The Abyss: Stout brewed with licorice and molasses with 33% aged in oak and oak bourbon barrels.
In celebration of Deschutes coming to MN later this year I decided it was time to revisit one of my favorite beers. Even though I have 9 bottles of this from various vintages it is seldom consumed for fear that supplies will dwindle and I will be caught without stock when it is most needed. (Yes, I am a bit of a beer hoarder.)
Abyss doesn’t pour as dark as some other badass RIS but it’s a gorgeous opaque black once it hits the glass. As you can see this bottle was pretty lively but the 11% ABV cuts through the sand colored head pretty quickly.
The nose is something else. Malt totally dominates but not in the usual way. There are none of the usual dark fruit or caramel flavors but instead husky graininess and sugared coffee. Alcohol is slightly prickly; just enough to help lift aromas out of the glass.
Flavor. Oh boy. Here’s where The Abyss shines. The majority of the flavor comes from from roasted barley but that’s not to say that this is one dimensional. Full of coffee and bakers chocolate. Licorice and molasses come through in ways that I never imagined. Here’s the best part: just as soon as you get wrapped up in the complex malts, BAM! 65 IBUs whoop the sweet right out of your mouth. Subtle vanilla and oak combine to make a perfect and immensely complex finish.
Very full bodied, this beer is thick enough to eat with a fork. Alcohol is completely hidden. No warmth at all. Bitterness lingers on the sides of the tongue.
Deschutes is an amazing brewery and this offering really showcases their uniqueness. In a time where underattenuation and over-sweet are seen as positive qualities, high bitterness and understated barrel character set this apart from other big black beers. I can’t wait to have more of this in my life.
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