Obsidian Stout - Deschutes Brewery

Stevedore

Wisconsin

4.35/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle best by 8/12/2013 poured into a Bell's tulip and quaffed today, 4/9/2013.

Aroma: Smells of cocoa and a sweet roasty maltiness, I want to say caramel. It also smells faintly of dark fruit which seems to fade off as it gets warmer and the roastiness comes out more. The roastiness makes me think of a little bit of nuts, but mostly some cocoa and chocolate. Very nice smelling beer, especially as it warms up. (4)

Colour: Dang! This beer takes after its name- pure black like the obsidian stones. It's very opaque, with just the slightest hint of brown at the edges when illuminated. It also pours with an impressive 3cm brown head that takes more than a minute to dissipate into brown film on top of the beer complemented by a beautiful, thick brown collar that persists as I finish. The lacing is thick but falls into the beer soon enough. What's really neat is that if you look at the edges in a bit of light, you can see all the carbonated bubbles rising to the surface, feeding the collar. Absolutely beautiful and black as obsidian. (4.5)

Flavour: Awesome! This beer brings even more to the table than Black Butte does in terms of caramel, cocoa, e.g. what I like to call roasty maltiness for the lack of a better descriptor. There are aspects of nuts mixed in with faint dark fruit flavours. This is basically a giant trail mix beer that somehow comes together in a beautiful dark liquid form. The finish is a nice and dry earthy hop bitterness. I love how intense this beer tastes! (4.5)

Mouthfeel: This is a thicker medium bodied beer with excellent carbonation that contributes a nice refreshing feeling with each swallow. It's very creamy, smooth like the Black Butte and there is no indication of heat even as it reaches room temperature. The aftertaste is of chocolate nuts from the roasted malt combined with an earthy bitterness that lingers a while longer. Very smooth and easy to drink! (4)

Overall: Awesome take on the American stout style by Deschutes. This is basically Black Butte on steroids- more flavour, even blacker and did I say more flavour? The flavour from the roast malt, which is what I love about Black Butte, is even more intense here. The hoppiness is also higher as well. I have to say that the other big difference is that Obsidian brings a bigger bitter quotient, as evidenced in the earthy bitterness that I don't notice much of at all in Black Butte. It also leaves a dry finish, whereas Black Butte will quench my thirst if I'm feeling thirsty. I really love this beer and I'm going to grab a sixer or two every time I return to Minnesota. I haven't seen this in Illinois yet, but once it shows up there, I won't return to Wisconsin without it. One of the finest examples of an intense, hoppy American stout that I've had! (4.5)

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 02:31:38 | More by Stevedore

Hoptometrist

Oregon

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

Served from the bottle into a nonic glass (Best by 4/23/13)

A- Poured black with big frothy mocha head that left dense glass coating lace. Exactly what a stout should look like.

S- Huge roasty, bready, caramel, mineral, and dark chocolate notes. Very bold aroma and well-balanced between roasty and sweet.

T- Big roasted notes, dark fruits, caramel, bready, mineral, and dark chocolate notes. Balanced and bold like the aroma. Quite a bit of coffee bitterness especially on the finish.

M- Full bodied, creamy, super smooth, dry, and a soft mouthfeel

O- A really great balanced stout with huge flavors, highly drinkable, great mouthfeel, and like all Deschutes six packs an incredible value.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 03:41:39 | More by Hoptometrist

millsn1

Massachusetts

4.94/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

When looking for a beer that is heavy and will keep you warm, this is one of the best. Dark with sweet hints, but not sickly. The carbonation is well used to make the beer go down a little easier than with an extremely heavy stout. Tasting notes are pretty typical of a stout, but it seems to pour well, and drink better than most.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 17:56:14 | More by millsn1

guityler83

Wisconsin

4.95/5  rDev +17%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: Motoroil black apperance with a mocha colored head. The lacing is visible with each sip (awesome!) and the small

S: Dark chocolate, cocoa and roastyness right off the bat. Caramel lays hidden in the back with a touch of sweetness. Gram cracker and bread crust. touch of alcohol.

T: Cocoa, gram cracker and toffee notes. very complex yet each flavor distinct. hops bitterness is evenly ballanced with the roast to make it extremely drinkable

M: medium to high body with moderate carbonation. no hotness from the alcohol, but a slight astringancy from the roasted malts as expected.

