Black Butte XXIX
Deschutes Brewery

Black Butte XXIXBlack Butte XXIX
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From:
Deschutes Brewery
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
Imperial Porter
ABV:
12.2%
Score:
92
Avg:
4.13 | pDev: 8.23%
Reviews:
82
Ratings:
229
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 09, 2023
Added:
Jul 03, 2017
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  36
Imperial porter brewed with Dutched cocoa, Saigon cinnamon, and cayenne. With 50% aged in bourbon and rum barrels.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by russpowell:
Photo of russpowell
Reviewed by russpowell from Arkansas

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Pours an effervescent ebony with 3 fingers of mocha colored head. Very good lacing & average head retention

S: Cookies, cocoa, booze & figs once warm

T: Follows the nose, a little booze bite, cola & dryness as well up front. Cinnamon, cayenne, dryness, plus a little vanilla & cocoa as this warms, along with booze warmth, more Rum than Bourbon, plus a little fig. Finishes dry with Rum, a little fig & barrel notes

MF: Medium body, firm carbonation, warming

A nice offering, the Rum shines in this one, not upper tier, but not far from it
Sep 17, 2017
More User Ratings:
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.99/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle from cellar. Dark brown pour. Dark roasty aroma with a hint of sweetness. Taste is chocolate, walking the line between sweet and bitter. Lingering bitterness.
Jun 09, 2023
Photo of kitch
Reviewed by kitch from Hong Kong

4.33/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A 22 fl. oz. black waxed bomber, 29th birthday reserve, bottled on 12th June 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.

Appearance: Dark dark brown in colour with a thin khaki head that had dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass while leaving spotty lacing.

Aroma: Light roast, dark chocolate, cayenne, vanilla, rum, dark fruit, plum, raisin, with a hint of cinnamon.

Taste: Roasted malts, dark chocolate, cocoa, vanilla, cinnamon, rum, dark fruit, plum, raisin, with a very light hint of chili spice.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation.

Overall: A very enjoyable sipper with adjuncts that work very well together.
Feb 09, 2023
Photo of Sound_Explorer
Reviewed by Sound_Explorer from Washington

4.21/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
2017 bottle in 2022

Aged quite nicely. Aroma is faint but pleasant and overall it is quite tasty even at this age. Not sickeningly sweet but has that sweetness to enjoy. Smooth burn of alcohol on the tail end.
Dec 10, 2022
Photo of EMV
Reviewed by EMV from Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a wax-topped bomber into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Dark, dark brown pour... nearly black with big foamy off-white head. Lasts awhile... great lacing.

S: Rich and fruity. Plum, baked raisin, spice, and toasted malts.

T.F: Brown sugar and fruit. Lots of plum and raisin.. current and cinnamon. Toasted grains and caramel plus vanilla and oak. Strong rum flavor... sweet and little booze. Not picking up much of the cayenne but there is plenty of spice. Medium bodied... smooth. Lingering fruit and rum to finish.

O: Complex and delicious... and I really enjoy the variations they throw into this brew from year to year. A few years in the cellar did nothing to diminish this one.
Jan 13, 2022
Photo of DoctorZombies
Reviewed by DoctorZombies from Florida

4.69/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Bottled 6/12/17. Poured at 57°. Two fingers of mostly creamy khaki head with some rocks that sits atop a brown with ruby see-through body with medium clarity; very good cap retention; heavy minus lacing; heavy legs. Rum molasses bourbon nose; boozy exhale; oak as beer warms. Taste is bourbon and sweet rum up front with chocolate and spicy hot peppers right behind; very little cinnamon, but present; oak, vanilla middle; finish is semi hot boozy chocolate. Viscous velvety feel; heavy minus body; warmth from 12.2 %; moderate minus carbonation; peppers burn on tip of tongue. Overall, smooth and full for an Imperial Porter and exceeded my expectations; for me, rum BA beers often overpower the whole, however, here with the bourbon BA, and I dare guess 4 1/2 years cellaring, the rum has its place and contributes to the booziness, but the cinnamon has faded, the peppers have held their own, and the bourbon and chocolate anchor the whole…for me, a Wow cellared beer…
Dec 14, 2021
 
Rated: 3.85 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Nov 30, 2021
Photo of leaddog
Reviewed by leaddog from Canada (AB)

4.59/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Cellared for 4 years and almost a couple months.

Appearance - Pours a dark espresso brown with two fingers of dense frothy tan head.

Smell - earthy, leafy hops, woody aromas, whisky barrel char, cocoa, hint of vanilla, spicy aromas, roasted malts, hint of fig and shredded coconut, and earthy yeast.

Taste - earthy, and leafy hops upfront. The whisky barrel char, woody aromas, cocoa, hint of vanilla, spicy aromas, and hint of fig and shredded coconut come through next. The roasted malts, espresso coffee, and earthy yeast round out the brew.

Mouthfeel - Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes silky smooth with all elements lingering.

Overall - A stellar and magnificent brew. I feel that with the age I have cellared this, all the flavours blended very cohesively to create a very enjoyable drinking experience. This goes to show that the barrel aging program at Deschutes is amongst the best in the world in my opinion.
Aug 09, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by NickMunford from Wyoming

Jul 18, 2021
 
Rated: 4.5 by 1971bernat from Virginia

May 16, 2021
Photo of blazerkor
Reviewed by blazerkor from Nevada

4.12/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
It smells like normal dbb but with woody whiskey.

