Deschutes The Abyss

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

Pours very black and velvety; thick fudge milkshake on the surface leaving a sticky film of espresso foam up the sides. Aromas of black cherry, red licorice, pineapple, and alcohol, bolstered underneath by lots of roast venison, chocolate, and vanilla; very earthy, spicy, and savory. Balanced amicably between chunky malts, vibrant hops and barrel accents. Bitten slightly with soapy espresso grounds. Flavor is soft and pensive at first, giving only milk chocolate, lactose, pine, and citrus dishsoap. In the mid palate lots of roasty, rich tobacco and acrid coffee bitterness alternate pleasant and painful punches of meatiness, though the tropical hops evident in the aroma never really concede the sugary acidity they provide. Blackberry, cocoa nib and port wine with bourbony licks of vanilla, oak, and nougat rush in after that hint of synthetic bitterness. Very creamy in the mouth, with soft carbonation; full and rich, but never imposing. Hints of pear, burnt meats, and lots of vinousness with full roasted mocha java in the end. Finishes fruity, juicy and bloody. Moments of this experience are less than extraordinary, but these are quickly passing, and it is altogether a very well made example, one which integrates the barrel seamlessly into an already carefully balanced presentation. Impressive.

Beautiful pour of deep chocolate brown with a thick, dark head. Nose is interesting, with coffee, chocolate, and a hint of licorice, along with a woodsy aroma. Flavor is very smooth, with everything in the aroma represented and blending nicely in the complex flavor, with a bit of a smokey, subtle bitter and clean finish. Mouthfeel is creamy and the alcohol is well hidden. Great brew.

Motor Oil. Licorice dark roast vanilla chocolate. Bourbon some smoke. Creamy smooth. Oily. Licorice.

Dark black/brown body, brownish creamy head. Light, good hops, roasty dark malts. Sweet and roasty malt body, sweetened plastic glue-like hops. Light oaky bourbon. Roasty rich coffee and oatmeal. Real bitter roastiness + hops I like. Great mouthfeel and flavor. Definite winner.

bottle....appearance: deep black w/ thin tan head.....aroma: abundance of chocolate with coffee playing a backup role....taste: chocolate reared by bitter roasted coffee beans. mouthfeel was pretty thin and had little carbonation. slight bitterness in the finish as well. did not have much of a bourbon presence at all......this fell short of my expecations that i had for it. 2007 vintage shared by matt at the very tail end of P4.....looked great. extremely chalky and dry finish with little show from the oak and boubon barrel. i’m downgrading my score by a notch.

Aroma is a deep sweet burnt scent. Color is deep, deep black with mellow carbonation and a thin tight brown head. Taste is roasted, sweet and dry. Starting with a full body it goes down with a sharp rich feel. Finish is rich with a deep roasted flavor that is a bit sweet and burnt nest a faint citric and hop flavor come in. The burnt taste comes out with a bitterness that is almost sour then there is a hint of oak and bourbon. After taste is dry with a tiny alcohol feel. As it warms a bit and you drink a bit more the hops show a little more. This is a wonderful Imperial Stout. Its deep, rich, complex and very well balanced.

Bottle shared by some of the excellent people at the Rosso release at Captain Lawrence. Pours a deep brown to black with a rich brown colored head. Aromas of wine, smoke, coffee, and bitter chocolate. Body is smooth and medium thick. Some sweetness, but nothing cloying. Finishes with more of that lovely bitter chocolate flavor. Remarkably complex. Can’t wait to try this one again.

On tap at the San Diego Strong Ale festival 08. Black pour with dark tan, thick foamy head. Nice lacing. Dark bitter choclate, smokey malt, aged oak, raisin, licorice toffee, and hints of bourbon. There are a lot of good imp stouts out there, but this one has more smoke, and notes of boubon (not over done). Nicely done, complex!