O: After going to GABF I had to bring back some beers that aren't found round these here parts.. This was one and boy howdy did I pick a winner. Of the endless amount of stouts around these days its hard to stand out, but this one did it for me. My top pick so far.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 03:02:07 | More by guityler83

JohnnyHopps

Indiana

3.79/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A mild malty aroma jumped from the blackness of this bottle, after it was poured into a glass. In the initial taste, one detects dark chocolate, coffee, and a slight metallic taste. Being a little thinner than I would have expected for a stout, the heavier tastes disappeared with the metallic taste being more apparent. There was a certain degree of milkiness in this stout, but it lacked smoothness. It certainly lacked any measure of sweetness. In a sense, it made me think of instant coffee without the grittiness. A bitter coffee aftertaste finished the experience. In the scope of other stout, I am not sure anything stood out about this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 00:26:51 | More by JohnnyHopps

MattSweatshirt

Texas

4.03/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Best by: 07/23/13

Poured into a snifter revealing a black body with a finger of brown head that retains and laces nicely.

An inviting aroma of roasted coffee and chocolate chip cookies.

Comes in roasty and chocolatey. There is a fair amount of hop presence providing bitterness and a touch of grassiness.

Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Drinks smooth.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 05:02:11 | More by MattSweatshirt

beerme411

California

4.3/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A-Very dark brown, with a thin light brown head that fads quickly but leaves a nice lacing.

S-The roasted malts are present. I'm unable to pick out different smells as they mostly mix together. I also get some metallic in there as well, although I tend to find that in most stouts.

T-Big roasted coffee and bitter chocolate up front. There is an almost metallic taste, but in a pleasant way on the sides of my tongue. No alcohol tasted. The dark coffee bitterness lingers for a good while.

M-medium, but on the thicker side with a good amount of carbonation. The right amount of body to match the taste. Often I find stouts on the lighter side that detract from taste.

O-Definitely a great non-imperial stout that I doubt you'd find a much better regular american stout. I tend to taste more metallic flavors in stouts which can make many of them unenjoyably, this one only really had it on the nose. Luckily for me it's always available for $7-9 a six pack. If you enjoy this make sure to check out Black Butte Porter as well.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 22:48:31 | More by beerme411

arfenhouse

California

4.26/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Black with light brown head. Good retention and good lacing.

S: A mix of baker's chocolate, plum, raisin, and cherry. Hint of vanilla in the back.

T: Roasted malt with raisin and cherry upfront. Fades into a semi sweet chocolate aftertaste.

M: Medium bodied with medium carbonation. Wet.

O: Solid, affordable stout. Good for taking a break from big RIS and DIPAs.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 06:48:08 | More by arfenhouse

Lofty

Minnesota

4.41/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

A: poured into a pint glass which revealed a thin film of head

S: smells typical for most stouts with a hint of chocolate and strong roasted malts

T: flavors are quite pleasant with a tiny bit of chocolate but the star is clearly the roasted malt which hangs around for a bit after some smoky oak-ness fades away. You can tell this is a high quality beer as there's definitely no watery, metallic, or alcohol-y flavors

M: the carbonation seems a little much for my preference and it sits a little heavy on the tongue, but I figure it's within reason for a stout

O: A solid offering from one of my favorite breweries. I would certainly buy another six-pack.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 03:34:45 | More by Lofty

bambam2517

Arizona

4.19/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle into an imperial pint glass, served at 55F.

A - Pretty standard fare for a stout, maybe a shade darker than the garden variety but its still got a small creamy topper that laces decently down the glass. Having this nitro-style would probably bump it up tremendously for me.

S - Nice notes of coffee and roast malt, a little sweet toffee and nuttiness.

T - Coffee and brown sugar, nice malty bitterness backs it up.

M - Just a little thin but it does have that nice slightly bitter aftertaste.

O - I am a Deschutes fan so dont think im putting this down, but it isnt good enough to be top 250 in my opinion. What I think it is: A readily available, approachable stout with more care and thought put into it than the Big Irish we have over here...

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 14:54:56 | More by bambam2517

SpeedwayJim

New York

3.78/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A friend brought me this back from Texas. Shocked that I hadn't reviewed it... I've definitely had it before. 12oz bottle into a Cigar City snifter.

Pours a thick, 1 finger dark mocha head with good retention. Beer is pitch black. Lacing is stringy, spotty and thick with good cling. Oil legs too. Great looking beer.

Nose is smoke, roast, cocoa and dark chocolate. Moderately aromatic but very appropriate for the style.

Opens roast, liquorice, and smoke. Some dark chocolate, black strap molasses and more roasted malt in the middle and end. Finishes with some sweetness and just a touch of booze. Roasted malt in the finish. Decently complex beer with all the right flavors here.

Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth with some sparse bubbles in the mouth and goes down slightly prickly. Messy finish with a lingering aftertaste. Nice.

A real nice beer overall. Subtle yet complex nose and flavor with a body that makes this one pretty drinkable. I'd definitely revisit this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 01:33:47 | More by SpeedwayJim

nickapalooza86

Wisconsin

4.14/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours pretty dark, with two fingers of a really nice looking Mocah head, can not see any light through it.

smell is char, bitter chocolate, a light ecpresso and a wee bit of roastyness

taste is bitter bakers chocolate, char and finishes with a nice bitter espresso.

mouthfeel is medium and creamy, really smooth drinking stuff!

