On Saturday we had lunch at Deschutes Brewery and I had to post some notes about a couple of great beers.

First, The Abyss, of course. Now I haven’t opened the bottle the Brewery sent me to review yet, but I couldn’t stop at the brewpub and not order this up. It’s still a little hot—the alcohol heat could stand some aging—but man, this is a good beer. Rich, full of roasted malts, black as night, with a rounded, blended body that speaks of good things to come. Served up in a snifter, a half-pint only at 11% alcohol.

The other beer I tried was the X-Tap Double Black, which was an Imperial version of their Black Butte Porter, aged in barrels (Deschutes is hitting this barrel-aging hard). Fantastic beer, creamy, full of dark-roast espresso and black licorice notes. I hope this is what their Reserve Series Imperial Porter will be… I might be buying a case of this also. At 10.5% alcohol, it was also served up in a snifter, a half-pint’s worth.

Both beers complemented my BBQ roast beef sandwich very well, by the way. Their specials menu recommended pairing with Black Butte Porter; something about barbecued meat and dark beers just really works.