Better stay on the “Nice” list this year because Deschutes Brewing has three different versions of the Abyss maturing for the cellar geeks in the crowd. There will be the usual Imperial Stout version but this year flanking it will be a Rye Whiskey barrel aged version on one side and a Cognac barrel aged version on the other.
Oregon Collaboration Review # 3 – Deschutes & Widmer
You can tell right off the bat that this is a whiskey barrel beer that Widmer and Deschutes have put together. Wood chips and sweet caramel and a touch of the alcohol heat make this less German and more Kentucky. Back in December (and in Oregon) you could sample the barrel aged bitter next to the barrel aged alt, next to the blend of the two. I wish I had that luxury. I would love to see which beer stood up stronger against the whiskey. Because that is the main component that I get from this beer followed by a little bit of bitterness and spice. You could tell me that it is an imperial brown or an old ale and I wouldn’t be able to talk you off that opinion.
All that said, this is a a smooth and flavorful beer. I just wished that it was a little less barrel-y.
Up From the Cellar – The Stoic from Deschutes
Deschutes Brewery is in the Up From the Cellar spotlight this month and we first cut through the wax on the bottle of The Stoic. Now this bottle had a “Best By” date of August 2012. So we are a year and half past their expert opinion. Which I trust because they deal with this beer more than I do. That doesn’t bode well for the taste on this beer though.
Thankfully, my Ratebeer review of the beer comes from around the time that I bought this bottle. So now I can compare what I thought then to now with a little more accuracy.
From 2011: This is a big and smooth beer. Slightly viscous. Big raisin and prune type flavors intermingle with just a touch of oak in the background. A by the fireplace beer.
Oh the wax seal on a bottle. How I am fearful of and challenged by you. I actually was able to gain a foothold for the opener to pry off the cap without having to hack off too much wax which was an accomplishment. As I cleaned up, a gentle cork sized bubbling very slowly foamed up the neck. I would have had to wait another 30 minutes probably for anything to actually gush out.
This version had pomegranate added and 16.5% was aged in oak wine barrels and another 16.5% was aged in oak rye whiskey barrels. Why that very precise amount, I don’t know. Maybe they tasted 17% and said that was too much.
The pomegranate is potent in this. Sticky and sweet. In both aroma and taste. Still has some bubbles to it which helps alleviate that minor flaw. There is a minor undercurrent of tannic wine notes but it is below the surface for sure. It doesn’t taste boozy at all though. Which I thought it would be from the whiskey barrel. The more it warms up in the glass, the more prune type of notes rise up. But they never reclaim the top spot from the pomegranate.
THE VERDICT – I guess we learned today that pomegranate doesn’t drop out of aged beers. Good to know! Both of the barrel aged portions must have though which robbed this beer from being balanced. I mentioned viscous in my initial review and that is still here too. It is quite silky in the mouthfeel. It is less a “fireplace” beer now and much more of an after dinner sweet drink in the vein of a sherry. I would have to label this experiment as not working. I should have took the labels word for it.
Class of ’88 – Part 2
I have two of the three versions of the first Class of ’88 beers and I hope to try both versions of this smokey offering as well.
December at Far Bar
Deschutes Reserve Series 2012 Pouring Monday, December 10th 6pm
“We will be pouring all three of Deschutes 2012 Reserve Series releases for this event: Black Butte XXIV, The Abyss and The Dissident (bottles). BB XXIV and The Abyss will be on draught while we will have very limited amount of The Dissident pours from the bottle. The Dissident we’ll only be offered on a flight of all three, while the other two will be available by flight or individual pour. We’ll have other Deschutes beers available on draught as well. So come out and join us for a very rare chance to taste this amazing line of beers all at once.”
Fifty / Fifty Eclipse Release Party Thursday, December 13th (Time TBD)
“We are very proud to announce that we will be hosting the LA area release party for the Fifty/ Fifty Eclipse series. The Eclipse Series has become one of the most elite and sought after Barrel-aged lines in the industry over the last four years. Every year the multiple time award winning brewery from Truckee, CA sources out some of the finest used oak bourbon and rye whiskey barrels then take their award-winning Totality Stout and age separate lots in each brand unique barrel for six monthsWe will have* Elijah Craig 12 year * Evan Williams Single * Rittenhouse Rye * Old Fitzgerald Bourbon * Bernheim Wheat Whiskey will all be pouring from the bottles as well as a couple of the treatments on draught (we’ll announce once we know which we’ll be receiving). We will also be pairing each treatment we receive with the corresponding whiskey from which the barrel it was aged.”
