Deschutes Black Butte XXI

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

Intense smoky chocolate and coffee coming from the bottle, this aroma is off the charts good. Just got a wif of pool water. Brew looks deep dark blackish brown, a cap was produced on the pour but it gone very quickly. Aroma has turned almost salty. Taste is thick and epically full, chocolate, smoke, coffee, salty, all good!!!!!!! Awesome there is like 10 new York Rangers on the ice beating the crap out of one Canuck!!! Hockey violence rules!!!! So very good beer! Thanks Jeff you old man you.

22oz bottle thanks to riversideAK. Pours black with a brown head. Heavily carbonated. Aroma is of bourbon, wood, roasted malt, chocolate, coffee, and dark fruit. Taste is of roasted malt, chocolate, dark fruit, alcohol, and chocolate. Lots of coffee blends within the brew. Huge flavors of bourbon and wood as well. The bourbon and wood blend very well with the other flavors. Each sip finishes with lots of dry chocolate and wood. Mouthfeel is medium and sticky. I like it.

Dark mocha hue with a modest tan head that sparkles but fades fairly quickly. Nose is roast, espresso, dark chocolate, smoke, and bourbon. Taste is roasted coffee malts primarily backed by the oak undertones, pine and grassy hops peek through midway, bourbon warming through the finish. Medium-bodied, silky smooth texture with some alcohol heat, modest carbonation. Overall, a big bold porter with all flavors amped up, the bourbon and heat quickly takes over but doesn’t completely blast out the malt profile.

Pours a very dark brown, damn near black in color. Smell is mostly dark roasted malts and some molasses. Taste is more of the roasted malts with a bit of the molasses. Very nice and very dark. Can’t get over the molasses and dark malt smell. This is a very well done beer. Decent and pretty well done, but not upper tier.

Bomber w/ Schmidt. About what I was expected...thought that does not mean it was a disappointment. A big warming and bold, choclately, roasty, & vanilla noted brew. Slightly sweet but smooth. Dank.

22 oz bottle, best after 10/17/10 (oh well!). Pours a dark brown with a creamy tan head that retains well and laces the glass.

The aroma is sweet roasted chocolate, tar, black licorice, and coffee. A little too heavy on the black licorice and tar for me.

The flavor is sweet sugary lactic chocolate balanced by a big tarry roasted bitterness and black licorice with a little coffee. The finish has a good deal of bitterness. As it warms, the sweetness comes out and becomes a bit overwhelming. Also notes of bourbony dark fruits appear as well. It’s very bold but not at all smooth - a bit too brash for me. The mouthfeel is fairly full with creamy carbonation.

Overall, it’s a bit too harsh especially with the black licorice and tar and then the heavy sweetness. It would be interesting to try again after the best after date to see if it mellows out.

Rerate 9/7/08. This has smoothed out nicely and is not as sharp and alcoholic as previously tasted when younger. Bomber. Dark black with a small white head. Nose of chocolates, maltiness, burnt wood, and lots of alcohol. Not subtle. Taste is sticky and very alcoholic and hot. The chocolate is subdued after the strong nose. This needs to sit and calm down-it’s way too young and the rating should go up past 4 if it ages properly.

This poured black in color with a moderate brown head of fine bubbles that fades away. When sniffing this immediately reminded me of toffee dipped in chocolate with nuts. This was followed by dark fruit, woodsmoke, mild bourbon, asparagus and a peppery spice. In the mouth it was medium to bull-bodied with concentrated flavor and a rich midpalate balanced by the carbonation. Overall, this has nice sweetness, dominated by toffee in both the nose and mouth, to it and good complexity. This appears as it it will age well for 6 - 12 months but beyond that the sweetness may overpower.