Obsidian Stout - Deschutes Brewery

francisweizen

Australia

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

Dark cherry wood with light red edges and a nice cap of light tan/khaki foam. The head lasts for a long time and leaves interesting lacing patterns on my chalice. This is a nice looking brew. The aroma is all roasted malts, chocolate, slightly vinous, almost sour, and quite intense. The taste is a lovely blend of the afforementioned roasted black malts, coffee, dark chocolate, herbal hops, and more. Aftertaste is long, lingering, and full of bitter chocolate, and roasty malt notes. Mouthfeel is thick and coating. Almost too much, if you ask me. Drinkability is quite nice, despite this brews notes faults. A heavily roasted stout that borders on the imperial side of things. An interesting American interperatation that I would love to try again.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2004 07:35:01 | More by francisweizen

yemenmocha

Arizona

4.83/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Like everyone else I must say it is "obsidian black". Really really black, with a light tan head that is very frothy.

Aroma is of candied whopper malt balls with espresso bean candle notes. (those coffee armoa candles, coffee with vanilla waxy smells).

Simply huge roasted malt flavors. Warm, roasty, and the finish goes on and on. Some hops thrown in the mix but you're fixated on the roasted malt, of course.

Surprisingly drinkable for a richly flavoured beer - a characteristic among other beers from the fine brewers at Deschutes.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2004 04:42:04 | More by yemenmocha

KoG

Nevada

4.85/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Diffent color label, and only 6.4% ABV was the first thing I noticed.

A nice black-as-tar color with a light brown head that sticks to the side of the glass in chunks rather than lace and slowly crawl down after each sip.

Smell was well balenced, not too overpowering but still very powerfull. Full of roasted barley and malt with a bit of alcohol and possibly chocolate.

Taste... mmm, definately toasty. Not too bitter with just the right amount of bite and no alcohol flavor at all.

A little thin in the body but leaves a nice stickyness that makes up for it, very interesting. Keeps the tongue coated foar a bit and makes the taste linger lightly.

Drinkability is top notch, 'nuff said.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2004 02:56:42 | More by KoG

RedDiamond

Oregon

4.45/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Deschutes Obsidian has a flavor, a texture, and overall character that rolls across the palate like a red carpet. It is one of the most solid, reliable stouts a beer fan could hope for. Replete with a rounded flavor profile and notes of coffee and mocha, it is also artfully restrained. Obsidian never attempts to overwhelm the senses, merely to engage their more lavish sensibilities.

My pilgrimage to Bend to finally drink this nectar at the source was rewarded with a beer whose drinkability handily matched its reputation, and Obsidian has an enduring and laudable history. It’s been winning awards in national and international competitions for many years. But in my excruciatingly humble opinion, the biggest award of all is to win my personal favor. And frankly, I’ve been drinking this beer for years and it’s never let me down.

When served on nitro, the head is a compact light tan. I’ve never actually tried to float a dime on it, but I keep thinking it’s a distinct possibility; it’s that dense. The body is full, uncompromised, and black and tosses out a delicate roasty aroma.

The Deschutes Brewery Brew Pub could serve this a few degrees warmer to achieve full effect. I don’t usually mind waiting for a beer to reach ideal serving temperature, but Obsidian does command a bit of impatience. Once warmed, the aroma and flavor grow more thoroughly alive with just a splash of sherry in the nose and a broader complexity of roasted grains.

This is a very easy beer to hoist. Its refinement and genteel balance make it an ideal candidate to serve to friends among us who otherwise claim to be repelled by those more brazen and thunderous stouts whose taste profiles shun restraint. Obsidian is never so overpowering as to be offensive, while still every bit a world class pour. It remains one of the best overall non-specialty stouts in the west.

Serving type: nitro-tap

10-10-2004 23:48:46 | More by RedDiamond

Gump

Minnesota

4.53/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

My label is tan, not blue.
I've heard that Obsidian Stout is very good, so I had my Dad bring some back from his visit to Seattle.
Carbonation is evident from the open.

Deep, rich, black pour with a dark head that overtakes the glass. It takes awhile for this one to settle down. Stiff dense head, like is was whipped into shape.

