Deschutes Black Butte XXI

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

as soon as i cracked the top on this one i could smell the roasted malt and chocolate already.i poured my anderson valley snifter to the halfway point and got a nice black body with a dark brown head.as the head rested it left nice webbing on the glass.the aroma blended up chocolate,roasted malts,pine hops,bourbon,and alcohol heat.the flavor is very complex.i pick up cocoa,bourbon,alcohol heat,chocolate,coffee,roasted malts,caramel,and a slight hint of vanilla.it pretty nice right now but a little young and hot.i bet 6 months will do it some good.(RE-RATE ON 10/23/08)alcohol heat has already faded a bit and things have ’’’’smoothed out’’’’this one is already getting really tasty.

On tap Flying Pie pizza Boise. Pours out a thick rich black topped with a dark tan head. Aroma of Sweetness and coffee. Tast great and thick oatmeal, coffee, chocolate. Lots of nice roast all over the place. WOW this brew is tasty. i will have to keep a couple of them in a safe placxe for a few years.

After prying off the wax seal, which was a bit of a pain, this 22 oz bottle opened with a satisfying hiss, and poured a jet black into the glass. Some beers are dark, this one was like a black hole. The head was large and creamy, and very long lasting, in fact so long I got impatient waiting for it to settle so I could check the lacing. But what appeared at the top of the glass looked good. The nose on this one is mostly of coffee and chocolate, with distinct hints of the bourbon oak barrels this sat in. The palate was simply divine, being rich and creamy. Flavors are dominated by the coffee and the alcohol is hidden very well. The finish is dry and bitter. A simply exceptional beer. I drank this at about 45 degrees, and think had it been ten degrees warmer it might have been even better.

On tap at Churchills. I have been eager to try this. When I first heard about it, it poked it’s head in the top50, and is slowly retreating back. I was planning to trade big for it, then it popped up in San Diego stores. Expecting a quick sell out, I asked WeeHeavySD to pick a bottle for me, while I was out of town. Here it is a month later and it stills in reasonable volume in many stores. Not as a hot commodity as Abyss. I heard one or two rumors that this was better than Abyss, but that was slowly replaced with Abyss is better. I traded off my one bottle, as a bonus, without trying XX, when I saw it pop up on tap at Pizza Port. The line was long, so I waited a couple of days, but then it was gone, so I missed out here. Figuring it would show up elsewhere on tap, I waited and sure enough Churchill’s put it on for the Stone 12th Anniversary where it has lasted at least 3 days, maybe more. I was lucky to see Mary Jo working today. I’ve tried Abyss on tap at the same place in the past. Abyss was awesome, and I went back for another glass. Black Butte XX is not the same...not as good. It was good, but I really didn’t look forward to drinking a whole glass. Small tan head. Small bubble head. Initial taste was an illusion of sour, but I think it was more a shock to my palate. Quickly, the taste becomes lots of chocolate in the nose and taste. Heavy body. Leans sweet. Somewhat roasty.

2009 XXI Bottle from Argonaut Liquors (Denver, CO). Pours a dark, impenetrable black color with massive two finger pillowy tan head. Aroma is sweet and malty with notes of chocolate, roasted coffee, light vanilla, toffee, caramel, light bourbon notes. Flavor is sweet and malty with notes of chocolate, vanilla, oak, caramel, slight bourbon and toffee notes. Medium body with a pleasing malty finish and silky mouthfeel. Nice ale.

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, shared by durhambeer. Thanks Bob! Pour is dark brown with a small tan head. Nose has a bit of oak, vanilla, coffee--very dry. Flavor is similar with a bit of dark fruits, light bourbon, chocolate, more coffee and wood.

Bottle sampled at the 7/5/08 Bocky Bash locals tasting. Pours a deep brown with minimal tan head. Nose is roasted nuts, alcohol, coffee and chocolate. Taste is dark chocolate, more alcohol and roasted nuts. Medium creamy mouth feel. Very hot brew but really good. This should be dynamite with a year of aging.