Deschutes The Abyss

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

(Bottled, 0.66l) Black with a smallish, beige head. Roasty, very malty aroma with vanilla oakiness. Very smoothly malty flavor with some minty feel, moderate bitter hoppiness, oaky vanilla. Almost full-bodied, low-carbonated. Slightly too bitter, but otherwise a beautiful brew.

Shared bottle, thanks to Chris from thebeergeek.com. Poured pitch black with a solidly tan head. Full-up aroma ... what is that, currants? Licorice, chocolate, moderately bittered, rich milkiness, definitely rich. Like a mocha gone wild. (#3410, 4/11/2008)

Black color with a thin head. Lots of oak, vanilla and coffee in the aroma. I like the smell of this... Strong vanilla flavor, yet it’s bitter, not sweet. Lots of wood, piles of malt, some smoke as well. Quite nice.

(750ml bottle) Sampled at Oakes 2007 Christmas party. Brown head with an opaque body. Nose of roasted malt, molasses and soya sauce. Very rich coffee grounds and a minor cocoa backing. Some chocolate powder in the finish.

Bottle that was handed over in a trade in NYC Nov’ 08 from the marvellous Miketd consumed and shared with Loz 31-01-09, cheers Mike Pours really, really oily and sticky and this is black, and I mean black, shark eye black in fact with a beige head. The nose is oaky and just a little boozy with the bourbon showing along with some chocolate and vanilla. This is gloriously thick in the mouth with big streaks of liquorice, hops showing and Loz got some plumminess, there are molassess and a great burnt woodiness oh and yep some rich roasted coffee (its all in there) A truly excellent beer from an excellent person, cheers Mike. My liking for Imperial Stouts has been restored, this and the Stone that I had last night have been simply gorgeous and there is little to choose between them A8 A5 F9 P4 OV17 4.3

Bottled. Thx Marsiblursi. Black colour with pale brown head. Cocoa and chocolate most prominent in aroma, along with little caramel and berries. Very compact nose here. Light chalky/powdery mouthfeel with chocolate flavour/bitterness and undertones of espresso and pepper/chili. Caramel here as well. Bit oaky with subtle notes of berries. Very tasty beer with big mouthfeel.

Bomber poured an opaque black with a lasting creamy brown head. Aromas of roasted malt, smoke, milk chocolate, vanilla and a hint of oak. Palate was medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of roasted malt, dark chocolate, vanilla, light smoke, molasses and hints of licorice and oak with a smooth lingering bittersweet finish. Hides the alcohol really well.

My 2500th rating!! Bottle (22oz) courtesy of Kevin. 2007 vintage. Wow, the big TWO-FIVE-OH-OH! I finally made it. Thanks to Kevin for the bottle, thanks to all of the great people I’ve had the pleasure of trading with on this site, and many thanks to my fellow Ratebeerians, especially the Toronto crew! 22oz of an 11% beer eh? This is gonna be fun. Here we go: Pours a beautiful, impenetrable black with a large lasting frothy light-brown head and great lacing -- we’re definitely off to a good start. Wonderful rich aroma of roasted malt, caramel, chocolate, coffee, plenty of hops and notes of vanilla, wood and bourbon (yes, just notes, this is bourbon barrel-aging done just right in my opinion) -- smells simply delightful. Flavour, oh that flavour, it’s definitely no slouch. Rich, roasted malt with coffee, dark chocolate, lots of hops, molasses and again, notes of bourbon, vanilla and wood and finally, a long roasty bitter finish. Alcohol’s noticeable, but nowhere near 11% noticeable -- it doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of the beer at all. Full bodied, creamy mouthfeel. This is pretty fucking outstanding stuff and probably (I didn’t check) in my top 10 now, simply superb. Thank goodness I have another bottle. Woohoo, 2500!!!