Deschutes Obsidian Stout

35,5cl bottle. BB 08/08. Trade with ChristianScheffel. Pours black with a thick creamy beige head and lacings. Nose is mild but quite complex. Lots of roasted coffee, some chocolate, a little tar/smoke and a vinous/matured touch. Smooth, stikcy and full body. Bitter roasted coffee and milky chocolate in the end. A nice one.

12oz bottle courtesy of josephselander poured into a tulip. Pours clear mahogany brown out of the bottle and settles in almost completely black in the glass with a gorgeous tan head that sticks stubbornly to the sides of the glass and remains an inch-thick cap for the duration. One of the better stouts I’ve seen in terms of appearance. The aroma is actually a little sweeter than I was expecting with a big chocolate malt presence with hints of vanilla and caramel. There is only a slight toasted grain character to the smell but the sweetness is really dominant. The taste starts out like the aroma and has an initial chocolate malt sweetness with a hint of toasted malts in the background. The finish is what really stands out vs. the aroma as there is a big roasted coffee bitterness that was nearly non-existent in the aroma. I think there are even a bit of hops in the finish as well. The mouthfeel is interesting as it’s smooth and creamy for the first half of the sip, but the finish is extremely dry and bitter. Very interesting to see the two elements melded together in one beer. This is certainly one of the better standard stouts I’ve had recently and the Jekyll & Hyde type taste is very unique and well executed.

12 oz bottle. Pours a thick black color, nice tan head. Aroma is roasty, cocoa, and coffee. Flavor is complex, with a chocolatey nose, a smooth, syrupy middle, and a bitter finish. Overall I enjoyed this one a lot.

Nice roasty malty aroma and flavor - fairly thin mouthfeel for a stout. Nice appearance upon pour with one finger head. Decent brew but not great.

12oz bottle. Pours a black body with a dense, finger-width, brown head that dissipates slowly and leaves lots of creamy, layered lacing. Aroma of rich, semi-sweet chocolates and roasty coffees. Some citrusy florals keep this well rounded. Flavor is full of roasty, rich, goodness. Sweet dark chocolates, heavy but not aggressive roasts, some chalky coffees, and a light bouquet of citrus bittering hops. Palate is medium bodied, dry, and leaves a lot of lingering roasty, rich chocolate goodness. Overall, my kind of stout. Straightforward, but big and bold. I enjoyed this one a lot.

Poured black with a tan head. Aroma of coffee. Some chocolate with coffee. Lots of fruit that almost overpowers the coffee.

Like everyone else I must say it is "obsidian black". Really really black, with a light tan head that is very frothy. Aroma is of candied whopper malt balls with espresso bean candle notes. (those coffee armoa candles, coffee with vanilla waxy smells). Simply huge roasted malt flavors. Warm, roasty, and the finish goes on and on. Some hops thrown in the mix but you’re fixated on the roasted malt, of course. Surprisingly drinkable for a richly flavoured beer - a characteristic among other beers from the fine brewers at Deschutes.

On tap @ Baker st pub in Boulder. Deep dark brown, smells roasty and a little spicy. Tastes creamy and mostly coffee with a little burnt caramel kind of thing going on. Impressive brew.