The Dissident (2019)

Opened a bottle i've been saving a few months over the weekend from the always dependable Deschutes, the 2019 brewing of The Dissident.  The 10.5% ABV take on the classic Oud Bruin was brewed with cherries and aged in oak and pours a coppery color with a white and quickly dissipating head.  Aromas of cherry and oak are evident along with a hint of funk, and the flavor is an acidic mix of said cherries, oak, and funk with some nice tartness to round things out.  It makes for a wonderful pre or post dinner libation.

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Deschutes 2017 The Abyss Rum

Finally getting around to writing about the The Abyss Rum, Deschutes' rum-barrel aged imperial stout from 2017.  I think i bought the bottle either in December of '17 or January of '18, then kept it locked away until Christmas, where it, along with a dozen other bottles accumulated over the year, was drunk with gleeful merriment.  It was worth the wait too.  Pouring a dark black with a tan head, the 13.9% ABV brew smells of rum, oak, roasted malt, cocoa, molasses, vanilla, and licorice.  Flavors of chocolate, malt, dark fruit, and toffee mesh well with the subtle oak and rum notes in this medium bodied beer, creating a pretty decent version of the brewery's staple.  As usual, i will stand by any version or year of The Abyss.  Find one...or more.

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Deschutes Black Butte XXX

I'm going to be writing about my Christmas beers for weeks.  It's a shame they're all gone, when i really could have used one last night after the refs stole the NFC championship and a trip to the Superbowl from my Saints.  But, moving on.  Deschutes consistently knocks it out of the park, which is probably why they've been around for 30 years.  To celebrate that milestone, the brewery released their Black Butte XXX 30th Birthday Reserve, a barrel aged imperial porter that weighs in at 13.6% ABV.  The beer pours a dark brownish black with a tan head and smells of malt, oak, chocolate, and some hints of dark fruit.  The flavor is a boozy mix of chocolate, oak, malt, and again those hints of dark fruit, all in a heavy mouthfeel that hangs on the tongue for a while afterward.  And you can really feel that 13.6% ABV.  An outstanding anniversary brew from an outstanding brewery.

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Deschutes Sagefight Imperial IPA

It's officially spring, which means it's IPA season.  From the always excellent and dependable Deschutes comes the Sagefight Imperial IPA, an 8% ABV tasty and intriguing brew.  The beer pours a cloudy gold and smells of hops, spice, citrus, and juniper berries.  The flavor is a complex mix of citrus and hops swirled with juniper berries and sage, all combining in a delightful punch to the mouth.  This beer is perfect for a cool and sunny day, but can totally sneak up on you if you're not careful.

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Deschutes The Abyss 2015 Reserve

"Like liquid God."

Last weekend was pretty beer-centric for me, a whole swirl of activity involving visiting a few local breweries with an old friend and hitting up this year's annual Beer Feast, put on by Flying Saucer.  Keeping track of all the beers i drank and sampled over Friday and Saturday proved easier than in events past (hint: write them down), but the cream of the proverbial crop had to be The Abyss 2015 Reserve barrel aged imperial stout from Deschutes Brewery (as well as the only brew i went back for seconds of).  Wow.  This yearly offering from the brewery comes in at a whopping 12.2% ABV, pours black with a dark tan head, and smells of roasted malt and chocolate with hints of vanilla, toffee, and booze.  The beer is complex with flavors of said malts and chocolate ebbing and flowing with additional notes of vanilla, licorice, molasses, and hints of the oak, bourbon, and wine barrels this thing gets aged in.  A phenomenal beer all around, i will have to be on the hunt for a 2016 edition over the coming months.

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Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA

I always love when breweries work with and tweak IPA's coming up with awesome and tasty combinations.  Deschutes Brewery offer up their Chainbreaker White IPA, a nice mix of Belgian white and IPA.  The beer pours a hazy light yellow, with a nice and foamy white head.  The aroma consists of Belgian yeast and malts, lemon, and hints of banana and grass.  The taste is malty, with the lemon coming in front and center, followed by notes of coriander and grass.  The hoppiness is slight, especially for an IPA, but still noticeable with hints of grapefruit coming on the back end.  A great anytime beer.

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Deschutes River Ale

Summer in Texas means trips to the lake to swim and ski and drink beer or trips to the river to float and swim and drink beer.  So, it was nice of the folks in Oregon's Deschutes Brewery to craft a nice summertime beverage with their River Ale.  The beer is a cloudy gold with a lot of floral aromas.  It tastes like a sweet, clean pale ale, with little hints of florals and caramel here and there, and it's amazingly easy to drink.  Cold, refreshing, and just the right amount of hops that give the beer a crisp and slightly bitter flavor.  Good stuff to beat the heat.  (Oh, and don't take glass bottles to the lake or river.  Use your head.)

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