Deschutes The Abyss

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

700th rating for this beer! 2009 reserve bottle from Beverages 4 Less ($13.99) enjoyed on New Year’s Eve. Pours pitch black with nary a highlight of brown shining through. One finger of nice dark brown foam has good retention and leaves nice lacing. Aroma is on the mellow side with the oak and bourbon being quite noticeable as well as roasted malt, licorice, and a bit of coffee. Flavor strong with VERY dark chocolate as well as dark stone fruit (cherry) and coffee. The bourbon and licorice flavors are very subtle. The mouthful is smooth and velvety, but unfortunately there is some alcohol sting. Really good, but I think it will be better when I open the bottle that I’ve been aging. This bottle seems to have been too fresh. (205, 700)

Bottled 1 pint 6 fluid ounces. Opened before the "best after"-date. It would have been wiser to keep a bottle of the same vintage for another time. Anyway: Absolutely mindblowingly marvelous aroma with turkish coffee, baguette, oak, licorice, mint, sage and vanilla showing up. Great taste. Amazingly complex. Low carbonation. Subdued fantastic hop profile. Perfect balance. Moderate bitterness. Faint cress reminiscence in the finish. I enjoyed the journey. I prefered its aroma.

’09 Vintage. Served in a pint glass (snifter broke in the dishwasher). Opaque black pour below a tan/brown, long-lasting head with nice, sticky lacing. Complex aroma made up of oak, vanilla, chocolate, roasted malty sweetness, slight pine. Flavors - oak, vanilla, coffee, chocolate, nice bitterness on the finish to balance it out. Full body, thick feel, soft carbonation, long finish. A remarkable beer by Deschutes... definitely worth the $10+ price tag.

I was told this beer is better after a few months. As good as this beer was fresh, I can’t even imagine it getting any better. Deep dark and opaque, as black as the name implies. Slight tan head. Thich velvety mouthfeel. An explosion of flavor, dark roast, lots of notes from the wood, deep chocolate, a little coffee, ripe sweet fruit with just a little hint of tartness which is well balanced by the bitterness of the hops and roast. An amazing stout, best I’ve ever had. Too bad it’s so hard to find.

2007 bottle, thanks to Cavie, inky black with iodine swirl, aroma of dry cocoa, coffee, flavors of dark chocolate, burnt coffee, roasty finish as well

Wow, what a beer... Aroma is sweet like brown sugar or candied dates... Dark black with a reddish tan head... Flavor is black licorice initially, then comes dark chocolate... Finish is coffee grounds on the palate... Delicious beer.

Bottle courtesy of BückDich. 2007 Reserve. Dark black pour with a foamy tan head. Lovely chocolate aroma. Gentle perfumy scent as well. Taste is deep rich chocolate with bitter coffee. Very nice finish. Lovely.

2009 Reserve. Outstanding Imperial Stout, maybe the best I’ve had. Aroma is of alcoholic cherry chocolate, a holiday-time delight. Hints of toffee. Flavor follows suit in even more robust and actualized form. Goes down like silk coating the throat.