Deschutes The Abyss

Winter 2007 vintage, just a few months old. In contrast to the aged 2006 version, this one showed alot more roast and hardly any anise character. An earthy hoppiness shined through as well, lending balance and depth. I preferred the fresher version slightly. Both are excellent, but the 2007 really shined. The bourbon is incredibly subtle in both, enhancing the brew slightly while allowing the traditional Imperial Stout to take center stage. Great beer.

Original rating 8/4/8/4/17 4.1. Courtesy CaptainCougar. 2006 vintage, consumed January 2008. Pours as dark as something called The Abyss should.....pitch black. A small, frothy, bubbly tan head leaves behind random spots of lacing on the glass. The aroma is rich and deep, with anise, dark chocolate, cocoa powder, and roasty espresso all showing strong. The chocolate intensifies in the flavor profile, leaning towards very dark chocolate with a high cocoa butter content. Oak is present in the form of woodsy vanilla. The roastiness is huge in this one. Smooth, almost creamy palate, but not quite as full bodied as I expected. Overall, this is a very, very good brew.

Thanx to Captain Cougar for sharing this.Pours black as night wit a nice chocolate nose.Flavor was charcoal, coffee, and chocolate.Finished with some sweetness and roastedness.

More kudos to the STL crew for sharing this hard to find stout. Pours very dark brown with an orange / tan head. The aroma has rich fluffy mild chocolate, vanilla, oak and lots of dark malt ~ very sweet and rich. Medium / full rich creamy body with some wonderfully soft carbonation. The flavors starts with dark malt with a little roastiness, vanilla, oak and a mix of milk & dark chocolate. It is all very smooth tasting. The finish has some spice added to the malty character. Thumbs up for this tasty imperial stout.

2006 Bomber. Pours dark brown and lively with a thin light brown head. Smells of vanilla, licorice, chocolate, molasses, touches of coffee, pepper, hints of citrus, some dark fruit. The nose on this beer is amazing. I could probably smell this one for hours and pick up on different subtleties every time. Tastes of chocolate, some coffee, some bitterness. Very well behaved compared to other imperial stouts in this ABV range. Flavor does not quite live up to the expectations set forth by the aroma but is still very layered with a nice touch of dark fruit as the beer warms. Mouthfeel is oily and some traces of oak reveal themselves as the glass warms up and I approach the end. Lasting taste of molasses.

Bomber. 2006. Shared with my bro on Xmas eve. Dark, dark, dark pour. Aroma of licorice, brown sugar, molasses and malt. This is malty, syrupy and down right rich. Although the base beer is very good, I tasted virtually no oak, which was kind of dissapointing. As it stands, it’s a decent enough Imperial Stout. This is a style that’s beginning to bore me a bit.

(750ml bottle) Sampled at Oakes 2007 Christmas party. Brown head with an opaque body. Nose of roasted malt, molasses and soya sauce. Very rich coffee grounds and a minor cocoa backing. Some chocolate powder in the finish.

(22 oz. bottle (2006) via trade with <A HREF=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?UserID=9357 target=blank>BeerandBlues2, thanks Brad!) Pours very, very dark brown with about one finger of brown head that recedes to a thin covering. Aroma of wood, bourbon, coffee, chocolate and slight plum or grape. Mouthfeel smooth, heavy, soothing. Feels quite dry on back end. Light rings of lacing melt away quickly. Flavor is mostly coffee and chocolate with faint burnt molasses. Some bourbon notes. Lightly woody taste. A little hot and this was felt in nasal passages. A little sweeter than alot of Imp Stouts I’ve tried. A very nice beer but not one that blew me away - I wasn’t quite overwhelmed with complexity in the aroma or taste but I enjoyed it.

Bottled. Thx. to Ughsmash for this gem. Pitch black coloured. Dark brown dense head. Lasting. Sweetness, liqourice, vanilla, chocolate and coffee in the aroma. Flavour is quite bitter. Chocolate, liqourice, coffee and cocoa again. Vanilla spice and light sweetness. incredible smooth and balanced. Full bodied. Has a nice chocolate and cocoa end, with light roasty notes. Fantastic. Has light bourbon notes. Wow. Would want more.