Deschutes The Abyss

Poured jet black with a big tan head. Aroma is lots of dark chocolate with some coffee and roasted malts and licorice. Flavor is a bit of anise, lots of chocolate, and soem burnt coffee malts. Very Good.

Pours jet black with a rather large, thick frothy tan head. Head settled with good retention and an unbelievable amount of lacing. Fantastic looking beer. Initial smell is of dark chocolate and roasted malts with a hint of molasses. Smelled just the slightest bit of alcohol, though mild and pleasant. Wow is this a wonderfully complex beer. Slight initial bitterness gives way to a roasted chocolate malt taste with hints of nuts and coffee. Slight bitterness returns for a smooth aftertaste. Medium mouthfeel with a slight carbonation that tickles with tongue. Smooth mouthfeel and balanced taste make this an extremely drinkable stout.

A huge beer. Looks like a dark rootbeer float. You can float the USS Nimitz on that head. Aroma is like burnt caramel, with some toffee notes. Flavor transitions well from smooth to creamy to bold. Not so complex as its very drinkable. Alcohol; content is not very noticlble. Some bitter hops come out near the end in the nosr and the palate. I think a few more months in the cask would have brought out the bourbon flavors . A very nice beer that beckens you at every sip. Explore with caution!

While the bitter back end might have once swayed me, I found this beer to be extremely enjoyable. Engine sludge with a nice head. Not as thick as dark lord. Nose and flavors of smoked coffee, mocha, chocolate.. I could go on. Sample at FFF Dark lord day 2008.

Pours midnight black with a foamy tan head. Lots of aroma: dark chocolate, licorice, coffee, wood. Deep smoky flavor, with hints of all of the above and just a touch of vanilla. Full thick body. Delicious!

07 Bottle shared by pudditane. Pours black with a brown colored head. Aroma is bitter chocolate, coffee, oak. Flavor is chocolate, coffee, oak, molasses, and yes some licorice notes, very slight bourbon. Palate is full bodied, medium to mild carbonation, finished very bitter. This just didn’t do it for me. Good brew and I can see why people like it so much, but just not one of my favorites.

Bottle. Thanks to Thaddeus for this gift. Black color with a foamy medium to dark brown head. The molasses and licorice come through well and the oak barrels smooth out the flavor without adding too much of the bourbon vanilla element. An intense coffee and bitter aftertaste with a rich full bodied finish.

On draught at Freakin’ Frog in Las Vegas. Pours black as night with a medium and foamy light brown head that has good retention. Rings of lacing on the glass. Big aroma of cocoa, roasted malt and bourbon. Rich body with bittersweet chocolate, roasted malt, coffee and a bit of spice. Light smoke and bourbon in the background throughout. The finish is full and moderately bitter coffee and hops with a sharp alcohol aftertaste. Would probably benefit from aging a bit. Overall this is a very good Imperial Stout.