The Abyss - Brandy
(has 1 batch)

22 oz. bottle, pours a thick motor oil black with a light brown head. Aroma is rich, with lots of roasted malt, chocolate fudge, brandy barrels, and light vanilla beans. Flavour is rich and complex, with loads of chocolate fudge, brandy barrels, vanilla and medium roast. So much fudge and brandy, without being too boozy. Decadent and deep. Fantastic.

22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled on 12/9/2016. Pours dense pitch black color with a 1-2 finger dense tan head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, molasses, licorice, fudge, orange peel, raisin, plum, fig, date, cherry, red wine, vanilla, toasted oak, leather, tobacco, dark bread, coconut, light smoke/charcoal, and roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Incredible aromas with fantastic complexity and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, brandy barrel, and and molasses/spice notes; with great strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, molasses, licorice, fudge, orange peel, raisin, plum, fig, date, cherry, red wine, vanilla, toasted oak, leather, tobacco, dark bread, coconut, light smoke/charcoal, and roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Light roast/char bitterness and brandy/oak spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, molasses, licorice, fudge, orange peel, dark fruits, vanilla, toasted oak, leather, tobacco, dark bread, coconut, light smoke/char, roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, brandy barrel, and molasses/spice flavors; with an amazing roasted bitter/sweet and brandy/oak spiciness balance; with zero cloying, acrid, or astringent flavors after the finish. Light dryness from roast bitterness and brandy/oak spiciness, lightly increasing through the glass. Light-medium carbonation and very full body; with a very smooth, rich, creamy/silky/velvety, and lightly sticky/chalky/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is awesome. Mildly warming 13.3%, with zero barrel booziness after the finish. Overall this is an insane Brandy barrel aged imperial stout! All around amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, brandy barrel, and and molasses/spice flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV. Extremely rich and complex. Pretty much perfect balance of the Brandy barrels; great presence, without being overwhelming, tannic, boozy, or drying. A really amazing and world class offering; equally as impressive as the Scotch barrel version. My favorites so far of the Abyss lineup.

Bottle shared at a tasting. Pitch black pour with a fine-grained tan head, slow to rise to the surface. Notes of roasted coffee, molasses, smooth licorice, roasted malts, dark chocolate, dark cherries, dark fruit, light smoke and smooth brandy barrel notes, well integrated into the blend. Another great Abyss.

Waxed bomber. Bottled 12/8/16, a little over three months ago. Aroma is soy sauce, raisin, chocolate, leather, tobacco, licorice. Pours black with a thin tan head that laces a little bit. Taste is sweet, savory, a tad tart with earthy flavors matching the aroma along with pronounced coffee character and some booze; finishes bitter. A great beer, but I’m not getting much brandy barrel influence here. Bourbon barrels work better with this beer.

Bomber from the Midtown BevMo in Sacramento, CA. Pours dark brn/blk with a dark tan head. Aroma of chocolate, dark fruits, brandy. Med ++ body. Flavor is chocolate, brandy, dark fruits, dark malt, treacle, anise, but not getting wood as such. Brandy is solid. I’m thinking it pairs well with Cowgirl Red Hawk. Drier than expected!!!

Bottled October 9th 2016.

A: Pitch black, super tan coloured foam that was substantial at the pour, shrank to a fine broken layer.

S: Roasted malt, Brandy, dark fruits, semi bitter chocolate, mild coffee.

T: All of the above with vanilla and a surprisingly smooth, read minimal, intrusion of the hefty abv.

M: Full bodied, I get a sense of perfect carbonation.

O: Another example of The Abyss that’s 100% barrel aged and how that does so much good.

Bottle from Whole Foods. Pours a jet black color with a large light brown head that quickly goes down. A huge vinous nose, licorice, roast. Wonderful creamy palate. Very sweet, vinous, sugary brandy, some heat but not distractingly so, licorice, light vanilla, oak, roasted malt, dark fruit and leather. The core the the Abyss has always been dark roast, licorice and really dry roasted notes, this is there. But the barrel is quite big. Lovely beer. Not overpowering but the brandy is very big. Awesome.