Deschutes Black Butte XXI

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

XX Bottle from ditmier, also have the XXI in my cellar. Pours pretty near black with a tan head that disappears. Nose is chocolate, vanilla, Count Chocula, barrel notes and soft coffee. On taste it is pretty badass. A bit fizzy, somewhat fruity, but thick. Burly with big burnt notes, roasted coffee and supporting chocolate. As mcuh as Gonzo is an Imperial Porter, this one is more imperialer. Awesome beer.

22oz Bottle. I’ve now had both the 2008 and the 2009 releases. I know I’d rated the XX on here and the rating seems to have been toasted in the aliasing. Anyway...here’s my notes from the most recent XXI. Pours a blackish, smooth oily brown, with a nice coffeecream head. Aroma is soft, warming and roasty. Nice blends of coffee, booze, and some cocoa. Gentle and detailed. Flavor is equally rich and satisfying. I love the balance of the barrel in this beer, it’s really well-done, complementing the character of the beer with the bourbon. Rich chocolate, vanilla oak, and some raisins come out. Finishes on toasted brown bread. Delicious, drinkable, and very enjoyable. Thanks Laura and Darrell

2008 Edition - 22 oz. bottle. Thanks to trades with WeeHeavySD, daknole & jake65, I have three bottles! Pours black with a moderate, bubbly light brown head that lasted beyond mid-glass and coated the glass with each sip. Very pleasant aroma of prunes, chocolate, coffee, vanilla, bourbon, and oak. Wow! The flavor is just a bit less complex the aroma, but still quite nice with chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, vanilla, bourbon and oak. The prunes that I picked up in the aroma just don’t seem to be present in the flavor, and that’s the real difference. Medium bitterness at the finish. Dries out on the palate in the aftertaste. Very enjoyable beer!

Bottle courtesy Gillard. Thanks Ryan for such a tasty treat. Pours black with a one finger tan head that leaves good lacing. Aroma of coffee, dark chocolate, licorice, roasted malt, and a hint of smoke. Taste is the same as aroma with a heavy emphasis on coffee and a hint of oak. Medium mouthfeel with a moderate to strong amount of bitterness and well hidden alcohol. A damn fine brew.

Bottle. Way better than the Abyss as it got released. Pours almost balck with a brown head. Great aromas of coffee and chocolate and a bit of wood and leather. Flavors are dominated by coffee and chocolate malts, the finish has a bit of alcohol burn and a pretty strong bitterness. The palate and mouthfeel is outstanding, silky smooth. Easily the best beer Deschutes has produced that I have tasted.

(Bottle, Stockholm Beer Festival, 20 Sep 2008) Black colour with brief, beige head. Malty, roasted nose with notes of chocolate, coffee and liquorice. Malty, roasted taste with dark chocolate, cocoa, black coffee and dark rye bread. Full body, smooth mouthfeel. Fairly bitter with balanced sweetness. Stunning balance with alcohol very well hidden. Lovely beer!

Pours jet black with a half inch head of tan. The thinnish head fell to a partial skim-coat within two minutes, leaving behing a few dots of lacework. Aromatics are laced with dark chocolate, espresso, vanilla, oak char, and light bourbon. Roasty, deep, and complex. The bourbon is subdued, but adds some great complexity and the vanilla is wonderfull. Thickish bodied and extremely creamy. Almost like a nitro-pour. Highly balanced on the pallet. Rich, bitter chocolate, dark roast coffee, oaky tannins, and vanilla-steeped bourbon. Slightly acrid and heavily roasty. Finishes with a hint of warming bourbon on the throat, some sweet caramel, and lingering chocolate, vanilla, and espresso. Wowza, great beer. Very mature and smooth for a fresh bottle. The bourbon is a bit subdued, as is the case with The Abyss. It plays a supporting role as opposed to stealing the show.

XX - Dark, deep brown with a big brown head. Huge burnt, sweet malt backbone with a spicy earthy component. Heavy roasted coffee bean intertwined with burnt caramel and slight bits of silky chocolate - lots of it - and hints of vanilla. A bit of musty wood and a touch of smoke. Lots going on in here and its all really well done. XXI- Seems to have a richer chocolate and bourbon component as well as a pronounced alcohol nose.