Deschutes The Abyss

I didn’t have room for notes on this one - just wrote scores. It was damn good though. I would like to get my hands on some more.

Bottled. Thx Marsiblursi. Black colour with pale brown head. Cocoa and chocolate most prominent in aroma, along with little caramel and berries. Very compact nose here. Light chalky/powdery mouthfeel with chocolate flavour/bitterness and undertones of espresso and pepper/chili. Caramel here as well. Bit oaky with subtle notes of berries. Very tasty beer with big mouthfeel.

(Bottle, thanks hopscotch!) Pours Black with a brown head. Roasted malt aroma with tones of cocoa, dark chocolate, espresso coffee, liquorice, roasted nuts, dark bread and brown sugar/molasses. Wood and bourbon tones in the background of vanilla up front but also tiny hints of coco nut. Some notes resiny and peppery hops. Hints of green pepper, chilly, gravel, chalk, parsley. Medium to heavy roasted malt flavour with tones of espresso/coffee beans, cocoa/dark chocolate, brown sugar/molasses and liquorice. Subtle dark berries in the undertones both in the nose and taste. Rather. Buttery and oily mouthfeel. A good medium bitter blend of hop resiny and light piny bitterness first but also some roast bitterness. Coffee and cocoa lingers. Medium to full bodied. Fantastic. Second try: (Bottle from 2006) Pours black with a dark brown head. The aroma is of vanilla-ish oak and mild tar and burned roast. Undertones of chocolate, cocoa, dark bread, burned liquorice, molasses, mild dry coffee, dark dried fruits/prunes and hints of blue grapes. Not overly massive on the nose but the maltiness is solid. Just a touch of hops. The flavour is of molasses, vanilla, woody oak, chocolate, coffee, dark bread, liquorice and some blackberry jelly. Bit vinous. Medium to heavily roasted and medium burned. The mouthfeel is oily and soft carbonated. The aftertaste is of molasses, dark/sweet berries and caramel/roasted malt. Medium to full bodied.

Bottle. Pours black with a dense brown head. Nice appearance with notes of chocolate, coffee, dark fruit and hops. Has a somewhat dry finish.

Dark with a thick reddish-brown head, nice sheeting around the glass. Nose roasty, lots of dark fruit, noticeable hops. Flavor very rich, quite dry at the end. Some oakiness, but, for once, it’s not overdone--it doesn’t taste like I’m sucking on wood chips. Quite nice.

One fantastic brew! We are waiting here in Boise with baited breath for this years batch. Send enough Bend! We’ll drink it. Trust me we’ll drink it. On Tap @ the Front Door Boise ID. My wife’s favorite beer hands down. Everything else she drinks she unfairly compares it to this beer.

Bouteille de 22 oz dégustée en compagnie de Dmac621, Dickinsonbeer, Cathschlag et Glouglouburp. Arôme: Odeur de chocolat et de mélasse avec une pointe de vanille. Apparence: La couleur est noire opaque. Présence d’un très mince col beige avec une fine dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût de café et de chocolat avec une pointe de vanille. Longue durée de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture crémeuse. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Présence de chocolat en arrière goût. (Rating #1236)

Courtesy Degarth. Black. Small brown head. Big time roasted coffee and chocolate, moderate oak, subtle vanilla, subtle dark fruit, and a light dose of anise. Medium/full body, smooth, too easy to drink. Very well done.