Deschutes fans become Deschutes fans because of classic Dark Beers like Black Butte Porter and Obsidian Stout. But, they become lifelong devotees once they taste the 43x GABF award-winners’ barrel aged masterpiece, The Abyss.

For those folks, today’s opulent 2011 vintage needs no introduction. For those of you who have yet to dive into The Abyss, meet the: 

• Winner of 7 Gold Medals, from competitions like the World Beer Awards and the Great American Beer Festival. 
• Earth-shattering rating-topper, with an insane 4.30 on Tavour. 
• World-class Stout ranked in the Top 50 American Imperial Stouts in the World on BeerAdvocate.

10 years ago, the brewers loaded this 11% ABV behemoth with a soul-shaking amount of blackstrap molasses, licorice, real cherry bark, and whole vanilla beans. Then, they aged half the batch in oak Bourbon, oak wine, and New American oak barrels, injecting its already decadent layers with a distinct jammy-dryness and a warm, caramelly depth. 

Finally, Deschutes' dexterous brewers fused both the barrel-aged and original versions together and bottled it. Since all that happened back in 2011, this vintage of The Abyss has only increased in luxurious complexity.

With each silky sip, The Abyss’ roasty character eases from espresso to something more like pure, bitter cocoa, allowing notes of caramelized brown sugar to rise to the forefront along with nuances of dark cherry. Waves of silky ganache and an oaky vanilla softness come through on the finish. 

Be lucky enough to score a bottle now, and your stash is guaranteed to make even the most experienced Stout lover green with envy! 

Rated 99/100 on BeerAdvocate; 4.389 on Untappd; Top 50 Imperial Stouts in the World on BA

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