Black Butte Porter - Deschutes Brewery

macpapi

Maryland

3.98/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I've heard quite a bit about this beer from Oregonians so figured I'd have to try it out. It begins by pouring a dark brown--almost black--color with a slim tannish head. Smells of roasty malt and chocolate/mocha with a slight hop present. In all it is a nice and deep whiff. The taste has a nice deep flavor. Strong malt, followed by a chocolate aftertaste. It is very deep and bold and followed up by a bit of a bite in the aftertaste. In the mouth, this beer is full, deep and rich. The flavor lingers in a way that makes it memorable beyond each quaff. Although I am not a huge fan of porters, and 1-2 of these will suffice, it is overall a very good representation of the style. Smooth and well balanced.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2005 01:52:27 | More by macpapi

fretlessman71

Colorado

4.13/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pertinent Preliminary Comments: LOVED the Obsidian Stout… been looking forward to trying this one for a looong time.

APPEARANCE: Color of dark root beer. Dense off-white head, medium bubbles, some decent lacing.

AROMA: Cocoa and sweet coffee – had to take a second look and make sure I wasn’t smelling a chocolate cake! Light roasted character, pleasant, not overbearing. Not much in the way of hops.

FLAVOR: Oh, THERE the hops are! (Guess they heard me in the last paragraph…) Nice even semi-citrusy bitterness to even out the sweetness of the malt. Dark chocolate and black malt in the flavor, giving way to a rather dry finish. One of the few beers that has smelled sweeter than it tasted.

MOUTHFEEL: Pretty big in the mouth; good carbonation. Medium weight.

DRINKABILITY: Goes down as easy as you could want. 5.2% ABV is anything but multi-beer prohibitive.

OVERALL COMMENTS: Certainly brewed to style, and of the highest quality, if maybe a little lacking in the WOW category. If you showed up at my door with a 6er, I think I’d let you in.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2005 12:49:13 | More by fretlessman71

beerceller99

Louisiana

3.73/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Has a black color with a quickly fading tan head. Slight aroma of chocolate malts. Light to medium bodied and softly carbonated. Taste is nutty with roasted malts. Finishes mildly bitter.
Mildly flavored, this would be a good brew to introduce someone to the porter and stout styles.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2005 16:04:38 | More by beerceller99

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Let this one warm up as the real treasures arise when the temp goes out of the icebox. Opaque black with a purty head this is a nice roasty nose. The porter is not really thick or huge but rather for the alcohol it taste just right. Hints of caramel and coffee mix with the smooth finish. A good session porter.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2005 03:41:31 | More by canucklehead

slyke

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Deep, opaque brown in color with a 1/2 inch tan head that fades in a few minutes.

Smell: Roasty, coffee aroma, yum.

Taste: Very flavorful. A nice roasted malt flavor that dominates the taste with a crisp finish.

Mouthfeel: Good. Just what you'd expect from the style. Not too light, not overwhelming.

Drinkability: Very good. I could see sipping a few of these on a cold afternoon. For the warmer months, this would be a good beer to have in place of coffee with dessert.

Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2005 00:43:47 | More by slyke

Hunter

Arizona

3.6/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours black, although shades of deep ruby show up under strong light. Thick frothy head of tan bubbles, good lacing effects.

Aroma: Notes of chocolate, cola, cherries and smoke. Very smooth.

Taste: Much smoother than most porters. Initial hit of smoked barley gives way to subtle cola, mocha overtones.

Mouthfeel is much lighter and smoother than expected. Still the cloying aftertatse typical of the style but an agreeable one. Call this porter light if you must but a very nice dark beer that won't scare off your Corona-swilling buddies.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2005 03:46:45 | More by Hunter

Noxious26

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle served in a pint glass.

Pours out dark cherry in colour. Almost black, but slightly red. Head is a dark beige and quite dense.

Aroma is malty and sweet with undertones that are fruity.

The mouthfeel is full, thick and rich. Somewhat chewy.

I think I started drinking this too cold, because as the beer warmed the flavours showed up much better. Flavour is toasted/burnt and somewhat coffee. Slightly hoppy for a nice balance. Aftertaste is of burnt sugar. Reminds me of roasting marshmellows, atleast the burnt ones, only not THAT sweet.

Overall this is a very good porter. Nothing about it really WOWed me, but it is truly very solid. The appearance suffers slightly because the head didn't stick around as long as most porters. It's quite drinkable, but the burnt flavour would eventually have me craving something lighter to cleanse my palate. Whether you are a fan of porters or not, this is one you should definitely try.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2005 02:11:16 | More by Noxious26

MrNuggets

Oregon

4.9/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Oh Porter
Oh Porter,
Such fine service you sell.
I'll tip you a quarter
for work done so well.

"But what of this pail
delivered to you?
So full of dark ale,
I'd like some too!

Weakened by labour
my burden will stay.
A strong drink to savour
sustains me all day.

That smooth easy finish
refreshes me so.
See my mug deminish?
Back to work I go!"

