Deschutes Black Butte XXI

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

I thought this was fab. Bottle from Lee’s Disco in Vegas. Great full nose of chocolate and coffee beans. Flavor is also quite huge with the same dark chocolate, just enough bourbon barrel to bring out vanilla, and a fringe of cinnamon. Avoids the finishing sharpness of The Abyss.

Poured from a 22oz double-waxed bomber and served in a snifter. Poured a deep, dark brown with a thick, cakey mocha head that lasted throughout most of the glass. Heavy lacing. The aroma consisted of chocolate covered coffee beans, heavily caramelized sugar, light vanilla, and just a hint of bourbon. Smells delicious! The flavor included bittersweet chocolate, heavily roasted coffee, cocoa powder, and a hint of bourbon. Mildly alcoholic. Still quite appealing, but not so much as the nose originally indicated. The mouthfeel was full-bodied but still relatively clean for the gravity. Lightly carbonated. Layered with rich flavors. A great sipper.

Pours dark black with brown head. Aromas of burnt malts, coffee and chocolate. Roasted malt flavor with oak, bourbon, bittersweet chocolate. There is a slight sweetness and some hop bitterness coming through. Full body with minimal carbonation and a slightly dry, earthy finish.

Getting notebook online. Pours a good black with a disappearing tan head. Strong chocolate and coffee nose. Flavors of darker chocolate, pretty strong alcohol and roasted malt. The oak seemed a little more subtle then I was expecting. Overall a good beer!

Wow - a wonderfully black rich porter. Loads of coffee, chocolate, charred wood, and alcohol. Very sippable, just a lovely enjoyable beer.

Wow! Crazy aroma hits like a hammer. Black brew with a large, thick very dark brown cap with very good retention and maaasive lacing. The aroma is just excellent. Huge waves of chocolate and a colossal amount of malts almost put me into a coma. The roast here reminds me of a german bock, more chocolate, soy sauce, vanilla, powdered choc, coffee, ample sweetness, lots of nut early on, especially right after pulling the wax covered cap off. The taste is huge. How many times can I use the word huge in one review? Probably a huge amount of times. Chocolate, good bitterness that almost seems to hide the 11% but doesn’t quite allowing it to peer at me from around the corner. Light soy sauce, vanilla, coffee. Ouch... the alcohol from this night is finally catching up to me - an alcohol that seems more at place in a 26. Smooth, so smooth. Full bodied, light carbonation, huge heavy breath - a large roast fume that just won’t leave. Molasses and licorice spice is found on the finish when I forget about the other stuff. Just got hit by another chocolate bomb. Excellent f’n beer!

Draught. Poured black with thick foamy tan head. Aroma of malt and coffee. Flavour of malt, coffee cocoa and whiskey. Stronger than it tastes, I had a pint and it hit like a couple straight whiskies. Full barrel and malt finish with a full mouth. Try it from the keg, you’ll like it.

Poured into a snifter. Total blackness with a nice creamy dark tan head. Pretty nice aroma with lots of vanilla, cocoa, and molasses emanating from underneath the black coffee and chocolate. Flavor is rich roasted gourmet coffee, a touch of red berries, raisins, boozy dark chocolate, and a long bitter finish with some tannic character along with the roast. Not astringent or charred. Perfect carbonation, hefty body. Very good beer.