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Deschutes The Abyss

Deschutes The Abyss - Imperial Stout

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 Percentile 
100
overall
Brewed by Deschutes Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout

Bend, Oregon USA

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
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 Ratings  Average  Score  Seasonal  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in 
6584.18/5.04.17/5.0Winter11%96.5Snifter
View Statistics  P 

Commercial Description:
This special Reserve Series brew will only be offered December – February (limited distribution)
The Abyss: Stout brewed with licorice and molasses with 33% aged in oak and oak bourbon barrels. It’s dark. It’s deep. It’s mysterious. Aged in French Oak and Bourbon barrels, this special brew has immeasureable depth inviting you to explore and discover it’s rich, comples profile. The flavor of molasses and licorice draw you in further and further with each sip. The Abyss beckons. Enjoy the journey.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 nhorween (639), Chicago, Illinois, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/518/20
Feb 19, 2008  
22oz, 2007. This came in the mail today from a pre-sell, which I was told I was too late for, so what a nice surprise. Opaque brown pour with a dark tan head. Bitter coffee, chocolate, cocoa, dark fruit, hops, and faint bourbon and lots of oak. Alcohol comes through in this one for sure. Sour cherries and piney hops - more coffee and chocolate. Big bitter finish. Nice beer, the licorice and molasses are there, but subtle. Definitely worth seeking out.


 kkearn (994), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/104/518/20
Feb 18, 2008  
22oz bottle, 2007 reserve. Pours pitch black, with a big tan head. Big roasted malt aroma with oak, vanilla, chocolate and some molasses. Roasted espresso and chocolate are initial flavors, and are gradually joined by oak and finally some hop bitterness. Long, bittersweet chocolate finish. Silky smooth, but the body is a bit thinner than I expected.


 pepsican (884), The Student Ghetto, Iowa, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Feb 18, 2008  
newly bottled 07 batch. Pours black with a decent sized tan head. Aroma is very roasty with some chocolate. Flavor is very roasty as well. Chocolate. vanilla, coffee, smoke, and just a bit of the barrel aged flavor. Finishes creamy, little carbonation. Alcohol well hidden. Very nice.


 golubj (1275), Sunnyvale, California, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/103/516/20
Feb 17, 2008  
2008 bottle. Very dark black pour with some light brown head. Aroma is very raosted, chocolate, some wood. Flavor is very roasted malt, a little meaty and burnt. Kind of strong, but not that good tasting. I am just tired of beers full of crappy flavors and barrel aging.


 alexanderj (2213), Chino Hills, California, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/103/516/20
Feb 17, 2008    Updated: Jul 22, 2008
Bottle; last time Jon spilled some of it on me. Poured a really nice looking black with a good sized brown head. Liked the aroma better this time. More molasses and oak. Same general impressions as before, but i liked it alot more. Good complexity. I think this beer was too deep into a tasting the last time I had it. 3.7 to 3.9. 100th rating; Bottle courtesy of the clumsy golubj; thanks alot dickhead. Poured a dark black, about as black as possible Aroma of roasted meat, roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, and caramel. Pretty complex beer. Oak, bourbon, roasted malt, chocolate, caramel, molasses, and hops. Almost too assertive in the flavor. Definitely a beer to sip, as mention in the profile. Finish wasn’t too good. Well done, but my rating may be a backlash agains the generally rated overated style.


 ditmier (1022), Boise, Idaho, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/59/104/518/20
Feb 16, 2008  
2007 Botle - As I poured it into my glass, the room seemed to darken around me. It’s like a black hole from which nothing can escape (in a good way). It smells like espresso and caramel, and has a wonderfully complex taste. Malt, vanilla, coffee and yeast. It showed a lot of the bourbon oak flavour from the barrel, and easily could supplant port after dinner... could probably even pour it over ice cream...


 Krausen (102), USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/59/104/517/20
Feb 14, 2008  
Opens with a deep berry currant and coffee nose, very restrained. A a touch of higher alcohol there. Rich, soy sauce, burnt sugar & espresso flavors and filling mouth feel that just rolls over the tongue and finishes with lingering cocoa like astringency and bitterness. Very viscous.


 bhensonb (4187), Woodland, California, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/104/515/20
Feb 14, 2008  
Aromas of licorice and darkly toasted malt. And it’s not that simple. Opaque black color with a dark tan head that’s enduring. Medium body with mild carbonation. Flavors are coffee, dark burnt sugar, wood, salt or soy. It’s not dry, but not all that sweet. The finish is a bit more dry, but it’s really about a soft landing. It’s incredibly distinct and very tasty.



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