Applaud & propel
make your stress shorter.
Goodbye & farewell,
Oh Porter
Oh Porter

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2005 04:16:58 | More by MrNuggets

JohnfromDublin

Ireland

3.93/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Tasted on 27th May 2005, best by just in date. Note change of label from one shown in these pages. Poured nice matt dark chocolate colour with a nice tan head. Smell was very good, a terrific sensation of burnt coffee beans and dark chocolate. Savoured this aroma for a while. Head started to settle, but a swirl of the glass brought a decent covering back. Taste was almost as good as the smell, and unusually the smells smelled were then confirmed in the tasting. Nice buttery mouthfeel that lingered. Very nice porter, not sure about being a session beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2005 15:47:56 | More by JohnfromDublin

chrisms86

Washington

3.38/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours very dark with a thin, frothy layer of head. Only with a bright light source can you just barely see some transperency.

Smells weakly of chocolate and toffee. After the first few sips I was really loving this beer, but towards the end she turned on me. The thin mouthfeel had me craving some Obsidian Stout. This porter has a great taste but it is not strong enough, it feels somewhat watered down.

With that said, this is a very drinkable beer. Not something that I'd swish around my mouth of a second or two, because of the toned down taste, but this is the kind of brew that you'll buy a six pack of and before you know it there are six empty bottles in front of you.

A good beer, but kind of an annoying one because it is bordering on being great, leaving something to be desired. I've focused more on the weaknesses of the beer but do be aware of the scores I gave it, it is still recommended. One of the better porters I have had. I've just been spoiled by the Obsidian.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2005 00:13:15 | More by chrisms86

ElGordo

Oregon

4/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep, very dark ruby/brown with a smallish tan head that doesn't last very long. Appealing nose of rich roasted malt, chocolate, brown sugar, and a slight earthy characteristic. Palate is redolent of toasted malt up front, with a touch of bitter hops mid-palate before finishing with a subtly sweet lingering taste of caramel malt. Sturdy body is good for the style, although a little foam develops in the back of the mouth. One of the few dark beers that I'll stick with for a whole session - I could drink this all day. Too bad I only have my one six-pack brought back from Oregon, so I have to ration wisely.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2005 03:23:00 | More by ElGordo

Brian700

Michigan

3.4/5  rDev -19%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This poured a nice dark ruby color. Almost black but you can see its not. The had is a tan color and sticks around for a while. There was some decent lacing while I had this one. I only had one bottle of this so I am assuming I had a good bottle and poured it well.
The mouthfeel was creamy but the taste isn't really anything great. It taste like it was headed in the right direction but it has a bitterness that seems odd...sort of like a bad pot of coffee. It isn't terrible but out of all the beers from deschutes, I definately would leave this one on the shelf.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2005 05:53:52 | More by Brian700

santoslhalper

Pennsylvania

2.28/5  rDev -45.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Appearence: Poured a simple dark ruby with an incredible fizzy foamy beige head.

Smell: There are vague smells of chocolate and toasted nuts, but honestly there's not a whole lot to sniff.

Taste and Mouthfeel: The taste consists of a really weird, almost moth ball flavored malts combined with an inappropriate hop bitterness at the end. There are no real strong, bold or even interesting quialities to the flavor. The mouthfeel is just a tiny bit creamy.

Drinkability and Overall: Dissapointing!! I loved their Obsidian Stout, but this one just wasn't for me. It just tasted incredibly bland and boring.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2005 06:30:10 | More by santoslhalper

troutmask96

Washington

3.73/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This is what a great porter should be. Pours night-black, with very little head. Smell is of roasted coffee, chocolate, molasses, and raisins. A little carbonated for my liking, but no alcoholic aftertaste. Oh, so smooth! One of the only porters I've found that can be consumed in multiples...

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2005 04:56:11 | More by troutmask96

IceAce

California

4.18/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Twelve ounce bottle with a best-by date of 04/06/05

With a name like Black Butte, one shouldn't be surprised that the description of this porter is jet black. The collar of foam is a medium tan and the collapsed area shows approximately 80% lacing. The nose is almost equal parts coffee and chocolate with a slight yeast note as a backdrop.

Entry of this brew begins with a light CO² scrub of the tip and sides of the tongue. Midtaste hits the rear of the tongue with coffee, with the chocolate following just a little further back in the throat. Finish contains a nice clean hop note and a slow roasted malt fade.

While this brew is plenty chewy, the mouthfeel is a touch watery and thin...seemingly the only drawback to this black gold. Great paired with smoky sausage or BBQ.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2005 06:45:19 | More by IceAce

KoG

Nevada

4.33/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I've always liked the Deschutes bottles, I don't know why. This one contained a dark bubbly porter that had agood head, stuck around for the entire consumption as it was fed by active cabbonation streams. Good lacing is nice and sticky

Smell is sweet and grainy with a slight hop presence giving it a refreshing aroma. Subtle chocolate comes through as well.

Taste is well balanced with vanilla and caramel hints. Starts out smooth and mellow and fades to a sweet dark malt before leaving the palate with a touch of hop bitterness and chocolate appeal.

Very easy to drink and at 5.2%( on the bottle) it would make a very nice session brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2005 07:56:00 | More by KoG

watermelonman

California

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This arrived nearly black with faint hints of dark ruby. There's very little head, but what was there lasted very well and left a nice curtain of lace.

