Out of Bounds Stout - Avery Brewing Co., Boulder

Here's a beer that'll warm you up a cold winter's night. Avery's Out of Bounds Stout is an incredibly dark beer that tastes like an even darker beer. There isn't anything terribly extreme about this beer, especially considering that it comes from Avery. Avery is most well known for their bigger beers and hop bombs. At 5.1% the Out of Bounds won't single handedly get anyone ripped... but it does have a strong bitter finish that tastes a vaguely like the hops in Avery's Maharaja. The combination of flavors in this beer taste a little like a Rauchbier but without quite as much smoke of course. There's plenty of roasted malt flavor in the Out of Bounds but there's also a hint of smokiness, not too strong or too obvious but it's definitely there.

The aroma of Avery's Out of Bounds is a bit mediocre. There are plenty of pleasing aromas here but their all a bit... muted. The roasted malt certainly is the forerunner on the nose but it isn't as strong as you'd expect from a beer that has such big flavors. That maltiness smells a bit like dark chocolate and mixed nuts. It's not the strongest smelling beer out there, but it's quite nice.

The chocolate and nuts aren't as noticeable on your palate as they are in the aroma. This beer tastes much stronger than it actually is. The bitterness isn't the most pleasant part of drinking this beer but in many ways you expect a good stout to be a little more bitter than you'd prefer. That's really my only complaint with this beer, it's not a show stopper but considering the bitterness is such a big part of the flavor profile that it does end up getting in the way.

If you're in to stouts you'll want to check this beer out. I wouldn't suggest this beer as a starting point for the stout style but it's worth picking up and keeping around for a snowy afternoon.