Deschutes Obsidian Stout

Brewed by Deschutes Brewery
Style: Stout
Bend, Oregon USA

Pours a jet black with a tiny tan head. Nice smokey nutty aroma with hints of bittersweet chocolate. Medium carbonation with a nice toasty smokiness. Light chocolate flavor accented by a nice citrus hop touch that finishes unbelievably.

Thanks to BuckeyeBoy for trading this one to me. Black with a average tan head. Big roasted nut, chocolate, and coffee aroma. Flavor is light smoke, huge roasted nutty, coffee, and chocolate. Has a mild dry finish.

Bottle. Thick and dark with a small brown head with lots of lacing. Has no sweetness, some nuts and lots of roast and chocolate. Has hints of smoke in it as well. Big thick mouthfeel that goes down really smooth. It’s hard to find anything I don’t like about this beer. Loads of flavor. A quality stout if I’ve ever had one. Very satisfying.

Bottle and Tap - various locations in OR. POurs black with a brown espresso like head, it’s opaque and oily looking. Delicious, rich, smoky/toasty flavors. Chocolate flavors follow and round out a superbly smooth brew.

Bottle (Sydney Summer Gathering 2007): A solid performer. Thick opaque black with a menacing tan head. THere’s no mistaking where this is headed, or is there? In the nose, slightly salty, roasty aromas over a base of chalk. Possibly a touch thin. Thankfully, it was just a case of the liquid not wanting to give up its essence. In the mouth lots of roasted grains swirl around creamy chocolate. There’s not really a lot of complexity here, but there’s a hell of a lot of flavour. Tasty.

Pours black, thin tan head. Flavor is dark chocolate and roasts. Finish is more roastiness and dry. Might be a little too much roasts for my taste, but still a nice beverage.

Another star performer at an Australian group tasting of absurd extravagance. I might rate this even higher had it not been sandwiched by a couple of stunning Mikkellers and succeeded by a pair of Pannepots, Westveleterens and a Belle Vue Selection Lambic. Oh, that every day could be like that Sunday. Obsidian Stout was an impenetrable black capped by a lavish layer of coffee cream. The aroma was rich with molasses, cocoa powder and sump oil - a feast of roasted grains. Medium bodied but quite lactic. Good bitterness. It’s sweet but very balanced, with a late sourness in a dry finale. A fine balancing act. (Bottle courtesy of Linc at the Sydney Jan 2007 RateBeer gathering)

Bottle. Black color, fluffy brown head with some nice lacing. Roasty aroma with a hint of imperial stout-ish hops, taste is pretty simple with some dirt, coffee, chocolate. Medium bodied, dry finish.