India Red Lager
The 2nd annual PDX Beer Week begins tomorrow in Beervana and the 2012 official beer is a collaboration between Hopworks and Deschutes and is a style mash-up, an India Red Lager.
So, if you find yourself in Portland between tomorrow and the 17th. Be on the look out for this limited time beer.
Deschutes + Hair of the Dog =
I don’t normally do the cut and paste for an entire press release but this is momentous for beer geeks everywhere…
Bend, Oregon (April 2010) – Deschutes Brewery and Hair of the Dog Brewing Company today announced that they are working together on an exciting new beer. These two Oregon companies have taken a completely different approach to developing their companies since their founding, and are looking forward to blending their two styles together for a new beer to be released in 2011.
“When we started talking about collaborating on a project, Alan Sprints at Hair of the Dog was the first person I thought of working with,” said Gary Fish, president of Deschutes Brewery. “We’ve known each other for a long time and partnering on a project like this was the perfect way to be able to do something original and unique together. When you have two creative companies embarking on a creative project together, something fun is bound to result.”
Sprints came over to Bend in early March to brew two of his beers at the Deschutes Brewery brewhouse. Then it was Deschutes Brewery brewmaster Larry Sidor’s turn to brew two of his own beers. These four beers (which will remain unnamed as yet) will be aged in various wood barrels and then blended together sometime in early 2011 in a ratio yet to be determined as part of the creative process. Over the next several months, Hair of the Dog and Deschutes Brewery will be meeting to sample the aging beer and contemplate the blending process.
Sprints said, “This partnership was born in an effort to express the vitality of today’s American brewing community and push the boundaries of what is commonly known as beer. Both of our companies share a pride in Oregon products and I have long admired the level of professionalism that Gary brings to the brewing industry. My idea was to do a blend of beers that we already produced, merging our products and passion for beer, hoping to create a beverage that will be deep, complex, earthy and beguiling.”
This is the first collaborative beer for each of the companies, and everyone is excited to see how the new beer will develop. Fish continued, “We have no idea how these four beers will taste blended together, but we do know that the total will be greater than the sum of its parts.”
news from Deschutes
From the Deshchutes team…
This ‘Super Jubel’ was discovered by accident two decades ago when a clumsy burglar didn’t realize the weight of his stolen keg of Jubelale. He dropped it outside to freeze in the season’s sub-zero temperatures – only to be discovered the next morning by Gary Fish, Deschutes Brewery owner. More than half the liquid in the keg had frozen and the remaining beer was a very cold, highly concentrated ‘Jubelale on steroids.’ It was so good that the brewers set about recreating it, coming up with an annual ‘Super Jubel’ that is aged in oak barrels. A limited amount has been available on tap every year, 2010 will be only the second time that the brewery has bottled up this brew for sale. The first time it was available by bottle was a special millennium edition in 2000.”
Kris Kringle – Day 2
Every year, fall’s crisp, cool air signals the imminent arrival of winter. Thoughts of snow, friends and family, the holidays, and — Jubelale. Brewed with dark crystal malt creating a luscious holiday note with bountiful hops to excite your taste buds— it’s easy to see why Jubelale is the perfect complement to the season.
Every year Deschutes Brewery selects a local artist to create an image evocative of the season’s festive atmosphere. The intricate and unique art on the label enhances the Jubelale experience much like beautiful wrapping paper enhances a gift.
Central Oregon artist, Tracy Leagjeld, had fresh snow in mind when she designed the label for this year’s Jubelale.
“One of my favorite things about Central Oregon winters is how often we wake up to blue skies after a winter storm,” said Leagjeld. “In this painting, I was trying to convey the feeling of a crisp snowy morning being warmed by the sun’s rays, and how lucky we are to have the Deschutes National Forest as our backyard playground.”
Mirror Mirror
The latest spontaneous Beer taste.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkmK6xOB7lg]
Have you tried this beer? Let me know what you think.