Deschutes Obsidian Stout

Brewed by Deschutes Brewery
Style: Stout
Bend, Oregon USA

Best by April 29. Bought the 12 oz bottle before then, and it’s been hanging out in the cellar under good conditions. This beer is far more pleasing than it was the first time I tasted it, when it was rife with a nasty plastic/chemical smell that ruined the whole encounter. Glad to see it’s feeling better. :) Beer is an opaque motor-oil brown with a large, frothy, light-brown, mostly lasting head. Attractive arbors of lace on the snifter. Aroma is roasty-creamy with heavy notes of roasted grain, dark chocolate, light note of molasses; Hoppy with a moderate note of resin/pine, moderate spiky herb; Yeasty with a moderate note of dough, trace note of cheese. The flavor is moderately sweet, lightly-to-moderately bitter, lightly acidic with a long, moderately bittersweet, light acidic, trace warm finish. The body is full, the texture is creamy and velvety, the carbonation is lively.

i poured this into a massive glass of foam.It is very dary red-mohagany.massive cream head.Lots of roasted malts on the nose and palate.A nice brew from Indiana_Red

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.

Very dark black pour with an initial rich mocha head that leaves decent lacing. Aroma is rich roasted malts with a nutty coffee touch. Touch of milkyness. Flavor is milky chocolate with a strong roasted coffee bean flavor near the finish. Nice mouthfeel and good body.

As promised, this stout poured obsidian black with a short tan head. Strong aroma of dark chocolate and roasted to burnt malts. Flavor is sweet at first with the malts dominating — chocolate, caramel, latte. The dry, bitter finish takes over at the back of the mouth. Overall, an ejoyable, dry stout.

V - Black pour, little head with slight lacing. A - coffee and alcohol T - coffee, black cherry, malt, caramel P - standard, but not my favorite from a stout. Little hop kick at the end is nice.

Bottle from Iowaherkeye, thanks! Nice roast chocolate scent. Black with a tan head. Medium palate at best. Plenty of roasted malt, bitter chocolate and a tangy sort of finish. Not as good as I had expected.

(Bottle (best by 12/28/07) via trade with <A HREF=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?UserID=3 target=blank>TheCheeseMan, thanks Daniel!) Pours very dark brown with four fingers of big mocha head that recedes to about 1/8" and stays. Aroma of molasses, dark chocolate and coffee. Big meaty mouthfeel. Smooth and a little oily. Lots of broken lacing. Flavor is big rich coffee and dark chocolate. Plenty of roastiness. A bit of roasty molasses emerges as it warms. Medium amount of bitterness overlays and gives a little hit through finish. A straightforward heavy-duty excellent-tasting stout with a great palate as well.