The Abyss is Here!

We received our allocation of Deschutes Abyss this morning, and it's ready for sale. Due to the overwhelming volume of calls and emails we've received regarding the beer we'll need to enforce a limit of 3 bottles per person (per day) for at least the duration of the weekend. This should allow us to provide at least 120 people with an opportunity to dive into the Abyss.

Here's what the brewery has to say about the beer:

The Abyss: Stout brewed with licorice and molasses with 33% aged in oak and oak bourbon barrels. It’s dark. It’s deep. It’s mysterious. Aged in French Oak and Bourbon barrels, this special brew has immeasureable depth inviting you to explore and discover it’s rich, comples profile. The flavor of molasses and licorice draw you in further and further with each sip. The Abyss beckons. Enjoy the journey.

On a related note, we still have a few cases of the two previous Reserve Series Beers available - Mirror Mirror and Black Butte XXI. If you're buying The Abyss as a gift for someone you might want to consider picking up one of each of these as well to make a deliciously decadent gift set for the beer lover(s) in your life.


ACK!!!! The delivery was rolling in as I wrote this, and unfortunately there were some casualties. When beer geeks talk about "drain pours" this isn't quite what they mean. :(

Finally...The Wait Is Over

Alright ravenous beer lovers of Portland, the Deschutes Abyss is finally here. I can't even tell you how many calls and emails I've received in the last two weeks, but I know the demand is going to be ridiculous, so if you haven't already scooped some up elsewhere I'd suggest stopping by ASAP.

I would be very, very surprised if our allotment lasts through the weekend, so don't say I didn't warn you. As previously mentioned, there is a one case limit in effect in order to spread the beer out to as many people as possible. Due to the incredible response, we're unable to take any reservations or holds; first come, first served.

Now that that's out of the way, we can begin speculating and hyping their newest project, the Dissident, which they're describing as a sour red ale "in the Rodenbach style". Personally, I'm probably more excited for that than I was for the Abyss. Don't get me wrong, I truly enjoy big imperial stouts, but I absolutely love a good sour ale.

Are you listening Deschutes? I'm not in the habit of making demands, but now that the Abyss has raised the bar (and your profile), we all have big expectations for this brew.



EDIT 5pm: The giant stack in the above picture is gone, and we have sold out of our entire allotment of Abyss. Rumor has it that Whole Foods on W. Burnside still has about 20 cases, but I doubt that will last long.

Deschutes Abyss v2.0

It's been almost a year since the first release of Deschutes' amazing imperial stout, and we still get calls almost daily asking if we have any left. Sadly, you'd be hard pressed to find a bottle anywhere other than someone's cellar, but good news is on the horizon.

A little birdie with good connections informed me that the new batch of Abyss will be ready in time for a December '07 release, meaning you've got less than 4 months of waiting before you can lay your anxious little paws on them!

I'm going to make a prediction right now; every beer geek in Oregon (and many from outside the region) will have this baby on their holiday wish list, so be sure to snatch it up quickly or you'll be left out in the cold.

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Tags: Beer, Deschutes, Abyss