Deschutes Black Butte XXI

Brewed by Deschutes Brewery
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Bend, Oregon USA

Pours almost black w/ a tall frothy head that slowly recedes leaving a clasic lace behind as a testiment of its sturdy foundation. Strong aromas of espresso roast and dark chocolate. Full nectar w/ creamy residual effers. Moderately sweet w/ a dense malt backbone intermingled w/ a heavy roast component add extreme depth to this epic brew. Molasses, leather, chocolate charcoal, grilled chilli powder, black cherry, sweet coffee. The finish is long w/ subtle aspirin bittering and big charcoal essence. This brew is rich, generous, and warming w/ alcohol well hidden. No detectable Bourbon though. You don’t drink this beer, you chew on it. Very strong flavored. A dragon of a beer.

Truly Stunning craftsmanship of a beer. This beer can and will rival the abyss. Pours dark brown with a nice thin tan head. Aroma is very roasty caramel and chocolate with the hint of a morning java trip. Mouth feel is intense with full body warmness and very balanced carbonation. Flavor is as complex and most rewarding of any imperial porter I have had. The bourbon hint is upfront and not over powering. The palette is greeted with lots of coffee and intense dark chocolate flavor. This finish is surprising bitter to give you the sense that the hops were carefully planned on this one. WOW!!! I can’t wait to ages this beer.

This beer is amazing and complex! It has huge essence of beer. In fact, it’s like a super porter. It is the embodiment of porter. Every sip, every sniff; porter. This beer defines the style, in regards to grains and hop selection. Everthing about it is just right. Except that I drank it already...

Bottle courtesy of Bottle Trek. Pours a pitch black body with creamy, rich brown head. Aroma is initially dark malts, then coffee, bourbon, and cocoa. Complex flavor - I get dark roasted malts, cocoa, rich roasted coffee, and bourbon with hints of oak, vanilla, and caramel. Smooth, thick mouthfeel, yet not as heavy as some imperial stouts. Rich, slightly bitter, coffee finish. The coffee and bourbon flavors come out more as the beer warms.

Many thanks to drgonzo for cracking open this amazing brew. Thick, burnt brown/black body with a frothy brown head and streaky lacing. In your face aroma of bitter dark chocolate, creamy coffee and layers upon layers of burnt, roasted, toasted malts. Plenty of molasses along with some fig and raisin notes. Viscous with a mellow creaminess and just an ever so faint alcohol bite. Drinks slowly and sticks with you. A solid bitterness helped to even things out. Flavor mirrors the intense aroma but the hops are much more noticeable. Big, bold and wonderful. A bountiful, beautiful brew.

On June 27, 2009 the Deschutes Brewery of Bend, OR turned 21 years old and to commemorated this achievement they released a limited batch of Black Butte XXI. This is a doubled up, barrel aged version of the popular Black Butte Porter. This imperial porter is loaded with hops and malts, a healthy amount of coffee, cocoa nibs and is barrel aged in used bourbon barrels. It pours black as night with roasty aromas with hints of almonds, dried berries and chocolate. The palate is loaded with hops, strong notes of bitter dark chocolate, roasted coffee beans and red berries. The flavors are all very complex, however they meld together to create a wonderful drinking experience. Unlike many cocoa porters this beer doesn’t come across sweet, in fact it is just the opposite providing a nicely well balance bitterness that incorporates the cocoa instead of it being the defining feature.

What a change from their Belgian wit! Smells a bit strongly of alcohol. Flavor is rich, strong, and an excellent blend of the competing elements. Roasty. A good strong finish. A top notch brew.