Alcohol and rich porter dominate and I don't get the promised cinnamon and orange peel.

Thinner than bbp but smooth with a bitter alcoholic aftertaste. 

Overall it's an alcoholic woody twist on the original but lacked the promised complexity. I give it a 5 out of 6.
May 10, 2021
Photo of trevormajor
Reviewed by trevormajor from Ohio

4.03/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
22 oz bottle, born on 6/12/2017, poured into a snifter at 52 degrees F:
L - black as night with a hazelnut head that lingered around the edges
S - malt, bourbon (faint), maybe a hint of spice
T - malty with a bourbon backbone, cinnamon and cocoa have faded, very slight hint of pepper, molasses on the finish
F - thick with a tad too much carbonation
O - this beer is probably past its prime, as flavors of molasses are creeping in and the cocoa and cinnamon has faded, but it's still a nice beer with a malt/bourbon blend and some cayenne pepper on the finish
Mar 05, 2021
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

4.09/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
this is getting old now, but an amazing thing to find on tap around town, i forgot this one was done with chili peppers, and they dont really show here, they have high fade on now, but this is gorgeous beer, in appearance and in flavor, crazy it has some head still, high shine, looks great in a teku, deep and dark, not overly viscous, lively for its age, 2017 i reckon. molasses and rum on this thing in the nose, vanilla bean, dry cocoa, raisin, its complex, clearly wood aged, no real oxidation at this point. the flavor has a bran muffin, hot chocolate, and dried fruit vibe, rum more than bourbon to me, no sign of chili peppers until the very back of the throat, there just isnt much left of it, if there ever was, even the cinnamon part seems light, would have loved to try this fresh, but i am still stoked to be able to get into it now, thought i had maybe missed it forever. full flavored still, just not spiced, heavy molasses and long cooked malts, deep chocolate, some light alcohol burn, hints of black pepper, dried cherry and raisin, the rum parts of it, faint oxidation now, clove, maple, allspice, wintery like that, just crazy depth, but also a little muddy and big, a hint of smoke, some linger. sorry i missed it when it was new, but the beer is holding up in an appealing way, a fine specimen in the series, the beat goes on, they are all awesome!
Dec 21, 2020
Photo of jakecattleco
Reviewed by jakecattleco from California

4.29/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Cellared bottle into a tulip glass.

L: Black with a brown hue, minimal head with limited retention.

S: Dark chocolate way in the lead, then cinnamon, hints of rum in the background.

T: More barrel prominence than the nose, lesser presence of cinnamon, getting cayenne on the finish.

F: Low-medium bodied with low-medium carbonation, tongue tingles from ABV and the cayenne, slick on the swallow.

O: Really interesting mix of flavors that work well for my palate and preferences, glad I've got a couple more cellared.
Dec 12, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by MTKATL from Georgia

Dec 02, 2020
Photo of hoptheology
Reviewed by hoptheology from California

3.78/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
22 oz bomber into Deschutes pint glass (from the brewery)

Pours a dark chocolate brown-to-black with a creamy beige head of 2 fingers, receding to 1/2. Leaves some nice loopy lacing on the glass.

Aromas of molasses and dry cocoa, with a little bit of tobacco, chili spice, vanilla, and hazelnut coffee. Actually smells like a world-class RIS.

Flavor brings chili spice and cinnamon to the forefront, and then a bit of molasses sweetness pops up from underneath. There's a lot of herbal and piney hop to this one, and the cocoa bitterness compounds it somewhat. Really scrapes the tongue after a few sips. Finish of piney hop, chili spice, and light tobacco.

Feel is slick and smooth, with a creaminess and carbonation both matching the same intensity, a furnace of heat, then a tongue-scraping piney resinousness and residual hop oils on the finish. I feel like I just swallowed 120 IBU.

Overall, I did not expect this to be the palate buster it was, in fact I'd say it rivals some of Sierra Nevada's TIPA offerings. Very much like a Black IPA. Very resinous....but moderately complex and has some interesting depth of flavor.

Edit : I just saw this was aged in rum and bourbon barrels. Couldn't tell it honestly. Ended up not finishing it.

Price paid : $8.99 / bomber / clearance
Would buy again : no
Jul 25, 2020
 
Rated: 4.06 by dsshuck from Delaware

Jul 11, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by RiceOwls27 from Texas

Jun 30, 2020
Photo of Treyliff
Reviewed by Treyliff from West Virginia

4.04/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
22oz wax top bottle poured into a snifter

A- pours deep brown in color with a one-finger foamy khaki head that reduces to a film floating on top

S- aroma initially shows signs of rum barrel, adding a sweet brown sugar/molasses notes, followed by notes of cocoa and cinnamon. There's a fruity aroma that adds notes of figs and rum soaked raisins, hint of bourbon and vanilla cola close it out

T- chocolate and cocoa nibs up front, followed by sweet rum barrel notes of molasses and brown sugar. Mid-palate brings out a bit of cinnamon, as well as raisins and figs. The finish stays sweet, with the the rum sticking around, as well as just a hint of cayenne sticking around. A trace of bourbon oak and vanilla on the linger

M- medium body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that turns slightly creamy into the finish, just a hint of heat lingers

O- probably the sweetest variation of this beer I've had, I assume from the rum barrel. It also brought more dark fruit notes out than usual
Apr 27, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by RMW66 from Australia

Mar 27, 2020
Black Butte XXIX from Deschutes Brewery
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 229 ratings