Deschutes The Abyss

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

Bottle shared by alraomon. Thanks Sean! Pure black pour with medium head. Oak and hops come through immediately on the aroma with notes of grain, chocolate and anise. Taste is very similar. Almost motor oil thick.

bomber from a trade with SuzyGreenburg. pours black with a perfect tan head and perfect carbonation. aromas are chocolate, coffee, roasted malts. lingerings hops are also present. flavours are similar. while there is a lot goin on this imppy it seems very subdued and relaxed. its fantastic but it doesnt try to over power you and push you around. im very glad to that i got to enjoy this one.

Bottle, Beers of the World Live, NEC. Black with a beige head. Aromas are roast malts. Very rich coffee with prickly notes and alcohol. Flavours are molasses and rich coffee with resinous, prickly notes. Bitter and dry on the finish with a long aftertaste. Evident, warming alcohol.

22oz bottle-pours a big rich brown head and midnight black color. Aroma is sweet dark malt-molasses/licorice, dark fruit, slight sharpness, (no wood). Taste is sharp (hops?), sweet dark malt-molasses/licorice, dark fruit, slight sharpness. Syrupy. Occasional. Thanks to Joe-jwc215 for sharing.

Bottles from multiple sources - thanks to everyone!!! 2006 and 2007 bottles sampled together. Both pour to a nice, dark black color with a light head. Aroma on the 06 seems like solid oak - strong wood profile with some cocoa and roast. 07 is a bit softer with more subdued wood, some cocoa, raspberries, and milk. Flavor on the 06 is roasty with cocoa and dark chocolate and a ton of oak. 07 is less oaky with a better integration of wood, chocolate, licorice, and brown sugar. Nice feel all the way around. 07 already wins here and seems to have much more potential. 06 seems over-oaked and one dimensional, while the 07 needs a bit more time and I think it will be really great. The inconsistency and burnt flavors detract a bit from an otherwise great beer - time will tell if this cracks into the top tier of impy stouts for me.

One of the more complex and intriguing beers I’ve had in a while and I don’t say that lightly particularly with Impy Stouts. But thes pours like an impy stout and has a sweet molasses finish. Roasted coffee flavors are involved with this subtle and complex brew. Plays on different parts of your palate nicely. At first you get a prune, cocoa, chocolate aroma. The palate is first cocoa which leads to roasted coffee and a sweetness that reminds you of molasses and finishes sweet as well. Slight vanilla and wood flavors mid palate. Thank you Old Mr. Crow.

One of the highlights of the BIF Race 2007 Sinister package from Eyedrinkale, The Abyss (2007 Reserve) came in a 22 oz. bomber with neck dipped in black wax. Luckily it was the pretty soft and came off without much struggle to allow me to get to the real attraction. The beer poured out absolutely black in color as expected, and holy crap did it have a dark head. The color of the head was like chocolate syrup at first, and as it died down to foam, it revered back to khaki. The smell was roasted coffee, but it did not seem overdone. The roasted aroma was mild enough to allow some light hops to poke through. The much anticipated first sip was quite dry and the astringency made my cheeks pucker. As I adjusted to the graininess, chocolate, toffee, malted milk balls, vanilla beans, oak shavings, and black coffee made themselves known. This was a big, bruising, hefty stout, and needed to be approached with the respect it deserved. Not very easily approachable, unless you already know you want something like it.

2007 bottle. Enjoyed at Noog4. Had this outside at night, so as near as I can tell this stuff is black as pitch. Lots of coffee in the aroma, sharp roasted/toasted grain and wood notes. Lots of coffee in the flavor too. Also some chocolate, plenty of roasted/toasted grain with wood. Semi-dry mouth feel and med-full body. This was good but not worth the hype.