Black Butte XXXI
Deschutes Brewery

Black Butte XXXIBlack Butte XXXI
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From:
Deschutes Brewery
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
Imperial Porter
ABV:
12.2%
Score:
91
Avg:
4.11 | pDev: 6.81%
Reviews:
26
Ratings:
58
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 09, 2023
Added:
Jul 06, 2019
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  4
In Celebration of our 31st Anniversary, this year's imperial porter was inspired by Turkish Coffee and uses cold brew from our very own Scott Hughes of Third Rock Roasters.

52 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by szmnnl99:
Photo of szmnnl99
Rated by szmnnl99 from Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Feb 23, 2020
More User Ratings:
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.75/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bottle from cellar (2019). Dark brown pour, flat, dull. Cola aroma, cardamom, spice. Taste brings more spice, kind of dominates the whole brew, obscures the malts.
Jun 09, 2023
Photo of beergoot
Reviewed by beergoot from Colorado

3.92/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Dark, opaque brown body; thick, frothy head, light khaki with sticky fingers and rings of foam attaching to the glass. Rich, malty aroma; cocoa and a touch of vanilla; a bit of wood char. Milk and bitter dark chocolate base flavor; coffee presence; boozy. Heavy body; silky; prominent alcohol warmth.

Three years aging has likely dulled some of the beer's unique character. With that said, for an older beer, the coffee element has held up well and the bourbon angle is certainly there. The cardamom seems to have faded and the milk chocolate is somewhat dulled. Still, factoring in the age of the beer, this still has some excitement to tickle the tastebuds.

Pouring temperature: 43 °F; bottling info: 6/11/19
Oct 23, 2022
 
Rated: 4.1 by Birdlegs from Washington

Jun 19, 2022
Photo of MacMalt
Reviewed by MacMalt from New Jersey

4.23/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
I received a bottle from @snaortheus in the NBS BIF #14. Poured into a pint glass. It pours a dark mahogany with some cola hues at the bottom of the glass, and a half finger of creamy, khaki-colored had and creamy lacing. On the nose there is roasted malt, cocoa, vanilla, and a whiff of tobacco and char. Very nice! The taste features a nice balance of chocolate sweetness and bitter, earthy char and tobacco. There are also notes of vanilla and some dark fruit. The flavor is rich, complex, and thoroughly enjoyable. I really like the mouth feel: it's very thick and creamy for a Porter, with moderate carbonation, and the the 12.2% ABV is potent. Overall, I'm surprised Black Butte XXXI isn't rated more highly. It's delicious and has a killer mouth feel for the style. It's a one-off and I'm grateful for the chance to try it. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Dec 24, 2021
Photo of backblast
Reviewed by backblast from Alaska

4.3/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Pour black with a thin tan head.

Tastes rich dark malts and coffee up front and dark fruit, treacle, dark chocolate, cardamom, barrel follow and lingers. Nicely done.
Dec 13, 2021
 
Rated: 3.76 by KAP1356 from Pennsylvania

May 06, 2021
Photo of Proteus93
Reviewed by Proteus93 from Virginia

4.17/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Picked up a bottle of this along with a couple of 2018 bottles of the Abyss in Dec. 2020. Eager to see what some time has done for it.

A: Cola-dark with a sandy, bubbly head. Moderate retention, collaring the glass and leaving behind a nice seafoam sheet of head behind.

S: Roasted malts, notably strong on the coffee and there's no mistaking that there is chocolate brewed in rather than the scent being present as a result of the malts. There seems to be a hint of an anise scent in there, though that may be the way my nose is picking up on cardamom (which would be odd).

T: Tastes much like an iced mocha, though with more bitterness of dark chocolate or dark roast coffee. It appears to be strong influenced by Turkish coffee, so there's a part of me that is expecting to find some grounds in there.

M + O: The mouthfeel is actually a little thinner than I had expected, though it is still a full body--if that makes any sense. Soft carbonation, suitable for the style and alcohol content, finishing with a touch of warmth. This is a nice experience and a good brew--age has done it some good, though I would have been curious to have tasted it against a fresh offering.
Dec 27, 2020
Photo of Sludgeman
Reviewed by Sludgeman from District of Columbia

4.23/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
T - Dark fruit, bourbon soaked cherries, coffee, dar chocolate, a bit of heat which seems to be spicy in nature.

