Deschutes Black Butte XXI

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

Black w/ medium head. Lots of coffee, smooth chocolate, and a slight punch of alcohol. Fantastic mix that exceeded my expectation. Minimal sweetness. Balanced well with little bitterness coming through. Other than a little bourbon in the aroma, I’m hard pressed to pick up any oak/bourbon; I’m ok w/ that, though. They should make this a regular.

Draft at the Peaks Brewpub; Nose of chocolate, chocoltae, and more chocolate; along with a little oakiness; Very dark black with a small, glass-lacing tan head; Flavor of lots of chcolate, molasses, light oaky vanilla, and light hop bitterness.

Appearance: Well, it certainly is black, there’s no question there. Finish it off with a frothy, bubbly, tan-colored head and we’re ready to make our way to Buttetown. Smell: Pungent aroma smelling of dark chocolate, coffee, and roasted malts supported by all those well-integrated, delightful barrel hints of maple, charred wood barrels, and fresh coconut. Taste: Sweetish dark malts shell out a deep chocolaty taste followed by a sharp roastiness that soon mellows into a generalized coffee flavor. Ah, and there’s the blooming, drying barrel character from which the flavor gleans hints of shaved coconut, wood, and bourbon. A drop or two of maple syrup. Minor fruitiness. Earthy, roasty bitterness. Rather warming all the while, even through to the roasty finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel. Drinkability: Recommended. This is all kinds of good! If you’re into rich, complex beers full of dense layers of endless subtleties then Deschutes Black Butte XX might be right up your alley. Right up it!

Big thanks to Gillard for bringing this bottle along. Pours deep and dark with thin mocha head. The aroma is full of big toastiness along with chocolate, coffee, almonds, wood and bourbon. The aroma is deliciously bold as is the flavor. I get bold rich goodness from velvety dark chocolate, coffee, vanilla, wood, burnt malts and bourbon like booze. This is creamy, yummy, rich and very satisfying. Wow, a bit less boozy for my taste (I’m sure for most this aspect is just fine) and this one is near perfect.

Rating #998, 2 to go, shared with xnoxhatex and funkybrewster. Pours a obsidian color with a cola like fizzy beige head. Balance aroma of coffee, slightly sweet, faded floral hops, charcoal, some molasses and dark chocolate. Wow, lovely flavor sans the oxidized hops, very much like a traditional ale, sweet and slightly tangy over a dull black oily base 8.5. Upfront fruitiness, maybe maraschino cherries, super smooth slightly creamy but mostly oily, tons of Hershey’s syrup, lesser coffee beans. I really like it, slightly tart. Oily and creamy, very smooth, fizzy carbonation, quite De Molen-esque. The bourbon and woodiness lingers in the aftertaste, bitter chocolate. I really enjoy this and beers similar such as Black Jack.

On tap at Citybeer. Pour was black with a thin tan head. Aroma was very nice, with coffee, chocolate, oak. Taste was also of bitter chocolate, coffee, sweet bitter notes, oak, and vanilla. Mouth was excellent, very smooth. Finish was bitter and nice. This is a great rich beer. *** Bottle. About the same, though a little less smooth than tap. Still a great beer.

22 OZ bottle via Roth’s. XX. Pours black with a huge brown head that takes up 75% of the mug and takes for ever to dissipate. Nose is chocolate, roasted barley, coffee. Taste as it smells. Starts and ends with lots of bittersweet coacoa, and in between there is some plums, licorice, coffee and bourbon. The bourbon lingers for a long while into the aftertaste. I also get a bit of smokiness from this. THe hops are there and balance the sweetness and roastiness quite well. Definately a west coast version.

22 oz. bottle - pours jet black with thin cream colored head around the edges; huge aromas of coffee, molasses, dark chocolate, but mainly big time coffee; just a killer nose; texture is slightly sticky and syrupy; drinks very smooth with no notice of alcohol; dry, roasty, creamy and chocolaty; a big beer all over, but very drinkable at the same time; flavor falls just short of the decadence 2007, but very, very nice; everything seems to be in equilibrium in terms of flavor, texture, aroma; bourbon smooths out the flavors and creates a rich, ozzy brew; my type of brew indeed