Obsidian Stout - Deschutes Brewery

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

355ml bottle poured into tulip 1/1/13 first beer of the year

A black liquid with a deep cola edge, large and loose mocha foam slowly falls to a thick film leaving some random lace well down the glass

S lots of dark roast but there's some citric hops still shining through, there's some bakers chocolate, raisins and cold coffee with a little sweetness and char coco powder, smells fairly straight forward but its very strong and exactly what a stout should smell like

T again its a great mix of dark roast and hops, the malts a little darker in the mouth, quite rich and tasty I'm pretty stoked with this one

M lighter side of medium bodied with a good level of carbonation, a hoppy char aftertaste lingers quite strong for some time

O great stout going on here, hits all the spots and I could and will drink a few with no issues at all

Big dark roast notes with a hop kick, this is what I look for in a stout and I'm so very stoked to see this at my liquor store, great example of the style

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 02:41:58 | More by wordemupg

lighthabit

Oregon

4.24/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

really not much to say. this was one of my first craft brews, and it is the (very affordable) standard to which i compare other stouts. others might has more complexity to work with, but this is such a solid and easy to drink stout with an incredible price . . . how can you go wrong?. flashlight shows just the faintest deep garnet red near the bottom. thick, dryish head dies down to thin layer, i'd like to see just a bit more lacing though. chocolate, coffee, malt and barley are all here. if your friends are thinking of checking out crafts, this would be a great way to begin.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2013 06:58:37 | More by lighthabit

sludgegnome

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -11.3%

05-25-2013 22:23:13 | More by sludgegnome

TrickkyGangsta

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +6.4%

05-25-2013 00:41:45 | More by TrickkyGangsta

JoshTellez

California

4.5/5  rDev +6.4%

05-24-2013 20:22:43 | More by JoshTellez

Boilerfood

Indiana

4/5  rDev -5.4%

05-24-2013 03:04:29 | More by Boilerfood

Johncnh

New Hampshire

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%

05-24-2013 01:20:46 | More by Johncnh

sneaks2210

New York

4.5/5  rDev +6.4%

05-24-2013 00:59:10 | More by sneaks2210

mattmeiske12

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

Picked up a bottle of this at Mari's Six Pack & More in Reading, PA.

Appearance - Thick, dark brown in color. I didn't get much head retention though.

Aroma - Smelled very nice... lots of coffee/expresso, some chocolate.

Taste - This almost reminded me of an irish dry stout. It's not quite what I was expecting, but none the less it was very smooth and chocolatey.

Mouthfeel - Very silky, light on the palate. I didn't like that it thinned off at the end, would've enjoyed some coffee or chocolate.

Overall - This is a very "session-able" stout, something I could keep drinking all day and not get sick of. This was also the first time I've had Deschutes here in PA and I'll keep looking for more.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 18:20:21 | More by mattmeiske12

SmellsofMahagony

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%

05-22-2013 03:13:24 | More by SmellsofMahagony

beirme2

Missouri

3.25/5  rDev -23.2%

05-22-2013 02:48:25 | More by beirme2

WissBrauSean

Pennsylvania

4.89/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

I poured this beer from the bottle at about 60 degrees F and it is clear and black just like obsidian but with some brown showing through and the head is a full finger thick and creamy brown and leaves another cool outline of a mountain peak on my glass as lacing! I totally should take a picture of that, but I am too lazy.

The aroma is definitely of coffee, chocolate, vanilla, some yeast and very little earthy hops. Both sweet and bitter. A nice combo.

It tastes even better than it smells with sweet roasted malt taking the lead then the creamy chocolate malts come into play with some hints of vanilla cream and then followed by the bitterness of the roasted malts and the earthy hops. Finally it finishes dry with hint of black pepper and mild alcohol. This beer is so well balanced and the dry finish lures you to the next sip!

The mouthfeel is creamy full and dry with light to moderate carbonation to play on your tongue. The finish is dry and bitter but pleasingly so.

Overall, this has to be one of the best stouts EVER! It's definitely NOT a crossover beer and if you don't like dry and bitter beers you may not like this one, but keep in mind that this is an excellent beer all around and you might be missing out if you think that it may be too bitter for you. You may actually like it! I love it! 5 out of 5!

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 02:47:27 | More by WissBrauSean

brewsclues

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%

05-22-2013 02:46:23 | More by brewsclues

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%

05-21-2013 22:45:21 | More by Bouleboubier

Kmat10

Alberta (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%

05-20-2013 04:49:09 | More by Kmat10

mooseo

Pennsylvania

4.39/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle into tulip.

A - Black as night with a small dark tan head.

S - A light, but pleasing aroma of milk chocolate, black coffee, and roasted malt.

T - Roasted burnt malt, coffee, and sweet chocolate throughout. A light hop bitterness comes through and brings balance. Finishes bitter-sweet with roasted grain and caramel. There is a strong coffee/roast aftertaste.

M - Exceptionally smooth and creamy. Wow, this is definitely the best part of the beer for me. Medium-full body, mild carbonation, slightly dry finish.

O - A very impressive, memorable stout. The flavor profile is balanced and is a text book example of what a stout should be. But the mouthfeel - it's incredible.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 02:59:31 | More by mooseo

Turbo

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -11.3%

05-19-2013 22:48:10 | More by Turbo

Glibber

Idaho

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%

05-19-2013 22:24:21 | More by Glibber

ClayO

Arizona

3.75/5  rDev -11.3%

05-19-2013 22:04:32 | More by ClayO

JohnG190

New York

4.5/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured into snifter, served at 52 degrees.

Appearance - dark, dark brown. Thick mocha head has great retention.

Aroma - dark chocolate, espresso, and roasted barley

Taste - a dry bitterness gives way to a slight dark chocolate sweetness and finishes dry and bitter.

Mouthfeel - medium body with good carbonation.

Overall - a world class stout.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 20:40:15 | More by JohnG190

Photekut

Azerbaijan

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%

05-19-2013 16:31:23 | More by Photekut

drgonzo2k2

California

4/5  rDev -5.4%

05-19-2013 14:15:13 | More by drgonzo2k2

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12 oz bottle. best before 09-30-13.

A: pours really really dark brown. head is a coffee hued brown. frothy. very frothy. head has great retention

S: a lot of bitter dark chocolate. a decent amount of espresso. this thing really does walk a fine line between bitterness and sweetness, with bitterness taking the edge. not getting much hop aroma, but I could care less. this thing is all about fantastic dark aromas.

T: similar to the nose, a dry bitterness starts off the flavor. very similar to dark chocolate. more bitterness in the middle. a little bit of dark coffee, but this body is very close to dark chocolate. finish is, you guessed it, bitter.

M: subtle and creamy. this think on nitro would be tits. medium bodied.

D: a very well-made American stout. lots of dark aroma, however a bit one-note on the flavor end. not that it is a bad flavor so you are not gonna catch a lot flack from me. if you like stouts, definitely check this brew out.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 02:24:52 | More by Jimmys

jakeox

Illinois

4/5  rDev -5.4%

05-19-2013 00:08:20 | More by jakeox

DIPAFAN

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%

05-19-2013 00:05:00 | More by DIPAFAN