Black Butte XXVIII
Deschutes Brewery

Black Butte XXVIIIBlack Butte XXVIII
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From:
Deschutes Brewery
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
Imperial Porter
ABV:
11.6%
Score:
95
Avg:
4.27 | pDev: 6.09%
Reviews:
91
Ratings:
297
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Feb 04, 2024
Added:
Mar 29, 2016
Wants:
  6
Gots:
  79
Every year, we celebrate our anniversary with an imperial, barrel-aged version of our flagship Black Butte Porter. Our brewers love to experiment and they always add some fun new ingredients to this beer like chilies, cranberries, figs and other such treats. This year, to celebrate 28 years of brewing, they’ve added the interesting mix of ingredients above for another multi-layered flavor experience.

Cocoa, vanilla, peated malt, and sweet orange peel. 50% barrel aged bourbon and scotch barrels. The result is our 28th Anniversary imperial porter with bright orange and vanilla aroma, layers of toasty chocolate and and a warm smokey finish
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Btip1969:
Photo of Btip1969
Rated by Btip1969 from Oregon

3.83/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Jul 31, 2016
More User Ratings:
Photo of Mdog
Reviewed by Mdog from Minnesota

3.99/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Black, small head fades out relatively quickly.

Smell: Barrel, wood, vanilla.

Taste: A measured opening, some roasted notes with a bit of dark chocolate. Dark chocolate and barrel wood in the middle, then a bit of bitter coffee in the finish.

Overall: Never had this when it first came out, a local store had these for $5 so I picked up one to try with 7.5 years on it. If this was handed to me blind I would not be able to tell this was 7.5 years old. My guess is that the flavors have dulled but it is still a solid BA beer.
Feb 04, 2024
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.88/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Bottle from cellar. Near black pour, small ring of beige head. Roasty sweet aroma, cola. Taste brings a roasty bite, dark chocolate. Bitterness lingers, dry.
Jun 09, 2023
 
Rated: 4.16 by smi69 from New York

Apr 08, 2023
Photo of kitch
Reviewed by kitch from Hong Kong

4.19/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A 22 fl. oz. black waxed bomber, 28th birthday reserve, bottled on 13th June 2016. Poured into a snifter glass.

Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a thin khaki head that dissipates quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving spotty lacing.

Aroma: Dark fruit, raisin, prunes, orange peel, chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, with a hint of peat.

Taste: Lightly sweet, light roast, chocolate, vanilla, orange peel, bourbon, dark fruit, raisins, prunes.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.

Overall: A very nice sipper with lots of dark fruit, chocolate, orange and bourbon.
Feb 08, 2023
 
Rated: 4.11 by dms1767 from Nebraska

Oct 20, 2022
 
Rated: 4.15 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Nov 27, 2021
Photo of EMV
Reviewed by EMV from Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a wax-topped bomber into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Dark, dark brown pour... nearly black with 2 fingers of mocha colored head. Nice ring of lacing.

S: Dark fruit, orange rind, and bourbon. Vanilla and sweets.

T.F: Semi-sweet up front. Bourbon and vanilla... dark fruit. Plum and fig. Roast and caramel. Chocolate, orange, and the barest whiff of smoke. Complex... black cherry and peat. Medium bodied... smooth and warming.

O: An outstanding barrel-aged porter. Still fantastic after several years in the cellar... complex with loads of fruit, chocolate, and booze. Loved this one.
Jun 17, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by Jdells09 from New Jersey

May 03, 2021
Photo of Treyliff
Reviewed by Treyliff from West Virginia

4.35/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
22oz bottle poured into a tulip

A- pours black in color with a one-finger creamy khaki head that reduces to a ring and thin film on top

S- chocolate and smoky peat lead the aroma, followed by notes of orange peel, vanilla, raisins, figs, smoked meat, charred wood, cherry and a hint of bourbon

T- sweet chocolate and subtle smoke open up, followed by notes of vanilla cream and cocoa powder. Mid-palate gives dark fruit notes of black cherry, raisin and fig. The finish gives another wave of subtle peat that adds some smoke notes that gives campfire smoke and smoked meat. Lingers of light peat smoke, bourbon and chocolate

M- medium body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that turns into a creamy finish

O- the subtle smoked peat addition works very well with this one, very good
Apr 25, 2021
Photo of SHODriver
Reviewed by SHODriver from North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A: Poured into a snifter to a black beer topped by a dense and rocky finger of light tan head which fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass with some lacing.
S: Smells of orange peel, vanilla, dark chocolate, charred wood, and some barrel notes
T: Taste is charred wood and smoke up front with some orange peel and vanilla, nice chocolate coming in along with a hint of coffee and more oak. Slightly tannic at times with the peat surprisingly absent. On the swallow there's a nice piney hop note, more barrel, orange peel, vanilla, chocolate, and smokey charred wood.
M: This beer has a body which is smooth and on the heavier side of medium. Carbonation is soft but adequate for the style while the beer has a drying finish due to the ABV.
O: Overall this is another well executed anniversary beer from Deschutes. Really nice flavors and complexity that was executed very well. It's held up very well to time as well as this one has been kicking around for almost five years now.
Apr 09, 2021
 
Rated: 4.14 by 0x4a64 from Nevada

Dec 29, 2020
Photo of beergoot
Reviewed by beergoot from Colorado

4.22/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Black body; thick, creamy, khaki hued, long-lasting head; laddered rings of foam step down the sides of the glass. Some wisps of beechwood smokiness and ash; faint notes of roasted grain; even fainter notes of bitter chocolate. Semi-sweet chocolate in the taste; subtle smoke; very subdued vanilla; whisky booziness starts slow and mild and strongly builds through each sip; an interesting, sublime sweetness in the background; low-key bitterness; the faintest note of orange. Heavy body; dense and oily; coats the palate with dull notes of sweetness and bitterness.

The orange notes have (perhaps) faded some after 4.5 years, but the beer itself has aged well. I like the subtle smokiness. It nicely complements the alcohol and rich chocolaty character that predominates with this beer. The beer is well-rounded, has nice depth and complexity, and certainly satisfies.
Oct 23, 2020
 
Rated: 4.33 by MykeJ from Minnesota

Jun 10, 2020
 
Rated: 4.5 by zenithberwyn from California

Jun 08, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by dubnation from Kansas

Apr 14, 2020
Photo of mschrei
Reviewed by mschrei from Illinois

4.6/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Well, either I drank my first bottle of this and didn’t review it then for my new/old comparison, or I didn’t buy more than one. Either way, this one is very good with some age on it. It is 3 1/2 years old and extremely flavorful. Dark with tannish edges, minimal lacing. Smell is mostly barrel, some sweet notes of chocolate and vanilla, but I am reasonably sure there is no orange peel at this point. Taste is a nice mix of sweetness from the cocoa and vanilla and a very healthy presence of the barrels. The feel is probably the best part of the beer-a medium body with a strong boozy presence, very easy to drink with no oiliness or thickness. Warms up extremely well. This is a beer from them that I will buy every year, and this vintage is an exceptional reason why.
Jan 26, 2020
Photo of Rmcane
Rated by Rmcane from Missouri

4.8/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
Draft pour. Slight caramel head. Sweet nose. Light creamy mouth feel. Delicate aftertaste.
Oct 27, 2019
 
Rated: 4.77 by jmbeerdude91 from Arizona

Oct 06, 2019
 
Rated: 4.24 by UCLABrewN84 from California

Oct 05, 2019
Black Butte XXVIII from Deschutes Brewery
Beer rating: 95 out of 100 with 297 ratings