Deschutes The Abyss

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

[1921-20081222] 1pt6floz bottle. Dark roasted molasses dipped in bread chunks aroma with coffee hints. Black body with a long-lasting creamy dark brown head. Dark roasted malt flavour with sweet molasses and coffee beans and slightly smoky wood. Full body is smooth with hidden alcohol. Surprisingly simple and very, very good, any girl might steal a glass of this...
(Vintage 2007; w/ GregClow, jerc)

This may be the imperial stout I’ve been waiting for. Too bad I have to fly almost 2,000 miles to get another bottle. As black as its namesake with a rich chocolate aroma. Creamy, dense caramel-colored head, and the creaminess carries over into the first sip right through the last. The flavor is a perfect blend of all the qualities you want in an imperial stout, though most that try to blend these come up a little off. Smokey chocolate, raisins, molasses, a faint though unmistakable vinous undercurrent, and some boozy oak. Just sweet enough up front, just dry enough on the finish, with a slight, pleasant alcohol burn. Reminiscent of Leinenkugel’s Big Eddy RIS, though more intense, and with a better, dryer finish. I’ll be back in the Bay area in two weeks -- let’s hope the shelves aren’t empty!

An incredible imperial stout. Great taste and it also hits you very hard. Definitely worth the high price for at least a try if not more.

Abyss is truly the best name they could have come up with for this thing. Black Hole is the only other thing that even comes close, because absolutely no light shines through this mother. Beautiful tan head as well. Smells like coffee and nuts and some whiskey notes with a little hop scent buried in the back. Huge licorice flavor with notes of chocolate, molasses and bourbon, very roasty as well. Beer doesn’t get much more perfect than this one, I just wish they’d produce more every year!

I have had this on tap and in the bottle. Out of the bottle was great, but on tap was magnificent! A: Quite an awesome looking beer. No light can even begin to come close to showing through. Beautiful caramel colored head. S: Smells of roasted coffee, lots of coffee, oak, licorice, and even more molassess than coffee! T: Sweet molassess and coffee explosion! this is too complex for me to even begin to point out all the flavors! slight oaky aftertaste. M: Perfect. Silky. Smooth. Perfect. D: I could drink this all day. The alcohol is very well hidden in this one, but it sure hits you after a couple glasses. Best RIS I have ever had. Deschutes never fails in my book.

I would push my mother down a flight of stairs if she was in my way of getting my Abyss fix. It poured a thick incredibly dark brown color. The head was a dark tan. But the smell was not what I expected. Smelled slightly of apple and not too much else. Taste is out of this world. I am pretty sure that the sediment is actually black tar heroin. Taste has feint bitter chocolate and espresso. The flavors arent overwhelming, toasty, but the body is VERY creamy. I cant believe how creamy and rich this beer is.

black, black, and more black. A NAP in a bottle. Time and time again Deschutes knocks me out with their superb seasonals.

This beer pours black as night, with a beautiful dark brown head. Wonderful aroma that is not overpowering. One of the most delicious beers I’ve tried, with a great balance between ingredients. Just the right amount of hops to even everything out.