| Not as good as 2010. To unbalanced and all over the place. I will say, however, that for 16% ABV it wasn't bad. |
I’ll keep the overall review as the fresh vintage, as that is how the brewery released the beer. However, I highly recommend aging this monster.
3.45 / 5 B-
2011 is on the left, 2010 on the right. 2010 was poured a few minutes before the 2011.
The third version is a special, only brewed once in 2010, Mephistopheles with “a generous amount of coffee added,” called Meph-Addict (15.5% ABV).
| Appearance | |
|---|
| Dark pour with a huge brown head. Lacing and retention are well above average. |
|
| Smell | |
|---|
| Wow is this a beer of a cup of coffee? Chocolate, and a lack of booze, mixes with the coffee to make a phenomenal smell. Really amazed how little alcohol I get on this. |
|
| Taste | |
|---|
| Returns to the Mephistopheles taste I've become used to. Boozy and chocolatey, but this has coffee on steroids. I love the boost of roastiness this gets. Being a year old probably helps the beer as the chocolate and booze have become more mellowed, allowing the coffee to come to the forefront. |
|
| Mouthfeel/Drinkability | |
|---|
| Heavy body, creamy on the palate, dry finish, less boozy than I expected. Very drinkable. |
| Overall | |
|---|
| Delicious, best of the night. |
4.6 / 5 A+
