The Abyss - Deschutes Brewery

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BA SCORE
100
world-class
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3,119 Ratings

THE BROS
96
world-class
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rAvg: 4.56
pDev: 9.65%
Reviews: 1506
Hads: 1613

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Brewed by:
Deschutes Brewery

Oregon, United States

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

Availability: Winter. bottle (1339), 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 dbc5:

dbc5

Ohio

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

2010 Vintage in Duvel Tulip

Appearance: Pours viscous as hell. Not quite Bourbon County thick, but close. Motor oil black; absolutely no translucency. Nice chocolate colored, 1 finger head with a moderate pour. Head dissipates quickly. Minimal lacing follows the beer down the glass.

Smell: Chocolate, coffee, and vanilla initially; bourbon detectable in the background. Bourbon presence becomes more prominent as the beer warms.

Taste: Hits the tongue sweet with milk chocolate, licorice and vanilla. Coffee and bitter dark chocolate follow, giving the beer a pleasant, roasty finish. The combination of licorice and molasses imparted sweetness and noticeable roast character are quite unique. The barrel aging is most apparent initially as vanilla. Consistent with the aroma, bourbon becomes more detectable as the beer warms, although it still plays more of a backseat, complimentary role compared to other more bourbon forward barrel aged stouts. There is certainly a fair amount to comprehend in the flavor profile. This bottle is still relatively young and with time, everything will incorporate more cohesively.

Mouthfeel: The apparent thickness from the pour carries into the mouth. Again, not Bourbon County thick, but this is definitely among the more viscous stouts.

Overall: Overall an extremely enjoyable and somewhat unique beer drinking experience. There is a lot going on with this one and to be fair, this bottle has not yet reached the brewers "best after" date. With a bit more time, I anticipate the flavors integrating somewhat and creating a more refined final product. However, this should not be read to indicate the flavor profile lacks in some way. This is a delicious and extremely enjoyable beer drinking experience. I am glad I cracked one at this stage to appreciate how complex it truly is, but also glad I have another to taste at a stage when that complexity has reached its peak.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2011 03:34:17 | More by dbc5