A Year of Craft Beer, Vol. 120, Deschutes Obsidian Stout

Hello interwebs peoples!

Tonight I am currently enjoying, as part of Deschutes Week, a very fine example of an American Stout, which like American Porters are an example of we Yanks tweeking an English or Irish stout origin often adding coffee or chocolate and having a great balancing act with the hops.  This beer is very much like last nights porter from Deschutes, but roastier and hoppier!  Oh yes!

I poured this beer from the bottle at about 60 degrees F and it is clear and black just like obsidian but with some brown showing through and the head is a full finger thick and creamy brown and leaves another cool outline of a mountain peak on my glass as lacing!  I totally should take a picture of that, but I am too lazy.

The aroma is definitely of coffee, chocolate, vanilla, some yeast and very little earthy hops.  Both sweet and bitter.  A nice combo.

It tastes even better than it smells with sweet roasted malt taking the lead then the creamy chocolate malts come into play with some hints of vanilla cream and then followed by the bitterness of the roasted malts and the earthy hops.  Finally it finishes dry with hint of black pepper and mild alcohol.  This beer is so well balanced and the dry finish lures you to the next sip!

The mouthfeel is creamy full and dry with light to moderate carbonation to play on your tongue.  The finish is dry and bitter but pleasingly so.

Overall, this has to be one of the best stouts EVER!  It's definitely NOT a crossover beer and if you don't like dry and bitter beers you may not like this one, but keep in mind that this is an excellent beer all around and you might be missing out if you think that it may be too bitter for you.  You may actually like it!  I love it!  5 out of 5!

Like I said, try it, you might like it.  You may have not liked this style 5 years ago and have been tuning them out (Mike G.) but this one is the best or one of the best in it's class!  Worth a half pint trial.

-Wiss