Deschutes The Abyss

Brewed by Deschutes Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
Bend, Oregon USA

Thanks jake65! 2007 vintage. Pitch black pour with a beautiful tan head that is somewhat slow to recede. Aroma is heavy in the dark sugar department- date, fig and plum combine with molasses, lactic sugar, and brown sugar to culminate in a mildly warming alcoholic booze and heavily roasted barley. Flavor is chalked full of roasted barley, creamy chocolate, espresso, fennel, molasses, wood, burnt caramelized dark sugars, and a foreboding ashen malt profile. Palate is thick, rich, velvety, charred and silky. The uniqueness of this brew in a sea of stouts makes for a memorable and wholly enjoyable quaff.

2007 vintage, big thanks to oteyj. Pitch black head with a dark brown head- really good looking stout. Aroma holds cocoa, vanilla, cream, oat, molasses, anise, and a bit of oak. Nothing too aggressive on the nose, but smells delicious. Flavor holds lots of burnt sugar, ash, roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, caramel, and a definite milk or cream aspect to it. Alcohol, bourbon, and oak comes through at the finish as well. The burnt and charred flavor at the start is really delectable, and that same quality is what makes the finish and aftertaste so appealing. Palate is extremely smooth and immensely easy to drink for an 11% impy. Top notch imperial stout.

VINTAGE 2008 This one pours a nice, deep, black. Just like it should be, with a name like The Abyss. Medium hard pour produces a two-finger head of dark cappucino colored foam. Retention is great and the lacing is excellent. Fully formed, solid and very sticky. Nice. Big dark roasted barley maltiness. The oak comes through nicely, mixing with a hint of alcohol, giving a hint of bourbon-like qualities. Nice hint of dark molasses. Good dark coffee notes blend with hints of dark chocolate, bringing me back to cappucino comparisons. Light vanilla notes. Huge presence of dark roasted malts. Big dark coffee profile. Nice vanilla sweetness, along with molasses, bringing balance. Nice presence of oak. A light touch of smokiness. Very mild notes of dark fruitiness. Hops are in there, but extremely well balanced with the rich maltiness. Man, this tastes wonderful. This is exceptionally smooth and creamy. Like silk across your pallette. The low level of carbonation sereves this brew very well. Despite how big, thick and rich this one is, it is very drinkable. The beautiful level of balance make this one so enjoyable and easy to consume. The 11%ABV is so well blended into the mix, as to be hardly noticable. Just a slight warming effect. This is exceptional. Believe the hype!

Draught. Poured deep black with thin beige head. Ringed lacing. Possibly served too cold as aroma was thin, coffee, nuts and malt. Full malty flavour, coffee, malt, chocolate All over the tongue roast malt finish. Worth seeking out.

Bottle 2009 Vintage. Pours deep inky black, a more substantial head than expected for the large ABV. Nose is roasty and dark chocolate as expected, but with a vinous/tart characteristic to it that is really inviting. A touch of vanilla comes on as it warms. Taste is very smooth, the initial notes of ’standard’ Impy stout roasted coffee and dark chocolate, then the wood comes on in the middle and really rounds everything out and lends a litle nuttiness as well. FInish is tasty black licorice and just a hint of bourbon character. The hoppy bitterness that’s part and parcel of so many RIS is well-rounded by the wood. All in all - this was delicious.

On tap at Portland Brewpub. The Abyss is one of the best beers made by Deschutes. The aroma is of bourbon, brown sugar and licorice. Taste has a bitter finish, with oaky, alcohol, and anise flavors coming into the mix. Yummy and a great warming beer for winter. Buying a bottle to age.