Deschutes The Abyss

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

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.

22 oz bottle 2008 reserve.
The wax top was cool but a real pain to open.
Deep black, no light penetrates at all.
Head is thin, but lasting, leaving spotty lace in it’s wake. A layer of alcohol floats on top like a nice port.
Aroma is pure black strap molasses, vanilla, creamy chocolate, and a faint wisp of alcohol.
Flavor is definitlely molasses, vanilla, toast, with some milk chocolate and toasty wood. Finsh is long and has a hint of anise.
Creamy smooth mouthfeel, and no alcohol burn.
Exceptional.

2008 Bottle @ Dutch Ratebeer Session. Aroma has chocolate, espresso, dark fruits and roast. Black coloured beer with a lasting, brown head. The taste is sweet with an intense bitter finish. It has chocolate, coffee and roast. Good beer!

JSquire, Hotstuff and I had this at a tasting party at his house last night. We had a blind 5 stout tasting and this was #3. By far, this was the best beer of the evening. This bottled brew from a rating party poured a extremely small sized head of fine to medium sized bubbles that were fully diminished and left behind a no visible carbonation black colored body and thick foamy lacing. The nice aroma was roasted malt sweet coffee and dark malt. The semi-thick mouth feel was tingly at the start and at the finish with a biting malty aftertaste. The yummy flavor contained notes of toasted malt roasted malt dark malt and coffee. This one gave me to good sign! The beer shivers! Good job here.

Bottle. Thanks to jsquire for sharing. No head, no lacing, opaque, no visible carbonation, and a black hue. Aroma was malty, licorice, coffee, roasty, burnt, and a hint of oak. Nicely done! Ditto for the flavor along with some vinuous but not overly done. Delicious! Smooth mouthfeel. Medium-full body. Very quaffable and defintiely worthy of a try if this one comes your way.

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.