Deschutes Black Butte XXII

Formerly brewed at Deschutes Brewery
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Bend, Oregon USA

Serve in Snifter

From a bottle at the Deschutes release party at iTap in St. Louis on 01.19.2012. Pours dark brown with thin tan head. Nose of caramel, roasted malts, chocolate, a bit of alcohol, molasses. Tastes sweet, caramel, chocolate. Slight burn of alcohol. Overall a great beer that I wish I had in my cellar. Was part of a XX, XXI, XXII, and XXIII vertical.

Draft. Served at ABR. Pours a dark brown/black color with a light tan head. Rich aroma with lots of molasses, syrup, caramel, and dark chocolate. Medium mouthfeel. Dark fruit notes upfront with a building roasy quality to it. Some vanilla as well. Touch of booze notes as well. Overall not as good for me as some of the other BB vintages but still a pretty tasty brew.

On Draft at P town brewpub 2009. Aroma: Chocolate, vanilla, coffee Flavor: Bitter ripe stone fruit & orange transitions into chocolate, intense vanilla with a coffee finish. Comments: Though it was said to be a problematic batch, I found it tasty and didn’t notice any faults.

Had this one @ the brewery on tap when in Portland. Didn’t realize they had a different rating. Beautiful obsidian pour, transparent black with a small latte head. Gooey chocolate, heavy coffee influence accompanied by vanilla and barrel. Definitely got a hint of the chili in this one although not nearly as aggressive as in other brews. Didn’t really find the orange rind but did get a bit of smoke, ash, and char. ABV truly invisible. Wish this one made it to the bottle!!!

sample from the deschutes guys on 11/8/10 at the industry tasting robbie fox’s. dark. almost black with a tan head. it smells incredibly of cocoa nibs! also, there are notes of grain, spice, oak, vanilla and capsicum. the flavor shares the same notes except it is incredibly hoppy, dry and it has an astringency on the finish. mild chile tingling in the aftertaste is neat. i thought it was flaw until they told me! it seems thinner than years past. 8/4/8/3/15

7/15/10: Growler from Deschutes shared by Paul- thanks again, Paul! This was the XXII, not the XXI, and I would contend that it should be a separate entry, given the ’experimental’ chocolate used that formed at the top of each bottle and caused the brewery to throw it out. This was from a tap, but still- different beer, no? Anyway, I’m definitely getting more vanilla and bourbon notes in the XXII, and no trace of coffee- just loads and loads of chocolate. Also some smoked wood and peat. Medium-full bodied, with low carbonation and a smooth, woody mouthfeel. The booze was more apparent this time around, maybe because of the freshness, and there was some that lingered along with some earthy notes. Held up really well. Great beer. (Note: Rating pulled out verbatim from the re-rate I initially had in the BBXXI rating when this was new. Now it is just being copied into the separated BBXXII rating).

On draft at the brewery. Pours black with a thick tan head. Aroma is chocolate, coffee and roasted malt. Flavor is really over powered by chocolte with only hints of coffee and cocoa. This one was just a bit to sweet.

Part of the 9hr epic solo drunkfest in Portland in Nov, 2010. Pint. Ok. I’m drunk. it’s 4:46. Might be forced into one of those 4oz sampler trays soon as my body isn’t holding up against what seems like perpetual pints. Sitting here alone, taking notes like a nerd and getting trashed - tough life. Very dark brown, light brown cap and spots and silt. Chocolatey nose then an immediate pepper fist, light fruit, medium chocolate, more heat hitting from the pepper. More peppers! Cool. Toffee. The aroma is stellar. Awesome flavour. There is a mild blend of chocolate and pepper with a sneaky mild heat that never takes away from the beer, obvious peppers, orange, light herbal. Finishes thick, sweet and smooth with a mild heat lingering. Nice.