Deschutes Black Butte XXI

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

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.

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.

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.

Bottle bought at Lee’s Liquors in Las Vegas about one month ago. Pours a pure black body with a medium light brown head that fairly quickly goes down to just a few tiny islands of soapy bubbles. The aroma is full of barrel ages goodness; tons of bourbon and subdued malts, some alcohol and wood. The taste is very substantial; first, I thought this beer had quite a bit of barrel in it, smooth woody and bourbon flavors mixing well with a thick tobacco leaf. The cocoa and milk chocolate stand out too. A strong bitter aspect starts strong, but mellows considerably. I suggest trying not to drink this one cold, it improved much as it warmed. The alcohol is very noticeable. Overall, quite nice.

Bottle: (Thanks BlackForestCO!) Pours near opaque with a tan ring of head. The aroma has a rich chocolate and coffee presence. Has some raisin notes, heavy roast and residual sweet malt. Rich body, but never cloying. Has a great chocolate presence in the flavor, with roasted barley, a mild boozy sweetness, chocolate and coffee intermingle to create a mocha character, balanced with earthy cigar leaf and a long roasted finish. This is a gentle giant with lots going on, yet it’s well balanced, harmonious and highly quaffable.

7/20/08 On draught at the Dog & Pony, Renton, Wa. Aroma is very rich, sugary, with molasses and roast dark fruit; slightly alcoholic. Appearance is dark brown with a well maintained tan head. Flavor is very rich as well, with the vanilla/cask character dominanting, followed by a unique black malt peppering and molasses finish. Mouthfeel is very creamy and syrupy, slightly warm, with a medium carb texture. Overall big and complex, there’s a lot going on here.

Bottle at RBSG08 on 08/02/2008. Dark black body with a medium creamy tan head. Roasty and caramel aroma. Chocolate, roast, and coffee flavor. Medium full body with moderate carbonation

22oz bottle. Pours a very dark, chocolate-brown color; light-tan head with good retention and fine-bubbled lacing. Lots of dark chocolate, nougat, and toasty malts in the aroma; toasted malts and lightlly toasty barrel notes. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: lots of bitter chocolate, nougat, and intense roasted / charred malts upfront; light barrel notes: toasty vanilla, burnt / charred malts, and bitter chocolate; intense, soft-edged barrel aging. Lengthy finish: bitter chocolate, toasted malts, and nougat; sweet and plenty of heaviness.