The smell was nice but faint. The taste was full of very satisfying flavor. Roasted malts and chocolate make themselves known in a very subtle fashion.

This is a very good beer, all the way around.

Serving type: on-tap

12-23-2004 00:08:17 | More by watermelonman

germaniac

California

3.9/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours black, which makes sense, given the geological formation it's named after. Smells of malt, with a dash of chocolate sweetness. Tastes of roasted malt, coffee. Smooth, with just a little robust muscle to make it interesting. One to remember when the need for a good porter hits.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2004 23:10:37 | More by germaniac

SBPCGuru

Colorado

3.68/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked this up in Oregon last weekend, freshness date on bottle of 02/10/05. Poured dark black with 1/2" of head. Head disappeared after 5 minutes during this tasting. Left dots of lacing down the side of my tulip glass. Tasted of roasted malt with a slight chocolate presence. Taste of beer was the same from the time i drank it until I was left with an empty palate. Would definately drink this one all night long. Definately a Butte above the rest.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2004 21:38:36 | More by SBPCGuru

yemenmocha

Arizona

3.98/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Lives up to it's name. Definitely black. Opaque, even in a well lit room. Light tan head retains well.

Aroma is roasty and bready, perhaps brown ale baked beer bread. I detect a hint of marshmallow smores sweetness in the aroma.

On the palate the malt and hops mingle well, neither predominates over the other. Big roasty malt, yes, but a nice hop tang accompanies to remind you this beer does have balance.

Medium to light bodied, not as thick as you might expect from a porter. However, to me this yields a more drinkable porter which can be a virtue to some.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2004 04:25:29 | More by yemenmocha

mschofield

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep brown with some yeast floaties, topped with a two finger creamy tan head, leaves webs of lacing.
Coffee, floral aroma, a touch of chocolate.
Very robust taste, a bit tingly on the lips, roasty, coffee, chocolate, burnt bread, crystal malt, cracker, a bit acrid.
Medium-full bodied, great drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2004 18:01:47 | More by mschofield

HochFliegen

Oregon

4.22/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Black Butte Porter is well black. With a slight hint of a deep ruby color. A thick and creamy tan colored head formed when I poured. It stayed untill the last pull and it laced a fair amount while I enjoyed this tasty brew.
The smell is strong with chocolate malt with some coffee in the background. The aroma is quite pronounced and adds to the drinking experience of this porter.
On first taste it seems a bit rough( I like it) and harsh like I think a porter should be. Lots of chocolate and burnt coffee flavor which lingers in the taste buds. There is also a tart of sourness to the taste which is not unpleasent but to my surprise enjoyable and adds to the complexity and robustness of the flavor. Leaves my mouth watering for more.
Not to thick in the mouthfeel but just enough to be a good finish to a tasting session.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2004 03:07:50 | More by HochFliegen

marcobrau

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This one starts out with a great aroma of dark roasted grains (chocolate and coffee) with a bit of a lactic note, but it doesn't bother me. The color is good: not too dark (like the porter I just homebrewed); dark brown and ruby. The complexity of the malt flavors, bits of chocolate, rich caramel make for a very tasty porter. The hops are in the background with this one, they play a supporting role, making this beer nice and balanced. The body is perfect, not too thin, or too full. There is slight tart character that really makes this porter enjoyable. Too many ales are I try these days are too clean tasting. It's nice to get a little yeast flavor once in awhile, and this beer delivers.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2004 02:25:02 | More by marcobrau

RenoZymurgist

Nevada

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured a clear, dark burgundy almost black, brew with a inch and a half thick off white head that subsided to a thin film. The aroma is a beautiful balance of sharp black malts that give a burnt coffee impression. The flavor is clean and american in style but the brew pushes the boundaries with a barely perceptible hop bitterness that is immediatly overtaken by the black malt dryness. A smooth carmel malt sweetness balances the astrigency of the black malt but the dominating flavor is the black malt which is there on the inital taste and lingers on the tongue in the finish. I believe this to be an excellent example of a porter and it is one which helped me to formulate my personal definition of the porter style. The mouthfeel is light and smooth due to very little carbonic bite from the bottle conditioning. An excellent session beer this porter has a very enjoyable flavor that would be easy to drink pint after pint.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2004 18:49:27 | More by RenoZymurgist

GuinnessSmurf

Missouri

3.8/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: darkest brown body with a nice ruby red tones towards the bottom of the glass. It pours initially with a fluffy head but it quickly disolves.

Smell: Smell has chocolate and roasted malts, and a somewhat salty smell too.

Taste: Three part flavor here. Onset is very mild, milky, creamy. Next it becomes sort of tangy (sweet/sour). Then it quicky evens out and kicks in that chocolate malt flavor to the finish.

Mouthfeel: This is a very smooth beer, but the body lacks the weight that I look for in a porter. The flavor is very good and might be better enjoyed in a fuller bodied beer. On the other hand, a more slender body won't fill you up as quickly, so this may increase the drinkability for some.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2004 23:49:41 | More by GuinnessSmurf