Coffee, maple syrup and moss-like earthy aromas. (Hey, this might make good breakfast beer:)

The dry bitterness is rounded out by a creamy mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2004 21:18:42 | More by Gump

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

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

Obsidian. The liquid is a black hole that allows a few stray photons to create weak, deep garnet highlights at the base of the pint glass. The head is impressive. Light chocolate brown in color, Bighuge in size and more stiff and sticky than most. It's more craggy than rocky as it falls and leaves a great deal of spackle-like lace on the inside of my glass.

There's plenty of roastedness in the nose, but this is no one trick pony. The heavily flambed black malt is leavened by semi-sweet chocolate and glorious hops. The beer does not let me down on the palate, not even close. Obsidian oozes black malt flavor that borders on charred astringency without quite getting there.

Chocolate appears to have faded a bit, but in its place is a pleasant smokiness and a citric hoppiness. Coffee notes emerge on a finish that is increasingly bitter and parched tongue dry. The body/mouthfeel is full and smooth with very little actual chewiness.

Obsidian Stout is a classic. Amazing appearance, flavor to spare, malt and hops enough for all-comers and a body big enough to suit me; no easy task. I do believe this is Deschutes best beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2004 18:15:03 | More by BuckeyeNation

DrunkMcDermott

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Black, black and black. Definitely smooth in character, although its mouthfeel is similar to an imperial stout. And yet there's no real alcohol burn, either. Incredibly roasty body under one of the darkest brown heads I've seen in a beer. Probably just one will do ya.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2004 15:28:55 | More by DrunkMcDermott

beertaster13

Washington

4.4/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is a great stout. Pours a crude black with ruby hints, the off white mocha head is delicious to the eye and mind, coating will lace the glass. The smell is of strong roasted coffee notes, a sweetness of milk and cookies pleases the taste. Milk chocolate froth head really melts the mouth, the coffee taste is light but noticable, very rich and smooth. This is good and for about 5.99 a six pack this is probably the best stout, and you can find it at the local Safeway, awesome.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2004 04:52:22 | More by beertaster13

bigbeerdrinka

Germany

4.55/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a deep dark brownish black which no light can be seen through. A nice thick creamy offwhite head appears and leaves a nice lace around the entire glass. Aromas are dominated by roasted malts, with a little chocolate and burnt aromas also present. There is also a slight nutty character and some sweet molasses in the air as well. Initially this beer has a very robust malt profile. The roasted flavors just scream out at you initially with nice chocolate, smokey, and sweet coffee like flavors. There is a nice creamy texture to this beer and some oat like flavors make their way into the middle of the taste. This beer is also very thick and almost chewy in the body. Just a delicious feeling on the pallate. This beer finishes bittersweet, with a slight bitterness from the hops but an almost molasses sweetness that fights back and forth to make this beer just incredible. Overall this beer just has it all, great body, great flavor (including a wonderful aftertaste) and is quite drinkable. I must find a way to get my hands on more of this brew!

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2004 18:14:54 | More by bigbeerdrinka

ybnorml

Rhode Island

4.47/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Obsidian is a good description of the color, so black that no light passes thu. Has a little bit of a dark tan head. The aroma is a heady mix of chocolate and coffee with a little licorice in the background. A good solid roasted malt flavor with a bit of chocolate on the tip of your tongue and a rush of coffee along both sides of the tongue. The roasted malt makes it self at home at the back of your throat on the finish.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2004 23:50:48 | More by ybnorml

PopeJonPaul

Oregon

3.95/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Milky chocolate brown head floating on top of total blackness. I stuck a cop-sized Maglite behind the pint and nothing. Smell is pretty mild with a hint of roasted coffee beans and malt.

Taste is rich and chewy and very much roasted malt and a bit of semi-sweet chocolate flavor. Not much hop flavor but the malts aren't too heavy either. Smooth finish with bitter coffee aftertaste, goes down really easy though, especially good on a cold windy day. Somewhat one-dimensional, but a great dimension I wish I could visit more often.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2004 02:08:18 | More by PopeJonPaul

