Deschutes The Abyss

From bottle courtesy of Naka. Terrific nose. Cocoa, coffee, vanilla, oak. Some licorice, phenols, alcohol. Light almond. Mild bitter hops. Jet black liquid with tan lacing head. Heavy oily body with medium carbonation. Alcohol warming. Starts with tons of chocolate and coffee, licorice and oak. Vanilla, carbonic acidity. Sweetness is heavy but not cloying. Huge bitter finish that lasts. After is bitter and a little chalky.

22oz bottle from Cletus and one from diggity7. Thanks guys. 2007 Vintage. Pours dark brown/black with a nice mocha head. Not much retention, but great lacing. Aromas of coffee, roasted malts, licorice, and booze. Flavors are sweet sticky roasted malts and alcohol. Palate is medium bodied. This beer definitely did not live up to the hype for me.

2008 bottle shared. Poured dark brown with a nice tan head, some lacing. Aroma of chocolate, licorice, vanilla - from oak. Very nice nose. Taste is very heavily malted, with chocolate and coffee. Some vanilla oak taste as well, with some mild bourbon notes. Mouth is very smooth, as is the finish. Very full-bodied. A very enjoyable brew.

22 oz. bottle. 2007 vintage. Dark brown pour with a medium sized, light tan head. Good amount of lacing. Aroma of sweet chocolate, molasses, and licorice. Smooth, chewy mouthfeel. Flavor is pretty nice. Chocolate, coffee, piney hops. A lot of the bourbon notes have mellowed out. Alcohol is well hidden.

The look is black with a great looking tan colored head. The smells are coffee, chocolate, wood, vanilla, and roasted malts. The taste is malts, chocolate, coffee, roasty, and good. Medium body and good complexity.

2007 bottle. Shared with Nate and Juart. Pours like oil with a really foamy dark brown head. Strong alcohol. Bourbon and oak in the nose as well, with tons of dark malty molasses and caramel. The flavor is outstanding. Chocolate, oak, licorice, alcohol, and more alcohol. Perhaps could have used another year. A little fruity too. The body if this beer is one of the best I’ve ever had. You almost have to chew it. THe bitter is subtle and just enough to balance the huse sweetness. Finishes really dry, strangely enough. Out-f’ing-standing.

22oz bottle, 2007, from NYbeer, thanks Steven. Very dark black pour with a nice brown head. Chocolate, coffee and a little sweetness, quite smooth with a slightly bitter roastiness in the finish. Very well done.

Wow. I didn’t know you could make a beer this intense and delicious. A jet black imperial stout with one third of it barrel aged in french oak and bourbon barrel oak. Chocolate, roast, coffee, licorice, molasses, this is a velvety warm beer to be sipped and cherished. There is no overt bourbon barrel presence, you find more of the trace elements (vanilla, tobacco, toffee, smoke) from it in the highlights. At 11% ABV, its is amazing how good this beer is young.