The Abyss - Deschutes Brewery

ThickNStout

Georgia

4.55/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle from Brewforia. 12.99. Served in my $2 snifter from Goodwill. 2011 reserve. "Best after 8/4/12" but I just don't have that kind of patience to finally try this. 

Pours jet black with about 1 finger dense mocha head that quickly fades but leaves beautiful brown flecks of lacing. 

This smells outstanding! Aromas of coffee, dark chocolate, roasted malts, brown sugar, oak, faint vanilla, some dark fruit and a hint of booze. This is one of those stouts that I can keep smelling and picking up different notes as it warms up. 

Wow. The taste delivers what the smell promised and then some. Bittersweet chocolate and burnt coffe flavors hit first while there's still a bit of a chill on the glass. Roasted malts, slight boubony booze and wood start creeping in. Molasses, leather, brown sugar and hints of vanilla all pop up to varying degrees as it heats up. Long bitter (semi hoppy) aftertaste with the 11% abv only sometimes peeking through the myriad flavors. 

A viscous thick mouthfeel without much carbonation at all. Leaves a slick coating on the tongue. This is almost exactly like an imperial stout should feel. 

I'm glad to have finally tried this legend. The Abyss has rightfully earned a place as one of the finest, most complex stouts that I've tried. I wish I'd bought more than 3, seeing as shipping was a killer. I look forward to trying those other 2 once that "best after" date has long past. 

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 03:18:12 | More by ThickNStout

taylor714914

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev -1.3%

06-18-2013 23:03:24 | More by taylor714914

Jpirkle2715

California

5/5  rDev +9.6%

06-18-2013 01:51:47 | More by Jpirkle2715

Hophunter18

Delaware

5/5  rDev +9.6%

06-18-2013 00:58:07 | More by Hophunter18

Quafftastic

Virginia

4.75/5  rDev +4.2%

06-16-2013 23:28:20 | More by Quafftastic

midlifec

Michigan

4.75/5  rDev +4.2%

06-16-2013 22:34:14 | More by midlifec

aeroparrot

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -12.3%

06-16-2013 21:27:55 | More by aeroparrot

Rocklobsterbrew

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev -6.8%

06-16-2013 18:20:18 | More by Rocklobsterbrew

TheBeeraholic

Ontario (Canada)

5/5  rDev +9.6%

06-16-2013 17:18:56 | More by TheBeeraholic

errantnight

California

4.25/5  rDev -6.8%

06-16-2013 07:16:08 | More by errantnight

lunarbrew

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev -6.8%

06-14-2013 23:40:43 | More by lunarbrew

ACB

California

4.25/5  rDev -6.8%

06-14-2013 21:53:08 | More by ACB

kdmcguire10

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev -1.3%

06-14-2013 01:16:43 | More by kdmcguire10

vande

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev -1.3%

06-14-2013 00:08:20 | More by vande

blearbeer

Alaska

4/5  rDev -12.3%

06-12-2013 08:07:43 | More by blearbeer

Schlais

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -12.3%

06-12-2013 01:08:38 | More by Schlais

supa0525

Michigan

4.75/5  rDev +4.2%

06-11-2013 19:23:13 | More by supa0525

sarge27

California

3.5/5  rDev -23.2%

06-11-2013 04:49:11 | More by sarge27

Stevedore

Wisconsin

4.38/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Review #100!

Context: Shared bottles of '11 and '12 vintages with Dactrius and lunarbrew today, 6/10/2013; blinded & in snifter glasses. The review is based on my preferred vintage, 2012.

Aroma: Really really complex stuff. Smells incredibly mellow with a good chunk of chocolate and dark fruits. A little bit of roasted black coffee. The rest is pretty boozy. It promises a heavy night ahead for us. (4)

Colour: Typical imperial stout. Very dark brown, nearly black and opaque beer that is incredibly thick. Pours with a small <1 cm mocha head that sticks around as a thick film on top of the beer. Very tasty looking, but not necessarily heads and tails above other imperial stouts I've seen. (4)

Flavour: Nice! Super smooth but it roundhouse kicks you in the face with the sheer booziness and dark fruits. Very, very aggressive dark fruit (figs, dates) sweetness with a wee bit of vanilla. Not much oak, which isn't surprising as Abyss isn't even half barrel aged. But I really enjoyed the flavour profile on this beer. (4.5)

Mouthfeel: Really, really thick bodied and creamy in the mouth. Carbonation was OK, nothing special. The beer leaves a thin brown film when I swirl it, really thick beer. The lacing wasn't anything special, but damn this beer is really thick and creamy, very enjoyable to drink. The only thing that detracts from here is the booziness- you can taste the heat even from the beginning. (4.5)

Overall: the '12 was incredibly mellow, creamy and tasty. The '11 was a bit more subdued, not as "punch in the face" as the '12, but I appreciated the greater intensity of the flavours in the '12. It's a very excellent imperial stout that I would definitely grab a bottle per year if I had better access to Deschutes beers. (4.5)

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2013 03:55:43 | More by Stevedore

Dactrius

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -17.8%

06-11-2013 03:42:21 | More by Dactrius

No1Smitty

California

4.25/5  rDev -6.8%

06-10-2013 22:38:31 | More by No1Smitty

tinypyramids

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -17.8%

06-10-2013 02:25:31 | More by tinypyramids

Curt1

Minnesota

4.75/5  rDev +4.2%

06-09-2013 21:12:25 | More by Curt1

jarrgal

North Dakota

4.5/5  rDev -1.3%

06-09-2013 19:41:46 | More by jarrgal

Lurkerson

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -12.3%

06-09-2013 19:23:47 | More by Lurkerson