Black Butte XXIII - Deschutes Brewery

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BA SCORE
96
world-class
-
639 Ratings

rAvg: 4.31
pDev: 10.67%
Reviews: 309
Hads: 330

Ratings Help

Brewed by:
Deschutes Brewery

Oregon, United States

Style | ABV
American Porter | 10.80% ABV

Availability: Limited (brewed once). bottle (270), on-tap (39).

Notes:
This beer is retired; no longer brewed.

IBUs 55

Info from brewery: "475 barrels were produced. 275 were bottled and the remaining 200 were put into kegs."

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Reviews

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Reviews by whatthehull:

whatthehull

California

4.8/5 rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Tulip

A - Dark black, 1/4 finger tan head and some sticky lacing

S - Beautiful bouquet, citrus hops, tons of chocolate, very nice coffee, vanilla, molasses, some dark ripe fruits, soil, American oak, sweet bourbon, roasted/sweet malts, anise and awesomeness

T - anise, chocolate, vanilla, molasses, coffee, ripe dark fruits, bourbon, wood, earth, soil, tons of malts, nice citrus, floral hop and more sugary goodness

M - full bodied, well balanced, medium acidity, great complexity and long sweet/bitter finish

D/O - So tasty, refreshing, crisp, awesome and just all around a great drinking and well made porter. Best I have had to date

Final thoughts - 11% abv and $11 a pop. Well done deschutes!

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 08:38:26 | More by whatthehull

More User Reviews:

vande

Illinois

4.5/5 rDev +4.4%

06-14-2013 00:11:16 | More by vande

pixieskid

France

3.75/5 rDev -13%

06-12-2013 13:06:15 | More by pixieskid

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.29/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

a great many thanks to claystation to giving me this carefully aged bottle for my birthday last month, what a legend. we finally cracked it and wow, is this ever impressive! it pours a rich chocolate brown color, dark, but on the thinner side, with beautiful but fading mocha lacing. the nose is lots or roasty malt, bitter burnt barley, subtle whiskey notes, and a lot of oak and cocoa, really complex, but also super mellow, just chilled out and patient. the flavor profile is a lot like the nose, very delicately balanced, with the malts taking center stage like you want in a big porter, but with the barreled portion really contributing a lot. I almost get toasted coconut from it, plenty of oak, chalky sort of cocoa flavors, and a buttery soft feel that hides a very powerful alcohol content. I love all the chocolate without the sweetness, and the way the bourbon brings it all together but doesn't overpower the beer like so many do. im sure this bottle would get even better with more age, but I could not imagine a more velvety liquid with so much satisfaction at each sip. I would love to get other vintages of this and compare...

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2013 21:04:32 | More by StonedTrippin

jarrgal

North Dakota

4.5/5 rDev +4.4%

06-09-2013 19:24:41 | More by jarrgal

MNPikey

Minnesota

4.75/5 rDev +10.2%

06-09-2013 03:54:26 | More by MNPikey

Stevedore

Wisconsin

4.33/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Wax bottle from the 23rd Anniversary vintage (2011), cracked and poured into CCB snifters to share with 3 friends yesterday, 5/25/2013.

Aroma: A nice, intense and hot nose overall. Picking it apart gives me some orange peel, a bit of coffee, lots of dark chocolate and a bit of vanilla. Basically I can tell its been aged in the barrel in the nose but I don't smell the bourbon directly. (4.25)

Colour: Looks great. Pours a dark, viscous black body with a thin tan head that disappears very quickly into a thin collar. Not much lacing to speak of. It just sits there looking all black and foreboding. (4)

Flavour: I really liked this beer's flavour profile. It starts out with a good dose of chocolate and molasses, accentuated by citrus rinds, vanilla and oak. There is traces of bourbon throughout. I'm not sure about the very end- its actually a little spicy, like as if chili peppers were added. Comes together well and is a pleasure to sip on. It's malty roast sweet up front with a bitter citrus coming in with a vanilla+oak kick at the end, but the citrus is more of the orange peel rather than a hop bitterness if that makes sense. (4.5)

Mouthfeel: Thick side of medium body with fair carbonation. Drinks smoothly and can't detect much ABV. Aftertaste is nice oaked-up spicy orange peel. Very interesting. Its to be enjoyed as a sipper for sure. (4)

Overall: Tasty beer, very complex, great flavour profile and overall enjoyable to drink as a birthday beer. Would drink again. (4.25)

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2013 08:34:53 | More by Stevedore