Deschutes Brewery Black Butte XXVII – Imperial Porter at 11.6% ABV | 60 IBU (C$23.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, packaged on 20-Jul-2015, acquired 16-Oct-2015, reviewed 22-Jun-2020)
Appearance: deep cola red with one finger of loose light beige head diminishing gradually to a thin ring, spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: complex, red berries, stone fruit, molasses, bourbon, cocoa nibs, floral. (9/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium-full body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter warming slightly tart finish. (4/5)
The Great Cellar Drink Down continues. What? I’m in quarantine in a (supposedly) sold house, so I can’t get anything fresh, and who knows how long my collection will go into a storage unit after we pack up here and find a new house – could be months, easily, subjected to wild temperature variations. No, better it end here, with dignity: cue the swelling orchestra.
The third in a four-vintage vertical, this is now five years in the bottle. I haven’t done any of these fresh as a baseline here, but I last had this vintage just about two years ago, and I’m thinking it’s improved a smidge over what it was then. Specifically, I think it’s gotten a little smoother, with the flavours slightly better-integrated. The finish, in particular, seems to be more mellow now. Not quite enough to bump the scoring, but more of an improvement than I was expecting. A very nice one, overall. (17/20)
8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
