The Abyss - Deschutes Brewery

boomer31

Minnesota

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

2010 Vintage

A - Pours a viscous black with a deep brown head. Bubbles leave pretty quickly. Some stick on the glass

S - Roasty and chocolatey up front. Some oak and slight bourbon though very faint. A hint of alcohol as well.

T - Sweet dark malts, chocolate and roasty. Pretty sweet in the back, almost fruity sweet, maybe cherry. It actually clings to your tonuge. The more I drink the more the wood and oak come out. A very earthy bourbon, not over the top.

M - Nice low carb, very sticky and viscous.

D - A very easy beer to drink especially at 11%. Though this comes off very sweet at first the flavors are so nice and complex you keep looking for more.

A great beer for sure. Complex with the roast and chocolate blending with the wood and bourbon.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2011 23:06:48 | More by boomer31

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

MNPikey

Minnesota

5/5  rDev +9.6%

06-09-2013 03:55:45 | More by MNPikey