The Abyss Imperial Stout
Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR
Grade: A+
22 oz bottle poured into goblet, allowed to warm just a bit before consideration. Holy god, this beer is dark and heavy. Unflinchingly deep black alllll the way to the edges of the glass. Gnarly caramel-coffee head leaves a thick kiss of foam around the rim. Ridiculously complex on the nose! Rushing forth, in no particular order: coffee, chocolate, toffee, lavender, lilac, smoked salmon, blueberry, ocean breeze, sand, kalamata olives, pear, molasses, vanilla, truffles, mushrooms, redwood, oak, maple syrup... dear god, does it ever end? Flavors are similar, coasting on coffee, chocolate, burnt sugar and vanilla maltiness that bleeds into an expansive dark and spicy bitterness with prominent caramel and maple. Sweet and buoyant mouthfeel - all I can think of is a chocolate malt - is just as intense as everything else about this beer. Seriously, it could take several bottles to decipher what exactly is going on here. We're aging a bottle for a while, check back later on as we see how this gem changes with the seasons.
À votre santé,
Andrew
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