 truegen (137), Puyallup, Washington, USA
Jul 5, 2008
On tap at the "Christmas in July" event at the Parkway Tavern in Tacoma, WA on 7/3. Served in 9 oz. schooners, the beer arrived with no head and left almost no lace. Aroma was loaded with caramel, coffee, and stone fruit (plum was my dominant impression.) This brew in no way resembles the mainstay Black Butte porter. It’s far sweeter, heavier, and stickier. Chocolate, coffee and plum/apricot sweetness dominate the tongue. The hops are nearly lost in this barrage. There wasn’t a lot of bourbon presence in this one, but just enough to make things interesting. I imagine this would cellar extremely well. Hope to find a bottle or two somewhere.
Thomas_E (5037), Copenhagen, Denmark
Sep 7, 2008 Black colour with a light brown head. Roasted malty and light earthy aroma with notes of tobacco and coffee. Roasted, coffee bitter flavor with an ashy note.
unrulythings (71), Portland, Oregon, USA
Sep 6, 2008 a big, bad wax sealed 22 oz bottle. aroma is rich, of chocolate and roasted malts. flavor is definitely not weak. big flavors of dried cherries, chocolate, vanilla bean, and pepper. alcohol is not very well hidden in this brew, and definitely leaves a burn on your tongue.
rudolf (1561), Buffalo, New York, USA
Sep 6, 2008 Thanks to Santa. Black, big tan head w. nice lacing power. Nose is spicy coffee a-la young Jah*va, cocoa, alcohol, very rich hidden cherries. Flavor is spicy and aggressive coffee, chocolate, big tingly hops & alcohol. Some woodiness/bourbon comes through in the end. Overall tingly & rich.
mjg74 (1776), La Mesa, California, USA
Sep 5, 2008 Bottle from Windy City. Black pour with a smallish dirty brownish head. Strong roasted malty aroma. Quite a bit of chocolate and coffee. A little alcohol as well. Rich roasted flavor with some sweetness. Good roasted coffee flavors. A little bitterness and alcohol in the finish. A very potent and tasty brew.
otakuden (85), Vero Beach, Florida, USA
Sep 3, 2008 I first heard of the Deschutes Brewery when I was living out in Oregon so I was very pleased to be able to partake of one of their mystical brews.
She poured any almost black oily color and viscosity into my glass. A great start and already she is living up to her name. Her nose is sweet, malty, with hints of alcohol. Backing up her rich nose is a thick body with a sweet array of dark fruits, roasted almonds, and an alcohol warmth to spread the Black Butte love throughout my senses. A full bodied strong-ale, Black Butte reminds me of why I enjoy this style of beer so much, and wish others would follow suit. As I delve further into her luscious warm body, hints of coffee and chocolate tingle the senses and mingle with the dark fruits and sweet malts. A well balanced finish, even more so as she warms a bit.
A fabulous start and finish, Black Butte was beautiful. I don’t know if I could do more than one at a time, but Black Butte XX is definitely one strong ale from Deschutes I will revisit as often as possible.
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