Deschutes Black Butte XXI

Brewed by Deschutes Brewery
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Bend, Oregon USA

XXI at the brewery on 6/26/09. Pours solid black with tan head. Nice mocha aroma. Incredibly smooth full-bodied beer with sweetness up front balanced with an incredible bitter coffee finish. A little fizzy, but otherwise great mouthfeel. Incredibly complex beer that gave some incredible caramel, oak and overpowering (in a good way) coffee aromas. Can’t wait to let my bottles age.

Excellent brew. Had high hopes for this one and it did not disappoint. Lots of coffee, molasses, and tobacco on the nose. Flavor is similar, but mellows in the finish with some nice bourbon notes. Wasn’t as thick as I excpected, but still a badass brew.

2009 XXI 22 oz bottle at home in a .3L St. Bernardus wine style glass. Poured this bad boy at 60 deg and started drinking at 65 deg F, using and infrared thermometer. Beer pours a dark black with a head that almost doesnt match what I expected, much lighter in color but right for a porter. A one finger head rose when pour got more aggressive but would have remained stuble if I had not. Nose has coffee up front with some chocolate on the back end. Suprised there was some bourbon shining through on the nose but could have also been the alcohol. Very astringent with a bite of alcohol after 10 sec. Mouth feel is nice due to a balanced carbonation level and the chocolate/oats coating my teeth. Excited to see how this one settles out in a year, probably pick up a few more and crack it after the bottle says to 10/17/10 and re-rate.

On tap at Beachwood BBQ. Black pour with brown head and good lacing. Aroma of coffee, chocolate, oats. Flavor is rich coffee, bitter chocolate, bourbon. Some earthy wood flavor as well.

Bouteille de 22 oz partagée lors d’une dégustation Ratebeer Montréal chez Glouglouburp. Arôme: Odeur de chocolat et de café avec une pointe de caramel. Apparence: La couleur est noire opaque. Présence d’une mince col beige mousseux et d’une fine dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût de chocolat et de café torréfié avec une pointe de vanille et d’alcool. Longue durée de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture légèrement onctueuse. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Légère présence de café en arrière goût. (Rating #2500)

2008 Edition - 22 oz. bottle. Thanks to trades with WeeHeavySD, daknole & jake65, I have three bottles! Pours black with a moderate, bubbly light brown head that lasted beyond mid-glass and coated the glass with each sip. Very pleasant aroma of prunes, chocolate, coffee, vanilla, bourbon, and oak. Wow! The flavor is just a bit less complex the aroma, but still quite nice with chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, vanilla, bourbon and oak. The prunes that I picked up in the aroma just don’t seem to be present in the flavor, and that’s the real difference. Medium bitterness at the finish. Dries out on the palate in the aftertaste. Very enjoyable beer!

Looks like 30 weight oil drained from an old muscle car leaves a lacey head that looks like sand. Smell of coffee and chocolate. Very full taste, semi-sweet chocolate followed by coffee and lingering alcohol. Very thick feel for a porter.