MobBarley

Oregon

4.88/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

One of my favorites that I finally tracked down in Reno. Pours velvety black with a glint of reddish-amber light at the bottom of the glass. A handsome, two-finger cocao brown head that leaves smudges of lace graces the top. The aroma features big toasted barley notes with the underlying Deschutes-level dose of Cascade hops. Chocolate, chicory and toasted rye also come to mind. The taste is something to behold and it makes this one of the finest tasting stouts around. Big chocolate flavors lay the foundation, with a sweet, almost fruity middle before a pretty dry, bitter and toasty finish. Mouthfeel is thick and chewy, but not so much so that it precludes warm-weather drinking. Drinkability is fantastic. They don't come much better than this.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2004 01:43:58 | More by MobBarley

ark57

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It pours an opaque black with a light brown head. There is a lot of roasted character in the aroma (coffee and chocolate) and virtually no hops. The body is full and smooth with some sweet cream and coffee and slight chocolate. Burnt malt in the finish with a slight grassy/hay hop taste. It is a good drinking stout, but there is nothing that jumps out at me.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2004 13:15:24 | More by ark57

goindownsouth

South Carolina

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

Presentation: Much thanks to weefisheads for this 12 ounce bottle sample. I love Deschutes labels...

Appearance: Pitch black. Blacker than black, with a surprisingly lighter-colured, yet somewhat more viscous head than I thought.

Smell: Coffee. Good strong black coffee, with heavy doses of roasted malts balancing things out.

Flavor: Surprisingly sweet. Very malty, and almost chewy-so. Rich coffee flavor...espresso, to be sure.

Bottom Line: A fantastic brew. I don't think I have had an Imerial stout, to date, but if I would, I would think this stout would compare rather favorably. I would think this could be considered a big stout. One of my favorites, hands down.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2004 23:49:23 | More by goindownsouth

chaduvel

Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to alexgash for this one. Pours a you guessed it obsidian black/very dark brown with a dark head that you could eat with a spoon. Smell is raisin, rum, cocoa, and some hops. Full bodied mouthfeel. Taste is dominated by thick malts with a distinct and prominent mineral flavor, makes me think of river water. Lingering bitter chocolate and roasted flavor finish off this high quality stout.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2004 15:13:10 | More by chaduvel

tavernjef

Minnesota

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

Obsidian sits in the glass a used oil black color with a firm pinky high head of light brown hue, turns a bit crusty as it fades and leaves a very thin skim on top and thin whispy sheets of lace stick.
Aroma has a soft bakers chocolate and a good load of dry coffee thats well rounded and quite roasty, nearly burnt. Taste is quite roasty as well, burntish dark malts, slight coffee tone, slight bittering, all gaining a bit more in the finish which is nice. Finish builds with an overall burntness with touches of coffee and bitterness, turning dry and fading off slowly leaving more bittering coffee notes and later still, some chocolate. Nice finisher. Feel is just past medium body, nearly full with a solid carbonation and pretty strong with its drying efforts where burntness and coffee sensations really take hold. A solid stout, not what I'd call a super drinker with more then I like for burntness and coffee drying, but very nice to let settle and sip.
Thanks to xlperro for the bottle!

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2004 03:56:12 | More by tavernjef

jwilli7122

Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours your stout-typical opaque brownish black with a monster rocky tan head made of a combination of humongous and tiny bubbles.
smells like alchohol, loud dark fruit, and roasted malts.
taste is hop spiced dark fruit - grapes and plums especially- and chalky bittersweet chocolate...notes of alchohol...roasty finish but not as big as in many stouts.
mouthfeel is dry and fairly thin with some alchoholic warmth.

this is very fruity for a stout. I'm not real big on fruit flavors, but if you are, you will like this.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2004 00:42:23 | More by jwilli7122

rkhaze

California

4.72/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours jet black with a medium sized foamy brown head. Roasted malt, chocolate and coffee in the aroma with a bit of fruit.
Great balanced bittersweet taste. Dark roasted malt and caramel sweetness with french roast coffee and red fruits. Rich creamy chocolate, a zippy, yet subdued hop presence and a whisper of smoke. Outstanding Stout!
Medium to full bodied with a rich, creamy semi-oily mouthfeel and just the right amount of carbonation. Awesome drinkability for such a big, flavorful Stout.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2004 01:30:47 | More by rkhaze

zacharius

Washington

3.95/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer pours out black like the devil's heart with a frothy tan head. Smell is of chocolate and caramel malty goodness. Taste is hearty with a dry coffeelike roasted malt taste underpinned with a bit of sweetness from crystal malt. Hop character takes back burner but in balance and typical for the style. Neverending dry roasted malt aftertaste. Silky mouthfeel but not too heavy in body. Good alcohol content but presence is masked. This beer is very drinkable but still puts hair on your balls.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2004 06:47:34 | More by zacharius

RootedFool

California

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

Six pack purchased at the grocery store.

