Final old review of The Abyss. Promise. Maybe.
"The Abyss (released 12/17/15) -Deschutes Brewery
Fuse mentioned a while ago that he felt intimidated by reviewing a legendary beer and that's how I feel about this one. I've heard about it for 5 years, maybe more, but never had the chance to purchase until this month, getting a nice shipment from a store in the midwest and I divided a bomber over the last 3 nights and sipped each sampling at cellar temperatures over 30-45 minutes each, thereby allowing them to warm a bit more during the tasting.
It's an imperial stout that is 21% aged in oak bourbon barrels, 8% in oak barrels and 21% in oak wine (pinot noir) barrels. Poured almost pitch black into an Allagash 250 ml tulip with a creamy, tan head that lingered longer than I would have expected. Rich aromas of heavily roasted malts, espresso, dark chocolate, dried dark fruits, red wine and a whiff of whiskey. Tastes as complex as the aromas, if not more so, with oak/wood, less espresso than expected (none added), black strap molasses (added), black licorice (added), blackberries, tannins, prominent vinous notes with a very subtle bourbon finish. Vanilla is also an ingredient but I missed that taste. No way I'd have thought 86 IBUs but their website states this and the ABV is a dangerous 12.2%. I'm not a licorice fan but this was extremely well done and balanced and not over-powering as I recall Uinta's Labyrinth was 2-3 years ago. Another very decadent concoction. The stamp on the label states "Best After: 12/08/16" but I couldn't wait another 7-8 months on this one. Luckily, I still have 11 more bombers..."