Deschutes The Abyss

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

22oz from HimerMan - thanks, Brian!!! Last year I got a bottle from jake65 but I’m rating the 2007 bottling. Deep, oily, inky, with minimal head on this one. Very prominent molasses notes in the nose, and some of the sharpness of the licorice too (which comes through more in the flavor). I sticky, resinous body that’s just the ticket (wish it head slightly more vibrancy to it, but that’s not a big knock). This year’s young Abyss, however, is a bit less complex than less year’s. There are some nice malts, some earthy grain, and a shit-ton of roasted coffee dimensions, the latter of which tends to overwrite many of the other qualities. Still a very nice drink, but the oaking isn’t really coming through much at all and the roasts are a bit too face-wrecking at this point. Rates highly, but I’ll have to give this a while (or tuck into my remaining 2006 bottle).

Bomber. Pours opaque with a dimishing head, small brown bubbles. Top notch stout aroma- chocolate, cherries, bitter hops, hints of oak and alcohol. Taste is big and bitter, loads of zingy hops followed by some more gentle chocolate and roasted malt tones, a little bourbon. Very light oakiness which was a little dissapointing. Alcohol detracts a little bit, could have been better masked. Body is pretty much perfect, medium to heavy with just a little oiliness. Finishes with more bitter hops, chocolate. Deschutes isn’t known for making beers that you can put down for awhile, but I’d love to see this one develop, hopefully away from the overly bitter hops (and I like my stouts bitter).

THE DAN JOURNAL #200! Tasted 7/28/08. 22oz bomber. Pitch brown with a Clinging, lacing beige head. Big nose. Notes of smokey bacon, coffee, anise, chocolate and cocoa. Touch vanilla woody aroma. Full bodied and big. Complex malts and noticeable alcohol presence. Sweet and bitter and tart. Big notes. Sweet dark fruity undertones. Big coffee acidity. Bitterness shines from the warming alcohol and the rather deep hop profile. Definitely pick up on the peppery, spicy anise, licorice taste. The molassis seems more reduced and crystalized. But it does mellow out some of the sharp edges. This is hugely complex beer with a depth to match! Cheers, Dan!

Bottle RBSG ’07. Coffee aroma. Strong with some hops and some lactose. Very nice nose. Black body with a thin, light brown head. Strong flavor. Very nutty. Alcohol is well evident. Peppery.

2006 Bottle sampled 1/07: Pours an immensely dark brown/black with a huge brown head. Nose is coffee, chocolate, and well roasted (burnt) malt. Coffee, bittersweet chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, and roasted malt taste. There is also a charred wood note and a hint of alcohol in the tail. Overall, very deep and tantilizing flavor. Original Rating 8/4/9/4/18=4.3 <P> 2007 (2nd batch) Draft @ Brewpub: Aroma is more complex than I remember. Dark chocolate, vanilla, roasty, and that subtle bourbon barrel aged note. Flavors abound with the same, yet maybe a bit more coffee and bourbon/vanilla sweetness. Huge, creamy palate. Rerate 9/4/10/5/18=4.6

2007 bottle thanks to tronraner. Deep viscous black with a thick foam of dark tan head. Notes of tobacco, some oak vanilla, big burnt malts and licorice. Taste is vinuous red wine like tannic, earthy, tobacoo, bits of soy sauce, vanilla, chocolate, coffee. Lasting palate.

Bottle from Kenb that I found in my closet last night when I was cleaning it out. Thanks for this one, yet another top 50 imperial stout that I couldnt wait to get into. Pours out about the color of midnight with a thick huge brown head on it. Perfect apperance. The smell is some notes of vanilla but mostly coffee and chocolate. Based on the smell I could tell that this seemed to be a very balanced bourbon beer, and not completly overwhelming as most BA beers are. The taste is exceptional, thick and smooth and creamy, no bourbon notes at all. Tastes like a huge coffee imperial stout with a chocolate bar melted inside it. Very good. Now I am pissed I did not order from LS when I had the chance. Quite an awesome beer that needs no aging, it is ready to go. Good stuff.

clean tasting and a good blend with the right weight to the barrel flavors. tends toward cleaner flavors (away from fat fruit flavors) and the anise and molasses do a great job of rounding out the malt sugars and providing depth. piutch black, some of the darkest foam I’ve seen in a while. even warming it doesn’t expand much flavorwise alth9ough some earthiness emerges. Straight forward and gigantic. Way fun stuff!