Deschutes The Abyss

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

Most recently at Parkway Tavern in Tacoma. This is a creeper. For an 11%, you’d think you would get punched in the teeth, but not so fast, my friends. Super dark pour, big dark malty taste, not crazy boozy, but you know from the first pull you’re into something.

2008 Vintage poured into DFH Snifter. A - Pours black as black can be with a coffee/tan head which quickly vanishes leave tan bubbles around the edge of the glass. Nothing mind-blowing but looks good, nonetheless. S - Right off the bat, I get roasted coffee/expresso beans mixed with dark chocolate and a hint of alcohol. I could go on smelling this one for days but I think it’s time to move on. T - Nice dark chocolate notes up front along with some coffee grounds of some sort with a slight oak-alcohol kick on the end which warms me up a bit. A really nice sweet milk chocolate aftertaste. As it warmed & opened up in my glass, the hint of alcohol almost disappeared, amazing. M - Medium in body, not too thin, no too thick for this one. Very smooth & creamy with a dry finish. D - A very nice example of a RIS that is worth of its top 10 rating. Better then Dark Lord? Personally, I don’t think so.

Original review date 3/12/2009...shared with a few fine folks from the industry and accomplices...into Sam Smith half-pint glasses... Mildly viscous...definitely opaque. Licorice, spent motor oil, whatever ya wanna call it...this shit is fuckin’ wicked DAAAHHHK... I picked up some Vermont maple candy here off the top...makes sense from the label regarding molasses. A little licorice is in there too. Hops provide some raw green wood here-not pine, not grass...maybe something deeper...huge, copius malt has a good bourbon quotient but not obtrusive. This has a little less sweetness than, say, Dark Lord (2008) but has a fortuitous heft...a little boozy heat, lots of XXX-roasted malt with a dry caramel sweetness, and a slightly austere hop package that resonates well with the licorice, charcoal and bourbon-snifter oak quality. Although this has dry bites to it from the licorice, hop profile and a bit of booze, it gives off a great creaminess on the finish. A little more all over the place...may need some time. Top notch and won’t pass it up. Sure, it’s a little young but there’s a lot of craziness in this one. It’s got an edge like a street gang, no doubt. But it’s profound as hell and the creaminess is like the soothing tone of a mother settling her little hooligans down. One of the great ones.

Bottle from whole foods. Pours like carbonated motor oil with a fluffy coffee colored head. Smells like malts, chocolate, toffee, coffee, graham crackers, and licorice. Tastes like roasted malts, semi-sweet chocolate, coffee, faint licorice, and flowers. Mouth is dry but not too dry, still leaves me thirsty, the alcohol is warming and contagious, I want more...now I’m thirsty again...damn, this is a never-ending circle isn’t it? Good thing I have my powerade here.

Brought this to the ORF tasting. My bottle was an ’07 and someone else there had an ’08. Wow this was absolutely delicious. I wish I could make two different ratings here though. The ’07 was significantly better than the ’08. You could definitely tell the benefit of aging this beer. The ’07 was black with dark caramel head and a pungent bourbon aroma. There were tastes of bourbon, caramel, molasses, toffee, and a few dark currants or other dark fruit. Smooth, complex, and delicious. Loved it. Thanks Brad for such a great beer! *The ’08 had a high hop or carbonation content that made it not as smooth. I would highly recommend aging this beer for 2 years.

Dark with a thick reddish-brown head, nice sheeting around the glass. Nose roasty, lots of dark fruit, noticeable hops. Flavor very rich, quite dry at the end. Some oakiness, but, for once, it’s not overdone--it doesn’t taste like I’m sucking on wood chips. Quite nice.

Deep black, large tan head, excellent lacing. Aroma is deeply roasty, milk chocolate, coffee, chalky bitterness. Flavour is highly roasty, lots of chocolate, black coffee, some sugar sweetness, oatmeal. Highly bitter mouthfeel, large body, moderate carbonation. Finishes extremely roasty, very bitter, lots of chocolate.

This is huge, intense roast. Lots of roast and chocolate. One big fucking imperial stout.

650ml bottle shared by beerhugger, thanks Steve.
Opened on February 13, 2009.
Vintage 2007.

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.