S - coffee, mild sweetness

O - This beer has that milk stout/Mexican stout flora or to it, but it ends up being a bit too sweet. A very good beer. BTW, drink the entire bottle and the sweetness fades away

MF - heavy bodied, semi-dry finish. No alcohol burn. Smooth.
Nov 27, 2020
Photo of iannutter
Reviewed by iannutter from Korea (South)

3.88/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Bottled 6/11/19 in Bend, OR, drank on 11/20/20 in Seoul, Korea! With a beer like this I think a little bit of age is a good thing.

At 12+%, I’d say this is a very drinkable brew. Love a Turkish coffee, and enjoy the heavy balances on either side of the fulcrum. A fun brew after a long week
Nov 20, 2020
Photo of bluejacket74
Reviewed by bluejacket74 from Ohio

4.27/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
22 ounce wax capped bottle, bottled on 6/11/19. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch or so tan head that stayed around for a very long time. Good amount of lacing. I like the aroma, the brew smells like coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla, oak, bourbon and cardamom. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's the addition of some burnt/charred malt and dark bready flavors. All the flavors seem to mesh well together with no one flavor overpowering the others. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's coating and smooth with a good amount of carbonation. A little boozy but not too much. I thought this was a pretty good imperial porter, definitely worth picking up! Didn't notice this available in my area until a week or so ago when I bought this bottle so I'd guess there's still some out there. $14.99 a bottle.
Oct 01, 2020
Photo of erickc
Rated by erickc from Washington

4.21/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Had on tap at Special Brews Lynnwood, WA
Jun 26, 2020
 
Rated: 4.4 by spark3148857 from Ohio

Jun 15, 2020
 
Rated: 4.27 by liquorpig from Massachusetts

Jun 13, 2020
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

3.96/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Jet black appearance with a tan cap. Turkish coffee huh? I guess I can smell that: dark roast coffee, cardamon pop, black pepper, dark chocolate and sweeter earth. Taste injects a tootsie roll like flavoring to the mix, and almost a floral bite to the roasted and chocolatey finish. It is odd but very well made. Feel is thick for a porter, has elevated roast and decent creaminess, overall somewhat chewy. Don't know if I need to have again, but it was good
Apr 21, 2020
Photo of stortore
Reviewed by stortore from Illinois

4.16/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
22 ounce bottle into a snifter. Bottled 6/11/19, had 3/28/20.

Pours a dark brown, semi opaque, with a half inch foamy head and some foamy lacing. Aromas of coffee, char, chocolate, malt, vanilla, oak, some bourbon, light cardamom. The flavor also starts with the coffee and more bourbon than the nose. Also, chocolate, vanilla, malt, light cardamom- more as it warms, some cocoa and caramel, light oak. Smooth, good medium to full body, well carbonated.

Really like this combination. The coffee is really good- and pretty dominant, the tempered cardamom is an excellent addition. My only complaint is that this could use a little more intensity in both the aroma and flavor. Still, very enjoyable.
Apr 15, 2020
 
Rated: 4.62 by akopczyk from Ohio

Apr 11, 2020
 
Rated: 4.59 by jason_nwx from Oregon

Apr 05, 2020
Photo of mschrei
Reviewed by mschrei from Illinois

4.56/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Standard dark appearance, dark tannish edging, very quickly dissipating foam and lacing. First thing on the smell to notice is the spices that unfortunately overwhelm the coffe, chocolate, and malt notes. Taste is also spices first, but there’s more of a sweet chocolate, bitter coffee, and roasty malt presence with mild barrel undercurrent. Medium bodied, a hint of oiliness, not thin but not thick either, boozy presence. I’d like to let it warm and see how it develops, but it’s really too damn tasty with a well balanced flavor profile. I say this on every review of every edition of this beer: I always buy two-one to drink fresh and one to age. This may be one of the better ones fresh, and I look forward to having it aged.
Apr 04, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by archero from Texas

Apr 04, 2020
Black Butte XXXI from Deschutes Brewery
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 58 ratings