Deschutes The Abyss

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

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem& the greatest beer ever made... each and every year it gets better and better I found this beer on Ebay!

VINTAGE 2008 This one pours a nice, deep, black. Just like it should be, with a name like The Abyss. Medium hard pour produces a two-finger head of dark cappucino colored foam. Retention is great and the lacing is excellent. Fully formed, solid and very sticky. Nice. Big dark roasted barley maltiness. The oak comes through nicely, mixing with a hint of alcohol, giving a hint of bourbon-like qualities. Nice hint of dark molasses. Good dark coffee notes blend with hints of dark chocolate, bringing me back to cappucino comparisons. Light vanilla notes. Huge presence of dark roasted malts. Big dark coffee profile. Nice vanilla sweetness, along with molasses, bringing balance. Nice presence of oak. A light touch of smokiness. Very mild notes of dark fruitiness. Hops are in there, but extremely well balanced with the rich maltiness. Man, this tastes wonderful. This is exceptionally smooth and creamy. Like silk across your pallette. The low level of carbonation sereves this brew very well. Despite how big, thick and rich this one is, it is very drinkable. The beautiful level of balance make this one so enjoyable and easy to consume. The 11%ABV is so well blended into the mix, as to be hardly noticable. Just a slight warming effect. This is exceptional. Believe the hype!

Sampled at GABF 2009. Black pour with a thin tan head. Dark chocolate and espresso aroma, dark chocolate and espresso flavor. Near the top of its class. Phenomenal...Update on 11/14/2009. I was fortunate enough today to try a 2006 vinatage of The Abyss. Holy crap. This has aged extremely well. Thanks to TheBeerGod for sharing this for Grape & Gourmet’s Holiday Open House and thanks to GandGKevin for making sure I got some.

Sampled at GABF for the first time. Probably the most orgasmic first encounter with a beer I’ve ever had! A - Dark brown/almost fudge-like, with a rich 3-fingered head of tan. S - A walnut brownie dunked in a cup of espresso. T - Dark flavors of roasted malt, dark chocolate, and dusty cocoa. M - Full bodied, goes down like melted pudding, but with nice acidity. D - Seriously, like someone melted your favorite decadent dessert and married it with a mellow stout. I cannot remember being blown away by a first impression like this in quite awhile.

Fanstaic Beer!! My favorite!! smooth stout, Seems to taste better at room temp.. the molasses and licorice is great throughtout!! Dont pass it up!!

"appearance-pours as black as night. like motor oil with a brownish dark-burgundy head nose-smells of roasted chocolate malt, with a slight hint of bourbon, alcohol, & molasses mouthfeel-in a word...awesome. thick, smooth. Hannah had a tiny sip and literally chewed it (before asking for more, which we declined) flavor-near perfection. multi-layered. had some characteristics similar to other imperials such as Rasputin, but to the Nth degree. More everything, without being harsh or overpowering. Pretty stinking smooth and highly complex beer. We had it in a brandy snifter. Similar to the Black Butte XX, this was 33% barrel aged, and in both cases, I wished it was 50% at least. I think 100% is too much...it either mellows out the character of a beer too much or too much Bourbon flavor covers up the flavor of the beer. With 33%, the Black Butte XX (while still VERY good) was a little harsh, and the Abyss had just a touch of that. Now, I’m really nit-picking here. This beer was exceptional in every way. The "Lord Of The Rings" of imperial stouts. Among the best, but there is just a tiny bit of room for improvement. Easily my favorite imperial stout. But my favorite beer??? I may have to do a Celebrator, Old Guardian, Fuller’s, Abyss taste-off one day to settle that one. "