Deschutes The Abyss

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

black pour with a chocolate brown head. sweet roasted malts, molasses and sugar on the nose. huge coffee and roasted malts, oak and some other stuff i can’t name. not quite as thick as i was hoping but it’s very easy and seems well balanced on the palate.

Bottle sampled with Mad_indian. Pours black with a good size beige head. Aroma of roast, oak, dark chocolate, light bourbon. The flavor is very smooth, chocolate, oak, slight bourbon, roast, and coffee. Excellent body, alcohol is well masked. Excellent brew.

This black ale poured with a miniscule beige head, eliciting a strong chocolate aroma. The flavor is extremely complex and includes dark chocolate mocha, coffee, and malt. There is a carbonated mouthfeel and a sharp alcohol finish. This is a very rich and tasty brew.

Black with a brown head. Big roasted/blackened malty aroma with chocolate and bourbon. Thick,chewy mouthfeel. Huge, rich flavors of blackened malts with earthy sweet black licorice and dark chocolates. A mild oak essence just adds more depth, as if this beer needs any more. Fantastic freakin’ beer here.

So I have every vintage thus far, but none in CA--so I’m going to start with the 2008 bottle. Very deep brown pour--black in the glass--with a three finger tan head in my Duvel tulip. Lots of milk chocolate up front with some vanilla, light oak, and plenty of dark roasted malts to back it up. There is also some brown sugar, faint bourbon and spicy alcohol. The flavor is where I get the anise. All of the flavors blend very nicely, with nothing being sharp at all. Bitterness is around a four, and the finish is roasty. Alcohol seems about right for 11%. Full silky body with low to moderate carbonation. I very much enjoyed this--now to try the vintage bottles!

Pours black, with a light brown medium head. Heavy on the roasted malts and coffee in the smell. the oak andbourbon is definitely detected as well. the taste is very nutty, with some roasted malts and chestnuts, to go with some coffee and light chocolate as well. Also, its a little sweeter than expected and has a nice bitterness in the finish. Nicely done.

Around $ 9.00 per bottle in Colorado. I can’t appreciate subtlety in this style. Either smack me with hops (Yeti), blast me with oak (Bourbon County) or spank me with tons of malt (Expedition.) It’s a good, drinkable beer, but I didn’t find much complexity in my bottle. Another bottle: I drank this one warm and still cant get why you people like it.

Big thanks to scrizz for that bottle. Looks really, really good. The beer in the glass is deep black, nice brown head. Starts very malty, scratchy, woody. Warming notes of alcohol and liquorice. The finish is much softer, like velvet, still warming-strong, but not as dry as the beginning. Very enjoyable beer!