Deschutes The Abyss

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

I drank this as number 600 on a crisp autumn afternoon. It went well. Black pour with a medium amber head. Taste is roasted malt, licorice, chocolate. Taste is dry and I would have liked it a tad sweeter.

(Bottle, Stockholm Beer Festival, 20 Sep 2008) Pitch black colour with creamy, brown head. Malty, roasted nose with notes of tar, espresso and asphalt. Rather closed. Malty, roasted taste with espresso, cocoa, dark bitter chocolate, tar and loads of liquorice. Full body with chewy mouthfeel. Fairly sweet. Lots of bitterness with cocoa and coffe, nicely balanced by the heavily roasted malt. Really powerful beer. Excellent!

2006 bottle, sampled at RBSG 08. Pours a deep black with a nice tan head. Big, sharp aroma, of burnt toasted malt, chocolate, dark fruits, and molasses. Taste is sharp and bitter, of burnt malt, with hints of sweeter molasses, chocolate and coffee. Lingering bitter malt flavors. Wonderful.

2007 bottle courtesy of Ryan. Deep black opaque pour with layered light brown head. Really a beautiful pour. Lovely roasty, chocolatey aroma with hints of licorice and oak. Oak was nicely understated and not too sweet. Similar in the mouth; silky smooth palate and lovely chocolate, roasted malt, nuttiness, and hints of licorice, oak, and coffee. Great after-dinner beer.

2007 reserve bottle from Zinister. This beer is a black beer. No light penetrates at all. The aroma is very coffee and roasted. Deep chocolate definite licorice taste. Very good beer. Would buy again

It don’t get much darker than this. Ink black, totally opaque. A light tan head, decent retention... a nice little ringing of lace Anise, vanilla bean, chocolate, and French roast coffee on the nose. Quite nice smelling. Notes of tobacco (though very mild), rich anise and molasses. Oakiness, caramel, dark chocolate. This is a nice balance of flavours on my palate. A bitter, cocoa flavour on the finish. A very, very nice tasting brew. Very rich, creamy and full.. a little bit of a fizzle of carbonation which adds a nice extra something to the body. Amazing drinkability, especially considering the alcohol content. There’s no sign of it, and it gets nicer as it warms, which makes sipping slowly a bit more rewarding.

Large kudos go out to General Gao for this 650 ml, 2007 vintage; my 1300th rating. Deep black with a marathon-runner, one finger head. Frosty lace deposited on all sides of the glass. Coffee, cocoa, caramel, vanilla and hickory char nose. Flavors of cocoa, coffee, caramel, piquant mesquite, vanilla, peanut, light whiskey and peppery oak. Heavy body is smooth, has a nice tongue tingle and is sufficiently dried to avoid being syrupy. This one has just the right touch of bourbon and oak, not overpowering like some.

Bottle pours pitch black with a thick tan head. Aroma is mainly roasted malts, vanilla, and some oak. Has a medium heavy body with some carbonation. Flavor is dark chocolate, vanilla, licorice, oak, and a slight amount of bourbon flavor. Overall is a solid brew. I prefer more balance to my BA bourbon beers. This one could have had a little more bourbon flavors.