Deschutes The Abyss

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

Serve in Snifter

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

Served on the warm side of cool. The beer pours with a frothy, easily three-finger thick, creamed, chocolate brown colored head that sits atop an opaque, pitch black colored brew. Aromas of oak and concentrated, burnt malt waft to my nose as I pour this brew. The first draught of the aroma yield ample roast malt character that makes me think of dark-roasted espresso beans, chocolate malt ball candies, burnt caramel and a huge, toasted malt character that is coupled with an über-nutty aromatic note. The aroma is quite rich and expressive, the roast malt character clearly dominates. It is interesting that I was able to smell the oak as I was pouring, but it gets mostly buried under all of the dark malt aromatics when going in for a more dedicated smelling of the aroma. Having said that the aroma does yield some subtle oak aromatics, including a touch of spicy wood, some soft butterscotch and a hint of a woody backdrop.

Creamy feeling up front, yet somehow still fairly drinkable & light. After the first sip has left my mouth, the finish at first is roast malt dominated then moves to a spicy oak character, but then a sweet, burnt fruit character becomes noticeable and then it seems to start over again. This has a very long finish and it seems to move between roast grain notes, light oak character and a rich, concentrated fruitiness. Quite interesting, and I haven’t even taken a second sip yet. Sweet tasting up front, obviously contributed by an ample malt character (burnt caramel notes); the sweetness accentuates a bright (though clearly roasted), concentrated, fruit character that runs throughout this beer. It also accentuates a deep, dark chocolate character that melds quite well with the silky texture. The burnt fruit notes remind me of raisins, prunes and, especially towards the finish, of cherries. The oak is really not noticeable until just before the finish where it shows up as a spicy oak character. It might contribute some soft vanilla notes & perhaps a touch of butterscotch, but these notes really serve to accentuated the malt character rather than really jump out on their own.

Serving this beer so warm (about 65°F / 18°C) has really muted the oak contribution, as the last time I had this it was much more noticeable. Even when cooler it is still on the subtle side though, which is really what I want in a beer made with oak; add a bit more to the complexity without over doing it is the only way to go. The proof that this is a very well made stout is that despite the over the top roast character, there is very little harsh acidity contributed by all of the roasted grains. Definitely not the thickest and richest Imperial Stout out there, but still this is quite satiating and I really like how the various flavor components of this brew balance each other out. This is simply quite delicious; lots of sweet malt & fruit notes to stand up to the over the top roast character, plus a subtle backdrop of oak to kick the complexity up another notch.

First off, wow! This was highly talked about so I really wanted to try. This beer definitely stood up to its reputation. Pours dark and creamy with a thick head. As I drank it the head slowly ran down the glass. The look was dark and thick witha Carmel head. The taste was like heaven in a bottle. Very complex, sweet with oak notes and licorice. I want to say there was a bit of cinnamon as well. Once it was room temp the flavors were more apparent. The feel was very smooth and sticky. Overall, this beer rates very high in my book. Can't wait till next years abyss. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

650 ml bottle from 16th St. 2011 reserve. Pours black with tan/orange head, which sticks around for a bit. Aromas of rich chocolate, roasted malts and dark fruit. Creamy like a swig of hot chocolate. Bittersweet chocolate and espresso flavor. Nice roasted malts. Warm but well balanced.

2010 vintage. Pours very dark and thick with a dark coffee head that is small but thick. Aroma of raisins, dark fruit, licorice, molasses and chocolate. Smooth and creamy chocolate and coffee with hints of dark fruit. Almost silky in the mouth and very full bodied. This isn’t the easiest beer to find, so if you like stouts grab a bottle of two if you see it.

Enjoyed in Peteluma with Jeff, Catina and Kaeti. Dark and complex, instead of identifying what’s in there, it was more interesting to find an IS aroma and flavor not un there.

Vintage 2010. Pours black with a light brown head. Aroma is roasted malt, chocolate, liquorish, coffee, oak, vanilla and light soy. Flavour is roasted malt, alcohol, liquorish, coffee, chocolate, soy, ash, tobacco, light oak and vanilla.

Dark, silky and smooth. A soft creamy mouthfeel with a rich molasses taste. Hints of black licorice and coffee linger afterwards ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

On tap at the St Louis Microfest. Pours an opaque dark brown with a small tan head. Coffee liquor aroma. Taste is big with lots going on: molasses, licorice, foffee, and chocolate. Sweet, complex and very strong.

66cl Bottle at AHBS, 2010 reserve. Black colour, beige head. Aroma of chocolate, light salty, liquorice, hard roasted malts, coffee, bourbon. Flavour is medium sweet, hard roasted malts, bourbon, dark fruits, oak, molasses, light salty liquorice, roasted bitter finish. Fullbodied. Very good.

I poured the beer into a wide mouth glass to drink. The beer had a black body with an amber-brown hue around the edges, and had a smallish, foamy dark tan head with short retention but good cling and lacing. Its appearance was somewhat watery; it did not have a thick or oily look. The aroma featured roasty caramel malt with notes of vanilla, molasses and brown sugar, and also had some earthy hops for balance. It tasted sweet and malty with flavors of caramel and vanilla, but also had some roasty earthy bitterness mixed with a bit of licorice and a subtle cherry bite. The beer was fairly light with a thinnish body and low carbonation and fizz. It had a clinging mouthfeel with a velvet softness that can only be described as "pillowy" and the presence of alcohol was almost nonexistent. Excellent beer, many thanks to Eric for the delivery and sharing.

Poured from 22oz bomber to airplane and rainbow themed tippy cup: Deep and dark, ominous black body. Dense brown froth that swells to the rim. Great lacing, even in the plastic children’s cup. The nose is one of the best - cocoa, nutmeg, smoke, oak, faint licorice, molasses, vanilla, a lot going on here. The taste is just as satisfying - big oak, warming booze, smoke, the finish is still a little hot. I’d like to take a more in-depth look at The Abyss in the future but, as always, delicious.