Deschutes Obsidian Stout

Brewed by Deschutes Brewery
Style: Stout
Bend, Oregon USA

ever start to rate a hard to find beer only to be interrupted by a phone call or dinner? it just happened to me, and now i’ve got a mere five ounces of obsidian-- well warmed-- to interview for an informed rate. (the rest i guzzled with my dinner. i can report it complimented my haricots provensal quite nicely). the beer of course is fairly dark, like something scraped off the bottom of coal-burning locomotive boiler. a sandpaper head rose in foamy castles with some rigidity-- like atlantis confident in it’s eternal and grand loft above the deep-- yet likewise it too sank. obsidian reeks of cola, raisins and plum jam, with coffee and raspberry sherbert and just a note of a smoldering cigarette on a hemp mat. a sweet, full-bodied stout with corpulent crowds of dark malts and fruity sour orange bitters rushing forward all at once to pack onto the modest elevator of my palate. some jostling occurs, but everyone gets to their corner and it seems balanced enough to lift me and my mood to higher levels.

Tasted 18/09/2006. 12oz bottle from BrewNZ. Inky black with a dark tan head that dies but laces strongly. Ash-like on the nose, with subtle plummy notes and a little sweet malt. Clean, dry and roasty in the mouth. Big burnt toast middle and a pleasant lingering astringency. Slightly warming. Medium body with light carbonation. Simple and delicious.

Big thanks to Kenb for hooking me up here on one damn fine stout. I actually had never really known or heard much about this beer, which is good, because I just went ahead and rated it without any preconceptions- and I was pleasantly surprised. Pours a very deep dark black with a nice fluffy lasting beige head- that never dies. Aroma is a sharp dry acrid roast character that defines a well made stout- light hints of chocolate and coffee in the background. Light sweetness and toffee in the flavor, with more nutty chocalate and dark malts with a great dry roast finish. Smooth body and aftertaste. Damn- I wish I had more of this.

Black body with a decent tan head. Dry, roasty aroma with hints of chocolate and wood. Flavor starts out roasty but is replaced with a rather acidic bitterness.

Black but penetrable by light. Gentle pour raises a lasting, chunky gray-tan mound of foam. Bottle conditioned. Pleasant aroma of black licorice, plums, and roasted barley. Buried notes of nougat. Feisty carbonation settles into a blanket of cream. Satiny body. Airy and sharply roasty initially, but fluffy nougat and a moist bed of roasted grains provide sweetness and structure. Relaxed fruity esters generate just enough vinous acidity to gently pucker the cheeks and spawn an onset of burnt malts. Char continues in its briskness as the high level of attenuation tickles the palate, stopping just shy of overwhelming the nuanced malt. Despite the abundance of dry char, it finishes chewy with nougat, salty licorice, and smoky whispers of roast. Disappointing but typical that their slowest seller happens to be their most flavorsome offering. A very solid stout.

Best by 3/17/06. Thanks Chuck. The beer pours to a dark blackish ruby body with a brown head. The aroma is what I’ve been looking for in a stout. Deep chocolate, nicely roasty dry charcoal, chocolate chips, oatmeal, condensed milk. The flavor is dry roasty charcoal and chocolate with light coffee. Some milky characteristics. Dry roasty palate, lightly tart. Medium-full bodied. A very nice stout.

Pours a dark black color w/ a nice tan head & a decent lacing. Heavily roasted aroma good sweet chocolate notes hints of coffee a touch of alcohol even a light smokiness. Palate is rich full and lightly creamy. Flavor is well roasted slightly burnt malts a quite dry a bit of bitter coccoa powder in the finish as it finishes a bit dry hints of grassy hops. Some light dark fruits and a hint of grahm cracker as well. Very good stout.

Bottle via trade with kenb. Aroma: Nice roasted malt with touches of anise and coffee. Also getting a chocolate/caramel mix which smells wonderful. Slight alcohol detected, as well. Appearance. Black with no visible highlights. Tan head was full and frothy and lingered for a long time. Good lacing. Flavor: Rich, roasty flavor with some of the same traits as the aroma (coffee, chocolate, anise). Also getting some smoke. Hops come through strong, but don’t steal the stage from the malt. A bit of grassiness in the finish. Palate: Medium-full bodied with a slight creaminess. High carbonation was a little prickly at times. Nice dry finish. Overall: A good, solid stout with some great roastiness. Hops accentuated rather than overpowered. Nice balance. I’m glad Ken sent me two of these.