A good beer, a lot of flavor for a non imperial stout, not as sweet and roasty as some but I like stouts that differ from the norm!

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 01:09:41 | More by nickapalooza86

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

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

The beer is opaque, dark brown nearing black. The beige head is thick and massive, coating the glass with a thick sheet of lacing as it slowly recedes. The aroma really inviting dark roast, coffee, chocolate. Ooh. I can already see why this is so highly rated. The flavor brings a heavy dose of roast with a splash of coffee. The finish brings a hop bitterness that melds beautifully with the charred roast character. Long lasting aftertaste. A solid beer. If this were in my market, I would keep it around all year.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2013 01:33:14 | More by Huhzubendah

macrosmatic

Florida

4.1/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to dogdoc for this one. Poured from 12oz. bottle into a CCB pint glass.

A: Pours an extremely dark brown that's just short of opaque. One finger's worth of tan head that fades pretty quickly on top of a mild amount of visible carbonation.

S: Roasty, coffee, moderate bitterness, and a little creamy.

T: Follows the nose. More chocolate than the aroma, with a slight pine hop bitterness, and hints of sweet leather. Quite roasty, and some bitter roastiness in the hang.

M: Medium to light body for a stout, not much alcohol presence at all, and good carbonation sensation.

O: This is a tasty, solid brew...but in the end it's kind of forgettable. Nothing particular to make it stand out. Still, if this were available at the local bottle shop, I'd probably buy a six-pack.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 23:19:13 | More by macrosmatic

Treyliff

West Virginia

4.51/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A- pours a dark pitch black color with a creamy light tan head that reduces to a thin layer, leaving lacing around the entire glass.

S- awesome pronounced roasted notes, not too smoky, some chocolaty malts with a bit of toffee and unlit charcoal. Loving these aromas.

T- huge chocolate notes from start to finish. Roasted, almost smoky malts provide huge pronounced flavors on the palate. Citric hops provide a slightly tart undertone and match well with the malts. The finish provides a bit of earthy and smoky coffee with a sweet-yet-bone dry chocolaty sweetness. Dark chocolate with a touch of hop bitterness stays on the palate long after .

M- medium-light mouthfeel, seems a bit light and not able to hold up to the strong flavors going one. Carbonation is just enough to provide a creamy mouthfeel with a silky finish.

O- one of the best American stouts that I've had. It has the flavors of a DIPA, with amazing roasted chocolate flavors. It's going to be a sad day when I run out of the 6 of these I traded for.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 02:33:48 | More by Treyliff

HuskyinPDX

Washington

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

Bottle opened on 2.4.13
Best By 03/25/13

A - Pours a dark brown with a huge foamy brown head with great retention.

S - Lots of roasted malts, coffee, and chocolate.

T - Coffee, then nutty, some sweet chocolate and coffee again.

D - Good carbonation and a heavier body.

O - Perfectly balanced and simple, but right.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 05:41:13 | More by HuskyinPDX

Fatehunter

Oregon

4.21/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured two fingers of tan head on a black body.
The aroma is roasted malt, dark chocolate and
The taste is great. Lots of roasted malt and bitter-sweet chocolate. A dry bitterness through; results in a complex drink.
The texture is smooth and crisp with low carbonation and medium body.
It's just about everything I ever wanted in a stout.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2013 02:31:38 | More by Fatehunter

jvillefan

California

3.08/5  rDev -27.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: I can see why they called it obsidian stout. Jet black body with a thick and heavy mocha colored head.

S: Not a big fan. It smelled like a chocolatey lager. There was intense chocolatey aromas but the soggy bready aromas were also very strong.

T: I'm not so sure why this beer is reviewed so highly. The malt has too mush sharpness from the roast. I love stouts but the roast is way too much. The lager soggy bready flavor matches that in the aroma. There is some chocolate flavors here as well.

M: Nicely carbonated and the body is a tad light for a stout but still good.

O: Know what this beer tastes like, I would not be disappointed if I never tried it. There are much better stouts available year round for less out there.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2013 04:52:28 | More by jvillefan

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25

A-Pours creamy and black. Velvety texture. Head is comprised of a half-inch patty of calm cream. The head lasts forever and laces the whole glass...thanks nitro-tap.

S-A well rounded aroma. A bit lactic but also quite roasty. Dried chocolate powder. Vanilla and hints if char. I am picking up an impressive addition of piney hops. It even smells creamy.

T-The flavor is excellent. Frothy latte with a big shot of espresso. Milk chocolate and vanilla milkshake. Then I get some burnt malt. It finishes with a supremely pleasant green grass hop wave.

M-Nitro-tap. Enough said.

