Deschutes The Abyss 2007 - Tasting and Aging Notes
By jason on May 23, 2008 in Porters and Stouts, Reviews
Name: The Abyss
Brewer: Deschutes
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Vintage: 2007
Bottled On: December 2007
Cellared On: January 23rd, 2008
Original Tasting: May 8th, 2008
OK, so I admit that this wasn’t the original tasting for this brew. The first tasting I did was actually back in January when I first received my case. I was so looking forward to trying this beer that I didn’t want to spend any time trying to break the flavor down; I just wanted to sit back and enjoy it. And it was gooood! Now fast forward a few months, and I’m finally ready to try describing the experience.
Needless to say, there’s TONS of flavor in this beer. It’s deep and complex, with layers upon layers of flavor. There’s so much going on in this brew, I’m finding it a bit hard to bring it all together into a coherent review - but I’ll try.
The Abyss was a dark, dark brown, but It wasn’t quite as black as other Imperial Stouts I’ve had. It was dark in the glass, but it looked just like liquid chocolate as it poured. Lots of dark roasted smells were coming off the glass, along with the sweet smell of molasses. There’s a bit of burnt toast smell in there too.
There was a couple of constants with the flavor profile of this brew. Throughout my taste there was this wonderful dark roasted malt presence coupled with a fairly high level of molasses/brown sugar sweetness. Other flavors would move in and out as the drink progressed, but those two always remained.
Speaking of other flavors, the complexity of this brew was amazing. You’ll taste liquorice, dark chocolate, and just the right amount of bitter astringency from the combination of hops and roasted malt burnt toast flavor. Oak comes in about half the way through and rides out the finish, which was sweet and oakey with lingering roasted malts.
The Abyss was just amazingly easy to drink. Lighter in body then I thought it would be (although it was still a bit thick), with just a touch of alcohol to warm you up. No trace of fusels at all. Highly recommended, if you can find it!
Cellar Outlook:
Imperial stouts have been doing well in my cellar so far (check out my Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout and my North Coast Old Rasputin tastings), and I don’t expect this one to be any different. I’ll be enjoying this for years to come!
Next Tasting: January 2009
Jason
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