Deschutes The Abyss

Pours totally opaque black-brown and thick. Not much head but leaves delightful lacing. Strong and rich, nuanced and alcoholic.

GABF 2007, 2006 Vintage. Dark black, mostly transparent pour with a thick head of well sustaining tan foam. A distinct barrel character wafts from the beer, complimenting the roasted malt complexities nicely. Silky smooth coffee and dark baker’s chocolate blends with some doughy caramel, baked pretzel, and thick molasses. There’s a really nice balance between all the different dimensions, creating an aroma that is aggressive, but at the same time prevents the roast, barrel, alcohol, etc. from dominating the nose. Medium full bodied, exquisitely soft, creamy mouthfeel. Both the appearance and mouthfeel of this beer are notably exceptional. Sweet chocolate nougat warms the tongue up front, before revealing some chewy caramel and a touch of star anise spice. A bourbony caramel warmth slowly starts to build along with some oak, joining the roast flavors in the creschendo toward a drying bitter roast finish. Long lasting, silky roast finish with a gentle warming alcohol. This was my favorite imperial stout (bourbon barrel or not) of the several I sampled at GABF.

Pitch black colour with a brown head. Roasted, light coffee bitter aroma with notes of some chocolate and vanilla sweetness. Coffee bitter flavor with a vanilla and choclate sweetness. Roasted finish with a light alcohol sweet note. From a blind tasting 8-4-8-4-17

Vintage 2006 Pours opaque black, with a brown, rocky head that reluctantly swells up to the surface. A good inch-plus of dense foam at the peak before decention. Thick webbing of lacework clings to the glass like brown cobwebs. Aromatics are loaded with rich chocolate, kona roast, and brownie batter. Slightly warming in the nose with a faint oaky dryness. The mouthfeel is thick and chewy, but not overly so. Incredibly smooth and silky. Intense chocolate and espresso on the pallet. Probably the most chocolate I’ve ever tasted in an RIS. Fudgy and decadent. Hopping is subdued and there’s no bitterness to speak of or citrusy resins. What follows through on each sip though, is such a well integrated beer. Everything seems so balanced for having such large flavor components. Melded. A faint bourbon note as well as some slight oak come through on the exhale. Finishes warming, chocolaty, and with a hint of viniosity. A terrific beer, but it could use some heavier blending with more of the barrels. A bit subdued in that aspect.

bottle. it has a black color with a medium head. it is slightly sweet and also slightly smoked in aroma and taste. smooth and roasty. bit buttery.

Bottle - 2006. Pours a very thick dark black color with a nice tan head on top. The head on this beer is extremely thick also which looks like a pile of sand on top of the beer, very detailed. Aroma is highly complex with chocolate, licorice, molasses, caramel, coffee, cherries, and smoke. Flavor is dark chocolate, licorice, earthiness very comparable to coffee from Sumatra, caramel and molasses. The oak and bourbon barrel presence is in the beer as well. A nice addition to the flavor profile it gives the beer a nice dry finish with vanilla hitting the tongue. On the palate this beer is full-bodied the oak and bourbon barrel profile is not overdone by any means and not the dominate flavor in the beer. An excellent beer!

Thanks to Davecooks for sending me the bonus bottle about one year ago. Pours almost black and has a medium head. Aroma of deep roasted malts, licorice, molasses and dark fruit. The oak and bourbon come out mostly in the taste. Very dry, oak tinged finish. Extremely nice.

Nearly no head at all, but a great, thick, oily black body. The aroma is impressive. Roasty and warm. Lots of cocoa and vanilla. And coffee and caramel. The aroma is very enticing. The flavor is much of the same, but I’m not quite so fond of the barrel aging taste in this beer. But I do find the oak pleasant in the finish. It keeps it a little drier and less sweet than many Imperial Stouts. Nice!