Deschutes The Abyss

Brewed by Deschutes Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
Bend, Oregon USA

Big bottle via trade. Was it SSS (summer secret santa)? It was a great day for beer, a great tasting, the first of many. Unfortunately my ratings and most of my memory fell into The Abyss. I remember the black rich liquid, the brown head, the intoxicating effect of the beer. The silk tar sliding across my palate. And most of all my desire after losing my carefully crafted notes to find more, a lot more.

In the bomber bottle from Wilbur’s. Pours a Heinz Ketchup-thick black potion with the darkest brown head I’ve ever seen on a beer. Aroma unfolds majestically with a serious hazelnut scent, subsequently followed by the smell of roasted coffee. The flavor is thick with extreme blackstrap molasses sweetness, licorice, and such an astringent coffee bitterness that I had no idea I had bitter receptors that far back on my tongue. Long lingering coffee bitter dryness on the back sides of the tongue. Incredible. Head remains big and thick from start to finish. A perfect pour and a perfect palate.

Bottled at SBWF08. Pours out in a black colour with a creamy pale brown foam. Big and bold, yet deep and quite refined aroma of milky dark chocolate, oak, blackberries, vanilla, roasted malts, mild sweet licorice, fudge and mild alcohol. Full and creamy mouthfeel with notes of dark chocolate, molasses, dark berries, vanilla, anise and oak. Long warming finish of oak, licorice dark chocolate roasted malts and roasted almonds. Tasty!

A thick and heavy beer. This beer does have coffee, but also malt and lots of oak in the flavor. Some sugar, which I suspect is the molasses, and abundant coffee in the flavor. Any bourbon that might be there is hidden by the coffee and that is fine with me.

2007 Bottle. Thanks to my amazing girlfriend for this great birthday present. This beer lives up to the hype. Pours like motor oil with a large, tight, dark brown head that leaves tons of lacing covering a pitch black body. Aroma has lots of rich cohocolate, vanilla, some oak, and licorice. Taste is amazing. Like drinking slightly bitter chocolate syrup. Very mouthcoating. Slightly burnt, but very rich and full with vanilla and licorice notes. I love it!

Bottle. Black beer with ruby highlights and a thin brown head. Chocolate, malty aroma with some roastiness and vanilla. Rich malt flavor - chocolate, roast, molasses - with enough hops and fruit in background to keep interesting. Lingering rich malt and some pine. Full body. Nice carbonation. Alcohol well hidden.

Pours a pitch black color with a thin brown head. Aroma of molasses, chocolate and roasted malt. Solid flavor of liquorice, molasses, chocolate and roasted malt, it ends with strong bitterness. The body is medium with a liquorous texture and moderate carbonation. This is a very competent imperial stout.

2008 Bottle @ Dutch Ratebeer Session. Aroma has chocolate, espresso, dark fruits and roast. Black coloured beer with a lasting, brown head. The taste is sweet with an intense bitter finish. It has chocolate, coffee and roast. Good beer!