O/D-Superb mouthfeel and just a great non-imperial Stout. Could drink this for days on end; especially when the weather is a bit chilly. Excellent intro into Deschutes.

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-02-2013 16:44:41 | More by VelvetExtract

leaddog

Alberta (Canada)

4.48/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - Pours a dark chocolate/black with one and a half finger width of creamy mocha head. Nice lacing and head retention.

Smell - Roasted malts, barley, hint of espresso/coffee bean, dark chocolate.

Taste - All the aromas come through in the flavour with bold intensity and roasted taste. Great bitterness in the finish.

Mouthfeel - Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation. Touch of smoothness.

Overall - A well-crafted and flavourful stout from Deschutes. I really enjoyed the bitterness from the espresso/coffee bean and it makes this brew a real stand-out.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 04:30:04 | More by leaddog

popery

California

4.11/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes, 7/16/11. This is such a tasty stout. It’s got a big, rich combination of roast, chocolate and coffee, all backed up by some caramel. The body is creamy and smooth. It’s fairly bitter, which helps tone down the malt sweetness. Black body with a mocha head. Bubbles stick all over the glass prettily. It drinks easily, despite all of the flavor. Good stuff. Edit: Tried from a nitro tap. Excellent beer for nitro. Smooth and creamy. Not quite as much flavor, though.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 07:47:20 | More by popery

FosterJM

California

4/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

1708th Review on BA
Nitro tap to tulip
16oz

@Original Gravity Publick House, San Jose, CA

App- A medium dense brown with some darker edges and a center as well. A huge three finger tan/white head with great cling. Looked like the American Guinness.

Smell- This was a lot like an Oreo just in the liquid form. This was creamy and grainy but yet smooth and balanced with some vanilla and chocolate notes.

Taste- This was a good beer. I still think I should have a bottle of the regular to compare this too. The roasts notes are a bit pronounced for me and have a slight granular and vanilla/chocolate similar to the nose.

Mouth- A solid medium creamy body with a medium/low carbonation. A bit of a toasty residual flavor with some bakers chocolate.

Drink- It's a classic stout, bitter, chocolatey and grainy. One of the classics. Good beer. Would have again.

Serving type: nitro-tap

01-23-2013 04:41:18 | More by FosterJM

CwrwAmByth

United Kingdom (Wales)

4.26/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

This is a pretty special beer for me, as I’ve always read about Deschutes and their amazing stouts and porters. The main trouble being they didn’t export outside of the US. Well now I have one! The Obsidian Stout. Kindly brought back to the UK by an American friend for me. It pours black with a lively tan head, and has an interestingly original aroma. More coffee than I’d expect from a non-imperial stout but still those familiar dark, burnt malts. The taste is very nicely balanced between a dark malty sweetness, reminiscent of dark fruits like cooked plums, and a dry bitterness, from those hops and the burnt, coffee-like aspect of the malts. The beer has quite a wholesome yet drinkable mouthfeel, the dryness leaving you craving more.

I love this beer, and I love Deschutes.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 23:57:14 | More by CwrwAmByth

beergoot

Colorado

4.49/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Ah, it's good coming back to an old friend!

Opaque, black body and rich, thick, sticky tan head please the eyes. Dark, charred grain smell with a coffee-like hint; bitter chocolate. Bitter, chocolaty flavor with some astringency and dryness present. Medium-heavy body, smooth, creamy, clean, dry.

Yes, this stout has always been one of my favorites from years ago. It's been a while since I've sampled any (there are just too, too many different beer styles and breweries available to me in Colorado Springs - oh, the shame, the shame...), but this latest version still sits well with me. It's well made, nicely balanced, with a quiet yet deep complexity that brings delight with each sip.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 03:25:47 | More by beergoot

zac16125

South Carolina

3.43/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into a pint glass
No born on date or other distinguishing numbers

Thanks to 3hops for sending this one over as an extra.

A: Pours a thin appearing black with some browning on the edges and 2plus fingers width of mocha colored head, which dissipates down at a moderate rate to a thick film that hangs around throughout the entire drink. Leaves a good amount of lacing.

S: Roasted malt, burnt wood, heavy cream. The roasted and char notes are by far the most prominent aromas, and I dont get much else.

T: Follows the nose. Roasted malts and charred wood. Some mild dark fruit notes that I didnt get on the nose. A bit of anise and some medicinal phenolics. Surprisingly bitter on the finish, not necessarily in a good way.

M/D: Smooth, appropriately low carbonation, good drinkability but somewhat limited by the odd lingering bitterness on the back end. Could be creamier too.

O: Overall, not bad, but not terribly good either. Seems pretty mediocre, and I dont really see why the ratings are so high. Ive had a number of American standard stouts significantly better than this one. Its not bad, but its just slightly above average in my book.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 01:08:38 | More by zac16125