Deschutes The Abyss

Brewed by Deschutes Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
Bend, Oregon USA

Thanks to the bro for sharing this. Pours black with a large dreamy mocha head. Aroma is milk chocolate, anise, alcohol, with hints of molasses and bourbon. Mouthfeel is very creamy and smooth, with little alcohol burn. Taste is dark roasts, milk chocolate, and licorice. Solid.

Thanks to Cary for the hookup. Pours a rich black color with mocha colored thick head. Aroma is intense milk chocolate, dark fruit, some anise, and fuse alcohol. Taste is rich milk chocolate up front with alcohol, anise and some roasted malt in the finish. It’s creamy in the initial swallow and gives way to a bit of warm alcohol. However, the alcohol never takes away from the beer itself. Smooth and brash, which is the way I like my Impys. Glad I was finally able to taste this!

Crushed with CaryTheDude and Jakebra. Phew. Burnt chocolate nose with charcoal, licorice and coffee. Flavor is dry and bitter, like chewing on burnt wood. It’s nice that it’s not overly sweet. Nice full mouthfeel. Love it. Thanks guys.

22 oz. Not quite a jet black pour with a dark brown and ruby hue head. Fades to a ring then pretty much sticks around. Aroma is heavy roast malt and coffee with anise and dark chocolate. Thick mouthfeel, a little rough, but not bad. Flavor has lots of roasted malt and coffee up front. Some molasses, oakiness with just a hint of ripe dark fruits. Coats the throat nicely with oak, molasses and mocha espresso. A little bit hot and in your face at this point. A top notch imperial, but could use some aging. Top 5, I can think of 4 or so that I like better at this point, which means you can’t get much better than this. I am glad I have 2 more of these. A side note positive that can seperate this from some, is that it has reasonable availability. Way to go Deschutes.

From waxed bomber pours thick and opaque black with beige fading head. Balanced flavors of mostly tame licorice straight to finish. Medium bodied.

Big thanks to JVD for this one we traded this a while ago 2007 vintage Bottle poured into a snifter produced a large coco colored head that settled to a thick lace and trailed of to a nice ring as I waited. As black as black can be colored bodied ale no light coming through this at all Aromas of coffee, anise and some nice roastiness waft off the glass. I get some of the wood earthiness as well coming up as it warms. The longer I hold this I can say it’s a really nice complex aroma. The Flavors of molasses is very evident it helps tame out the roastiness of the malts this is so much better as it warms much more of the complexity of this stout comes thru. Thick in the mouth with just a slight amount of carbonation Ok I’ll give you that this is defiantly on par with Kate in it complexity although two different animals when it comes to flavors that present themselves. This is a wonderful Ale and deserving of a place in one of the best out there. Yes I will drink more of this and would seek it out

Crushed with Honkeybra and Jakebra. Incredibly complex. Coffee, chocolate, molasses, little licorice, dark dark roast. Flavor is just as fucking good. Finish lasts for about 5 minutes. It just keeps on going. Incredibly happy to crush this one.