Deschutes The Abyss

Oak was involved so expect much biased praise and lavished love.

Black gold fills my glass, scaring away all semblances of light and virtue while massive clumps of lace adorn my glass and her peak. Like a mist clinging to her cragged peak, wisp of licorice and vanilla bean cloud my sense while a faint lemon zest clears the way for more aromatic pleasures. Soft wood cushions more vanilla, caramelized crunchy sugars, raisins, and delicate tobacco notes. This is definitely one instance where having my head in the clouds is a compliment. My first quaff is clean with a surprising bite of tart spiciness that was nowhere evident in her nose. An almost dry herbal effect lingers on top of my tongue, tasting of nutmeg and cinnamon. Sweet crunchy molasses mingles with her spice for a dry finish. Filling my breath and seeping into my pores, smoke and tobacco permeates a lingering warmth and earthiness to The Abyss 2008 Reserve. Any coffee and chocolate notes are mild and subdued, choosing instead to take a backseat as the oak, smoke, tobacco and dry spices take center stage with a delicate sweet finish. Finesse; not usually a word one would associate with an imperial stout, but such is the case with this grand representation. Bravo.

All oak-loving biasness aside, this truly was an excellent imperial stout from Deschutes Brewery. Initially she was not what I was expecting, but turned into far more than I could have hoped for. Seeing as 2008 is over and it is now 2009, I hope to see and taste The Abyss 2009 Reserve Imperial Stout Aged in Oak Barrels.

Black body, light brown head, some lacing; Quite metallic very clear burnt wood aromas, some soft notes like oatmeal as well; Soft texture, slightly fruity, slightly sweet body; Long milk chocolate soft finish, slightly fruity sweet, slightly bitter. Strange composition.

I would push my mother down a flight of stairs if she was in my way of getting my Abyss fix. It poured a thick incredibly dark brown color. The head was a dark tan. But the smell was not what I expected. Smelled slightly of apple and not too much else. Taste is out of this world. I am pretty sure that the sediment is actually black tar heroin. Taste has feint bitter chocolate and espresso. The flavors arent overwhelming, toasty, but the body is VERY creamy. I cant believe how creamy and rich this beer is.

Shared as part of a BLIND TSTING of 6 different stouts at the Monistary of Drbayern, with Friar Celticbrew, Novice Beer Pimp Brian and Rector uncle Steve. Amen. I liked this one. Poured black with a creamy tan head. One of my only faults of the beer was that the alcohol was very prevelant in the aroma. Great mouthfeel. Hints of toffee among the coffee and chocolate!

Beer shared by DrBayern with us un-deserving beer geeks at his joint during blind taste testing. Pours a really dark black with a nice consistency and a thin dark tan head. Leaves some film. Nice aroma, sweet, charred, coffee, roasty, coffee, fruity. The flavour is roasty, warming, fruity, warming alcohol, coffee, chocolate, lots of wood, molasses, light barrel aging, a sort of vinous quality. The palate is first cocoa which leads to roasted coffee and a sweetness that reminds you of molasses and finishes sweet as well. Slight vanilla and wood flavors mid palate. Overall I was impressed, considering I’m not a fan of oaked type beers, however this brew was exceptional. As the oak wood did not dominate, really balanced.

This stuff is good. Dark and delicious. Chocolate and Espresso dominate the taste. You really can tell that this beer is 11% ABV. Nice burn going down.

Bottle thanks to Steve. Yummy is one word that describes this brew. Great color and thin tan head. Amazing aromas of choc and espresso. Slight hints of molasses in the flavor with a big hit of oak choc and coffee. Must have for everyone.

Black pour with thick brown head. Roasty malt nose with caramel. Big in the mouth. Bourbon, toasted oak, coffee, and alcohol. Some smoke about 20 seconds later. I have 2 other bottles and can’t wait to taste them with some more age. I think the alcohol taste will fade and some of the rich flavors will become more prominent in about 18-36 months.