Deschutes Black Butte XXI

A really rich imperial porter. Bomber of coffee and very bitter chocolate, A very slight vanilla and bourbon flavors peek through due to the barrel aging. Overall, the bitterness and warmth are in good balance, and this beer is pretty straightforward overall.

22 oz. bottle from multiple sources. Pours black with a medium sized frothy tan head. The aroma is roasted malts with dark chocolate, oak, bourbon, cocoa nibs, vanilla and coffee. one word to describe the flavor is BIG. This has decadent chocolate, creamy vanilla, roasted malt, mellow bourbon and oak, some dark fruit, cocoa, and flashes of the 11% as it warms. For all of that, the balance is surprising. Full creamy body. This is a standout beer.

Name: Black Butte XX
Date: October 16, 2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: Trade
Appearance: black, wispy tan head
Aroma: sweet chocolate a bourbon aroma with lots of oakyness, vanilla sweetness, roasted and coffee
Body: creamy body
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, lots of bourbon sweetness, big roasted and coffee character kicks in to turn it into a roasty stout, fleeting touch of alcohol in the finish, well balanced complex array of flavors

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 17/20
Rating: 4/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ***+/4

Date: August 08, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Ticker
Appearance: black, wispy tan head, streaks of lace
Aroma: sweet dark roasted aroma, mello sweet bourbon, dark fruits, light oak, dark chocolate
Flavor: rich roasted flavor, bourbon sweetness, lots of oak, bitterness follows the oak with a bit of the dark roast, sweet dark caramel comes in to balance the strong oak

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

Appearance: Well, it certainly is black, there’s no question there. Finish it off with a frothy, bubbly, tan-colored head and we’re ready to make our way to Buttetown. Smell: Pungent aroma smelling of dark chocolate, coffee, and roasted malts supported by all those well-integrated, delightful barrel hints of maple, charred wood barrels, and fresh coconut. Taste: Sweetish dark malts shell out a deep chocolaty taste followed by a sharp roastiness that soon mellows into a generalized coffee flavor. Ah, and there’s the blooming, drying barrel character from which the flavor gleans hints of shaved coconut, wood, and bourbon. A drop or two of maple syrup. Minor fruitiness. Earthy, roasty bitterness. Rather warming all the while, even through to the roasty finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel. Drinkability: Recommended. This is all kinds of good! If you’re into rich, complex beers full of dense layers of endless subtleties then Deschutes Black Butte XX might be right up your alley. Right up it!

The pour was essentially black with a short lived, one finger tall tan head. The aroma was roasted malt, chocolate, light hops, coffee and booze. The flavor was roasted malt and light booze with some chocolate and a touch of hoppiness. The mouthfeel was a bit disappointing. Overall the beer was slightly distracted and a bit of a mess. I’d wait another 12 months or so before trying any more of this, but I don’t know if even that would help.

Bottled at Stockholm Beer Festival 2008. Black color. Coffeish, chocolatey and bready aroma. Sweet flavor with coffee, chocolate, oak, berries and licorice. Rich chewy taste.

Bottle@LCRBM08. Atoma has some wood, chocolate, bourbon, roast. Black coloured beer with a thin lacing. The taste is sweet, has licorice, coffee, chocolate, some vanilla. Ending more and more hopbitter. Good beer.

22 oz. bottle. Pours black with a thin light brown head, decent lacing. Aroma is sweet Chocolate and some roastiness, pretty mellow. Flavor is chocolate and coffee, hints of vanilla and oak. Slight bitterness and alcohol balances it out nicely. Smooth as silk with light carbonation.