Deschutes The Abyss

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

after waiting almost a month i finally get to try this bad boy.pours a big black body with red highlights showing around the glass.the head was a super dark brown that left heavy lacing on the glass as it sat.aroma mixes up vanilla,bourbon,oak,coffee,chocolate,roasted malts.....damn it just keeps going and going.did i mention cocoa,mocha,and gram crackers?the first sip put me in impy stout heaven.all the characteristics of the aroma with a nice hop finish.the alcohol is well hidden and the barrel aging compliments the brew,instead of overpowering it.the mouth feel coats my tounge and throat for minutes after a sip.this is awsome.....nuff said.(2007 BOTTLE SHARED WITH FOOTBALM AND IRISHBOY)wow what happened to this beer?i couldnt really grab anything from the the nose and i got no oak or bourbon from the flavor.this is a night and day difference from last yeras batch.id give it a 3.9 at best.

Bottle shared by footbalm. Pours a deep dark brown with a similarly brownish head. The aroma is really great; deep moss covered earth, smoke, coffee, and some sweet molasses. The taste is top notch, really complex and yet so damn smooth. As with many great beers this changes a ton with warming; first, a bitter chocolate flavor with dark fruits, vanilla, brown sugar, and smoke. Later with warming the fruit and roasted malts come to fore, so damn good. A bourbon taste for sure, along with a really great creamy body. The ABV is strong at first, then nonexistent. Wow! All it was hyped to be.

Into a Duvel glass went this bew from a 22 oz bottle with wax seal. I was jet black with a bit rich tan head and thick lacing. Nose of sweet burnt malts, chocolate, ripe fruit, and alcohol. Rich creamy mouthfeel. Flavor is complex, with bittersweet chocolate and spices. Great bitter finish. A very good beer.

NorCal tasting Feb 07 - I’ve been waiting awhile to try this this. During a recent trip to Santa Rosa, I found a bottle. The pour on this beer is black with a thick pour stream and a light brown head. Aroma is dark chocolate, roasted coffee beans, some vanilla and light oak. Mouthfeel isn’t quite what I thought it’d be, perhaps a bit lighter than expected. Flavor is chocolatey, roasted coffee, oak, some light whiskey but it carried a slight astringency to it which held it back a bit.

Bottles from multiple sources - thanks to everyone!!! 2006 and 2007 bottles sampled together. Both pour to a nice, dark black color with a light head. Aroma on the 06 seems like solid oak - strong wood profile with some cocoa and roast. 07 is a bit softer with more subdued wood, some cocoa, raspberries, and milk. Flavor on the 06 is roasty with cocoa and dark chocolate and a ton of oak. 07 is less oaky with a better integration of wood, chocolate, licorice, and brown sugar. Nice feel all the way around. 07 already wins here and seems to have much more potential. 06 seems over-oaked and one dimensional, while the 07 needs a bit more time and I think it will be really great. The inconsistency and burnt flavors detract a bit from an otherwise great beer - time will tell if this cracks into the top tier of impy stouts for me.

(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.

Bomber, big shout out to Tronraner, the man responsible for putting this in my possession. Pouring this stuff is comical. It’s almost like a parody of imperial stouts, it is ridiculously thick and pitch black. Lacing on the goblet is like a wall and the head, though tiny, is brown. The aroma wasn’t all that great at first, but this beer was way too cold. I got strong sweet, cola scents at first, but when this neared the appropriate serving temperature that disappeared and was replaced by pleasing espresso, cacao, earth, an ashy nuttiness, and molasses. It’s a wonder what temperature can do. But as complex and pleasing as the nose is on Abyss, it isn’t strongly aromatic. The flavor is a different story altogether. It wallops my palate with dense espresso and a very drying bittersweetness. I was actually concerned this would be too sweet, given the addition of molasses, licorice, and the barrel aging, but it is not to sweet at all. Any sugary character is deep and is always countered by a heavy roasted or dry quality. Wow. This is seriously good. A few more sips and my palate is quite pleased. An almost milky quality is noticed along with hints at hickory. God, this stuff is thick.

Bottle from Buckeyeboy on 8/30/07. Had at Logan’s Oceanside beer tasting with AlohaC, and Hair, and Matt, and Ken, and Bill, and others. 2nd bottle I’ve found, but gave the other away for a Hommage. Pitch black color. small bubble head. Little carbonation. Excellent beer, but the Dark Lord I sampled tonight was better. Sweet. Nice chocolate aroma.