Pours impervious black with a medium-bodied chocolate milk head. Some foamy scraps of lace left on the glass.

At the top of the smell is burnt chocolate followed by a roasted malt depth.

Taste begins with a slight hop bitterness flooded with a roasted malt sweetness -- almost sour, but just slightly -- and then the chocolate and coffee depth come through, with an aftertaste of singed malt.

Mouthfeel has a nice airy creaminess to it.

Not a bad stout!

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2004 05:27:20 | More by RootedFool

kbub6f

New York

4.6/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A small, dark tan, dense head sits on a dark, opaque, black beer. Bright light shows a little red. Nose is roasty coffee... a little sourish. The front is smoky, roasty, coffee, toffee and a bit of chocolate. Nice. The thick, strong, chocolatey middle is buttery and a little fruity with temperature. Bitter, chocolate, tangy finish. This is a very good, high quality, tasty, strong stout. Very well balanced. Excellent.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2004 22:59:33 | More by kbub6f

mickeymac

California

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

This has been a great week. After never coming across Deschutes, I've had a chance to try Black Butte Porter, IPA, and Obsidian in the course of a few days. This is my favorite of the three I've tried so far. Just the faintest trace of light shows through the inky darkness. The head is a tan monster that sticks to the side of the glass and leaves little islets over the top of the beer. Roasted malt, coffee, and just a trace of nut swirl around nicely. A nice hop bitterness kicks in at the end to make things even more interesting. Drinkability? It could be dangerous at this abv.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2004 05:32:38 | More by mickeymac

woemad

Washington

4.4/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Sixer bought at either Huckleberry's or a Rosauer's (same owners, regardless) in Spokane for somewhere between $6-7.

Poured a deep, dark, oily black Head was moderately sized, fluffy and dark tan. Slight lacing. Nice, foamy collar.

Smell is of those smells that one expects from a classic stout: Rich, dark chocolate; dark,roasted malts; dark fruits a la raisins, figs; high quality black coffee. All wrapped in a slight, beguiling smoky scent.

Taste was every bit as rewarding as the scent foretold. This is a yummy stout! The first taste is of velvety chocolate, swiftly followed by the rich bitterness of dark fruits. At the swallow is more of the chocolaty character, along with a very slight hoppy crispness.

The mouthfeel of this stout is oily and thick. The last thing I had this oily was an Anchor "Our Special Ale." Very good company.

This a little bit thick and rich for session drinking, so I slightly graded down in drinkability, though I'd be only to hapy to have 2-3 of these, so long as there is room in my stomach. This would be an excellent accompanament to a rich dessert.

This is probably my favorite NW stout. Though I've been drinking Black Butte for years, I've been gravitating more towards the other fine Deschutes beers lately. They are definitely doing something right down there in Bend.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2004 21:50:22 | More by woemad

ecoboy

Rhode Island

3.88/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

The label description of this stout implies that it is a good stout choice for both stout fan and stout newbie. Really??? The 6.7% abv is the high end of stouts in my experience, and this ain't no nitro Murphy's (which I tried in the same go-round of tastings, and I would consider more appropriate for those unfamiliar with the style.)

A thin reddish brown head resulted from my pour. Obsidian is good as a jumping-off point for color, jet black it is, but with some surprising tan sediment in suspension. A little bottle conditioning intended?

Nose is not as redolent of alcohol as expected; it's actually a fairly light aroma of rich roasted chocolate and chocolate cake.

Some of the Sam Smith's Imperial Stout "oiliness" in the mouthfeel. Taste is big and powerfully alcoholic; rich chocolate and coffee are here. Beginning stout drinkers drink this? Really??? I see this as more of a "nitro can stouts are for wimps" selective drinker's taste.

Bituminous Stout might be more appropriate.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2004 19:04:30 | More by ecoboy

aracauna

Georgia

3.58/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

The carbonation is a little high on this one. The head is nice an large, but a little airy because of the heavy carbonation. It settles into something a little more dense later on. Nice black and when you get to the bottom of the glass, you notice its base is a nice ruby. Heavy on the caramel, a little roasty, but not really a big flavor for a stout. The body could benefit from a slightly lower level of carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2004 04:41:20 | More by aracauna