The Abyss - Deschutes Brewery

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100
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3,128 Ratings

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rAvg: 4.56
pDev: 9.65%
Reviews: 1507
Hads: 1621

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Brewed by:
Deschutes Brewery

Oregon, United States

Style | ABV
American Double / Imperial Stout | 11.00% ABV

Availability: Winter. bottle (1340), on-tap (150), nitro-tap (12), growler (4), can (1).

Notes:
65 IBU

Vintages (production numbers from Deschutes):
2006 - Released December 2006 (approx 90 BBL)
2007 - Released January 2008 (approx 350 BBL)
2008 - Released November 2008 (approx 350 BBL)
2009 - Released November 2009 (approx 600 BBL)
2010 - Released December 2010 (approx 600 BBL)
2011 - Released November 2011 (approx 600 BBL)

View: Beers (94) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by cbarrett4:

cbarrett4

Oregon

5/5 rDev +9.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

The most perfectly crafted beer I have ever consumed (again)!

This review is for the 2010 release. Tasted with 2010 nitro, 2009, 2008, 2007 releases at the Portland Deschutes brewpub on December 1st, 2010 (Abyss release day!) Sadly they sold out of the limited number of 2007 and 2008 bottles within an hour!

2010 regular tap: showing very well, though youthful with a ton of astringency that will mellow with bottle age. This baby is heavy, rich, unctuous, and lively! The aromas and flavors definitely dwell on the dark and somewhat evil influence of dark, bitter chocolate with fruit notes from the licorice and hops. Tons of freshly ground espresso beans on the nose and palate. Also, there is a rich note of oak with grippy tannins on the palate. Sports a finish that goes on and on and on....

2010 nitro: same as above just slightly more texture and less astringency. Great for drinking now while the bottle and regular tap are a little intense. (Too bad it won't be around long!)

2009: tasted several times over the last year, and this was my latest taste. Still very young with emphasis still on rich tannins and hops. Needs 1 more year of cellaring!

2008: my personal favorite. This vintage is a little slutty ~ lots of rich chocolate on a polished and more subtle texture than the newer vintages. Cellaring has definitely made an improvement!

2007: if the '08 were an Oregon pinot, then '07 would be Burgundy. This vintage is smoky, velvety, yet subtle with more of the fruit and licorice notes present; also has a lot of espresso and some hints of toasty oak. My second favorite!

Serving type: nitro-tap

12-02-2010 23:33:04 | More by cbarrett4

More User Reviews:

Ahappyhiker2

New Jersey

3.55/5 rDev -22.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

2011 vintage.

A- Pours black, has a decent head on it, tan lacing.

S- Aroma is very sweet. Coffee, molasses, chocolate, and malt are the main flavors I get. A little bit of caramel as well.

T- Initial sip I get a lot of bitter dark chocolate. The flavor is very sweet, like the aroma. It has a good amount of barrel character, nice amount of oak. Coffee, caramel, lots of burnt notes. Again, very sweet, not too sweet though.

M- Medium body, as expected with The Abyss. I traditionally prefer stouts thicker, but for what it is it drinks very well. Could use some more carbonation, its fallen off a bit.

O- The Abyss is always a solid stout, though for the life of me I don't understand why it's one of the highest rated beers on this entire site. I've had it fresh and aged, several times. It always drinks well and has a good amount of flavors but I always feel like it lacks something. As I said it's solid, but it never blows me away.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 13:43:29 | More by Ahappyhiker2

bumchilly25

British Columbia (Canada)

4.25/5 rDev -6.8%

05-20-2013 02:53:47 | More by bumchilly25

Ctrauty

Minnesota

4.75/5 rDev +4.2%

05-20-2013 01:27:16 | More by Ctrauty

illy0sis

Texas

4.5/5 rDev -1.3%

05-20-2013 00:23:09 | More by illy0sis

moonknight31

California

4.5/5 rDev -1.3%

05-19-2013 17:00:19 | More by moonknight31

ShawnMH

Indiana

4/5 rDev -12.3%

05-19-2013 14:56:19 | More by ShawnMH

LambicPentameter

Kansas

4.5/5 rDev -1.3%

05-19-2013 04:23:45 | More by LambicPentameter

haknort

Illinois

4.5/5 rDev -1.3%

05-19-2013 03:28:14 | More by haknort

douginromeo

Michigan

4.95/5 rDev +8.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured aggressively into a snifter. Bottle says best after 11/1/13 but I couldn't wait!

Appearance - Black, thick, and impenetrable by light with a 1 inch beige head that hangs around for a good 10 minutes.

Smell - Chocolate, licorice, and coffee with a hint of bourbon. The smell of this beer is beyond complex - lovely sweetness and maltiness underneath everything.

Taste - Oh the taste - I swear I heard angel wings flapping as I savored it. So complex and balanced without a hint of booziness. Sweet on the tongue with everything you want in a barrel aged stout - chocolate, coffee, bourbon, and a nice bitter finish

Mouthfeel - So silky with just the right amount of carbonation. Oily and thick - this is what I expect from a huge stout.

Overall: my favorite stout that I have ever drank, replacing KBS. It's so well done and complex! I can't wait to taste my other one after it ages!

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 02:48:40 | More by douginromeo