Black Butte XXVII
Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon, United States 🇺🇸
Porter - Pastry / Flavoured - Imperial Special Out of Production|
Score
7.76
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Our 27th Anniversary Imperial Porter was brewed with Theo’s cocoa nibs, pomegranate molasses and select spices, blended with apricot puree, and then aged in bourbon barrels. The result is a truly exquisite ale with bold chocolate character, inspired flavors of fruit, and just a pinch of spice. The perfect way for us to celebrate our golden birthday with you!
Malt: Pale, Wheat, Midnight Wheat, Chocolate, Crystal
Hops: Millennium, Cascade, US Tettnang
Other: Theo Chocolate Cocoa Nibs, Apricot Puree, Pomegranate Molasses
Barrel-Aging: 6 Months in Bourbon (50%)
Malt: Pale, Wheat, Midnight Wheat, Chocolate, Crystal
Hops: Millennium, Cascade, US Tettnang
Other: Theo Chocolate Cocoa Nibs, Apricot Puree, Pomegranate Molasses
Barrel-Aging: 6 Months in Bourbon (50%)
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8.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
22 ounce bottle into snifter, best after 7/20/2016. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass. Aromas of big milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toffee, molasses, toasted dark bread, raisin, plum, fig, apricot, and cherry; with lighter notes of coffee, smoke, bourbon, oak, vanilla, licorice, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, dark fruit, and light-moderate bourbon barrel notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toffee, molasses, toasted dark bread, raisin, plum, fig, apricot, and cherry; with lighter notes of coffee, smoke, bourbon, oak, vanilla, licorice, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate roasted bitterness and light fruit tartness on the finish; with lingering notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toffee, molasses, toasted dark bread, dark fruit, apricot, herbal, tobacco, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, dark fruit, and light-moderate bourbon barrel flavors; with a great roasted bitter/sweet and lightly tart balance; with zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light dryness from roast bitterness and fruit tartness, lightly increasing through the glass. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky, lightly sticky/chalky, and slightly acidic balanced mouthfeel that is awesome. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a light warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is an outstanding barrel aged blended imperial porter style. All around awesome omplexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, dark fruit, and light-moderate bourbon barrel flavors; very smooth and easy to sip on for the big ABV. A highly enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Jul 2016
at 21:56
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
15th January 2016
That’ll be me 20K then @ ChrisO’s. Thanks to Wingman. LIght haze on this amber - brown beer, small pale tan head. Palate is comparatively light, mildly dry and has decent fine carbonation. Tangy rfruits. Spice. Bourbon spice. Bourbon soaked dark fruits. Light finish bring more spice. The dark malt character fairly modest here. Warming afterglow.
That’ll be me 20K then @ ChrisO’s. Thanks to Wingman. LIght haze on this amber - brown beer, small pale tan head. Palate is comparatively light, mildly dry and has decent fine carbonation. Tangy rfruits. Spice. Bourbon spice. Bourbon soaked dark fruits. Light finish bring more spice. The dark malt character fairly modest here. Warming afterglow.
Tried
on 23 Jun 2016
at 13:27
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
650ml bottle from Whole Foods, Seattle, WA. Pours pitch black with a tiny head. Aroma of roasty malts, bourbon, apricot, wood, oak and cocoa nibs. Taste is smooth, slightly roasty and heavy with bourbon, wood, juicy apricot notes, hints of cocoa and vanilla. Finish is heavy and slightly roasty with some sweetish syrup, oak, coffee, cocoa and ripe apricot notes. Quite interesting and different compared to the other ones.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Jun 2016
at 12:53
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle split at Kenny Zwanzig Kay, thanks to the Wingman, 15/01/16. Light black with a decent tan covering. Nose is rich in dark fruit, spice, cocoa powder, jammy red berries, raisens, dark maltings. Taste comprises chocolate, roast malt, raspberry jam, light peppery spice, fruit cake. Medium + body, fine carbonation, sweet rise and a tickle o boost. Decent enough impy.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Jun 2016
at 10:25
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Poured from 1 pint 6 fl oz bottle [best after 7/20/16 - so a little early]. Dark black with tan head. Leathery molasses aroma with fruity texture. Taste of light apricot and pomegranate, chocolate, hint of ash and alcohol. Prefer older editions, but perhaps some aging will improve the next bottle of this.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Mar 2016
at 03:06
6.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle shared at Kenny’s 20k tasting - London. Cheers to Dave for bringing this one. Pours deep brown with a frothy, tan head. The aroma holds cocoa, dark fruits and scorched earth. Medium to heavy sweet flavour, lightly gooey, with earthy bitterness, bittersweet cocoa, charred wood, dried fruits. Full bodied and chewy, with fine carbonation. Warming finish, sugary, with continuing earthy bitterness, chocolate. Some chalky texture in the aftertaste. Good stuff overall, just a bit too heavy hitting.
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Feb 2016
at 01:21
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle shared at the Kenny 20K mega monster tasting. 15/01/2016. Many thanks to the Wingman Dave for this one. Clear dark reddy brown coloured pour with a lasting loose light tan head. Aroma is solvent hot alcohol, spicy Rye bread, jammy fruit, Little veg, . Flavour is composed of rounded bitter black malts, spicy veg, cinnamon, toasted, tangy bitter fruit, coconut, wood. Palate is medium full, tangy, moderate to high carbonation, milky. Nice depth of flavour.
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Feb 2016
at 15:38
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle 22fl.oz. @ [ madmitch76 - 20K Tasting ] - chriso & Boudicca House, London. [ As Deschutes Black Butte XXVII ].Dark dark brown color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, light beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, dark malt, bread, roasted, figs - dried apricot, bourbon notes. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a long duration, dark malt, roasted, bread, figs - dried apricot - pomegranate sweet, light chocolate - cacao, bourbon notes. Body is medium to full, texture is oily, carbonation is soft, finish feel is light alcoholic. [20160115]
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Jan 2016
at 08:15