Deschutes The Abyss

Brewed by Deschutes Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
Bend, Oregon USA

07 Bottle. Black as oil pour and Dark tan head. Chocolate in the nose, some cream, anise, vanilla and chocolate. A bit of bitter coffee as well. Flavor is burnt Dark sugars and ashy coffee, chocolate. Boozey robust. Ash is the predominate flavor. Mouthhfeel is creamy and drinkable. The Char and ashiness on this one is awesome. A Big sipper

Bottle from whole foods. Pours like carbonated motor oil with a fluffy coffee colored head. Smells like malts, chocolate, toffee, coffee, graham crackers, and licorice. Tastes like roasted malts, semi-sweet chocolate, coffee, faint licorice, and flowers. Mouth is dry but not too dry, still leaves me thirsty, the alcohol is warming and contagious, I want more...now I’m thirsty again...damn, this is a never-ending circle isn’t it? Good thing I have my powerade here.

2009 bottle shared by MrPickles - Drank this one side-by-side next to 09 Darkness. Pours beautifully, with a tan head above pure blackness. Yep, it’s an impy. Smells of coffee, oak sharpness, light chocolate, and that licorice they talk about on the bottle. There’s some sweetness in the taste, milkiness, cinnamon, and dark chocolate. Deep roast on the finish, with a bit of oak and hoppiness. Not burnt and tarry like some impys, but not hoppy like the Darkness we drank next to this one. Smooth and pretty chewy, and overall a fine beer. Not sure if I’d camp out for it, but good nonetheless.

Thanks jake65! 2007 vintage. Pitch black pour with a beautiful tan head that is somewhat slow to recede. Aroma is heavy in the dark sugar department- date, fig and plum combine with molasses, lactic sugar, and brown sugar to culminate in a mildly warming alcoholic booze and heavily roasted barley. Flavor is chalked full of roasted barley, creamy chocolate, espresso, fennel, molasses, wood, burnt caramelized dark sugars, and a foreboding ashen malt profile. Palate is thick, rich, velvety, charred and silky. The uniqueness of this brew in a sea of stouts makes for a memorable and wholly enjoyable quaff.

2007 vintage, big thanks to oteyj. Pitch black head with a dark brown head- really good looking stout. Aroma holds cocoa, vanilla, cream, oat, molasses, anise, and a bit of oak. Nothing too aggressive on the nose, but smells delicious. Flavor holds lots of burnt sugar, ash, roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, caramel, and a definite milk or cream aspect to it. Alcohol, bourbon, and oak comes through at the finish as well. The burnt and charred flavor at the start is really delectable, and that same quality is what makes the finish and aftertaste so appealing. Palate is extremely smooth and immensely easy to drink for an 11% impy. Top notch imperial stout.

VINTAGE 2008 This one pours a nice, deep, black. Just like it should be, with a name like The Abyss. Medium hard pour produces a two-finger head of dark cappucino colored foam. Retention is great and the lacing is excellent. Fully formed, solid and very sticky. Nice. Big dark roasted barley maltiness. The oak comes through nicely, mixing with a hint of alcohol, giving a hint of bourbon-like qualities. Nice hint of dark molasses. Good dark coffee notes blend with hints of dark chocolate, bringing me back to cappucino comparisons. Light vanilla notes. Huge presence of dark roasted malts. Big dark coffee profile. Nice vanilla sweetness, along with molasses, bringing balance. Nice presence of oak. A light touch of smokiness. Very mild notes of dark fruitiness. Hops are in there, but extremely well balanced with the rich maltiness. Man, this tastes wonderful. This is exceptionally smooth and creamy. Like silk across your pallette. The low level of carbonation sereves this brew very well. Despite how big, thick and rich this one is, it is very drinkable. The beautiful level of balance make this one so enjoyable and easy to consume. The 11%ABV is so well blended into the mix, as to be hardly noticable. Just a slight warming effect. This is exceptional. Believe the hype!