Whiskey Butte Porter
Deschutes Brewery

*archived review*

12oz bottle poured into an Allagash tulip

p- black w/ a small tan cap
n- med nose; candied smoke is how I would best describe it; unique, but inviting nonetheless
t- tasty and smooth; sweet dark fruit meets roasty malts and light smoke; hints of barrel here and there, but no whiskey really; alcohol character is more port-like than anything else, and is well-hidden
mf- light-med bodied w/ soft-med carb
o- despite the missing whiskey presence, this one did not disappoint; would be nice if they made it a regular offering at some point!

Review date: 01.16.22
Bottle date: 09.13.21

Type: 12-oz. bottle
Reviewed as: American Porter
Glass: Revision 12-oz. tulip
Price: $4.79
From: Taste of Tops in Tempe, Ariz.
Purchased: May 22, 2022
Consumed: May 25, 2022
Misc.: Packaged on Sept. 13, 2021

Grabbed a bottle of this almost as soon as I saw it in stores as I am a big fan of their regular porter. Basic Untappd description was “Whiskey barrel aged version of Black Butte Porter.”

Poured a pitch-black color with one finger of khaki-tan fizzy head which dissipated quickly. Could see just a few bubbles coming up along the sides of the glass. Good spotty watery lacing. Average retention. (Sight - 3.25)

Smelled whiskey barrel, oak, dark fruit, black coffee, chocolate syrup, caramel, coconut, crayon and lingering peppery spice. Not as good from the bottle. (Smell - 4.00)

Taste was not as good as the nose and certainly not as good as regular Butte Porter. In order got whiskey barrel, oak, plum, dark fruit, bitter black coffee, burnt toast, cocoa, light caramel, crayon and lingering spice. Fairly smooth for 9 pct. ABV. (Taste - 3.75)

Medium body. Creamy-to-sticky texture. Average carbonation. Long, oaky finish. (Feel - 4.25)

This was good and I underrated it slightly, but not even close for regular Butte Porter for me. Still glad I got to try it. (Overall - 4.00)

3.88 | 87 | B+

Received a 12 oz bottle via trade with @muchloveforhops3 on 10-25-23. Bottled 09-12-21; consumed 2-14-24.

Beer poured dark brown with a nice tan head.

Nose is malty with notes of the signature Black Butte Porter chocolate.

Taste is a chocolate and mildly roasted malt base. Faint traces of barrel are perceptible but at this point acts as a balancing agent. First sips gave me some warmth with a touch of whiskey.

Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied and pretty smooth.

Overall a solid beer, glad i got the opportunity to try!

12 ounce bottle, packaged on 09/13/21, got this one from Brutaltruth. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with not quite an inch frothy tan head. Head retention and lacing are both good. The brew smells like whiskey, vanilla, coffee, chocolate and caramel, but the aroma is subtle. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also some oak, tart dark berry and a metallic flavor noticeable too. Unfortunately it got worse and worse tasting after while. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit coating with a moderate amount of carbonation. This bottle didn't age well, would like to try a fresher version one of these days.

Whiskey Butte Porter from Deschutes. Purchased at Spec’s. DeZavala, SAT, 01/11/22. $ 6.93 (Including tax)/single 12 oz bottle ($ 0.577/oz). Room temperature shelf at store, stored at 40 degrees at home. Reviewed 09/11/22. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
On the side of label “PACKAGED ON 09/13/21”. Served at 55.9 degrees in a hand washed and dried Horny Toad glass. Final temperature 61.8 degrees.
Appearance – 3.
First pour – Deep Amber (SRM 15), clear.
Body – Ruby Brown (SRM 24), opaque. Light penetration at the edge and bottom is distinctly ruby.
Head – Huge (Maximum 7.6 cm, aggressive center pour), buff, high density, quickly diminishing to a two cm crown and cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 3– Faint chocolate. No hops, no malt, no yeast.
Flavor – 3 – Slightly bitter chocolate malt. No malt, no yeast, no hops. No ethanol (9 % ABV as marked on label) aroma or taste. Flaccid whiskey on the exhalation. Barely detectable gastric warming occurs. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 3 – Medium, watery, soft but lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3 Generally weak and flavorless; whiskey shows up almost as an afterthought at the penultimate swallow. OK but not something I’ll seek out.

Pours a dark brown with a finger of fizzy dark tan head that dissipates shortly.
Aroma is reminiscent of a chocolate malt (shout out to Wendy's), notes of toffee and caramel and notes of nondescript spirit.
Taste is moderately sweet with dark fruit, chocolate, toffee notes and some flavours of the spirit barrel - a little bit of roasty bitterness at the finish (relative - not very bitter).
Thinner mouthfeel than expected - creamy yet thinnish at the same time - easy to drink despite 9% - a bit of booziness at end - very decent if not quite great.

 

 

12oz bottle opened 4-23-22.
1 finger milk chocolate colored sudsy head, falls steadily and maintains some form as a thick ring. Dark brown body. Aroma of fruity chocolate and booze - not necessarily barrel at first. Barrel comes on later in both the aroma and flavor. Sweet chocolate, dark fruits, booze, and some earthiness in the flavor. Medium body with a very smooth mouthfeel and low carbonation. Roasted malt and a lengthy sweet finish. No heat. Very Good to Outstanding.

 

 

12 oz. Bottle
PACKAGED ON: 09/13/21
Bottled Conditioned

Poured into a Westy glass a pretty nice dark brown/black color, pretty nice carbonation, with a pretty nice small fizzy/creamy/quick small tan head, which leaves a pretty nice medium size oil slick, with some nice sticky lacing. The nose is malty, hoppy, with some pretty nice chocolate/toffee notes, nice whiskey note, slight oak, pretty nice vanilla, licorice. The taste is very nice, malty, hoppy, chocolate/toffee, sweetness (vanilla), with some pretty nice oak/whiskey notes, licorice. Medium body, ABV is hidden very well, with a nice dry/bitter finish. Overall, a pretty nice brew/sipper. Black Butte on steroids!

This beer is bottle conditioned. Bottled on 9/13/21. 12oz bottle poured into a tulip.

Pours almost black; small khaki head that fades leaving decent bubbly retention and okay lacing.

The aromas are malt forward. Subtle hints of whiskey, milk chocolate and caramel.

The flavors are balanced. Lots of chocolate. Nice blend of milk chocolate and dark chocolate. More caramel along with some hints of vanilla. Some oak and wood. Some char. Some dark fruits. Some rye and black pepper in the mix. Moderate bitterness. Moderate to low sweetness. Malts do their thing. Alcohol basically goes unnoticed. The flavors open up as it warms a bit.

Mouthfeel is on the lighter side of full-bodied with active carbonation. It's sharp and spritzy.

This is an alright barrel-aged brew. It's a nice imperial porter, but ultimately a forgettable barrel-aged beer. It's a clean, balanced and subtle barrel-aged porter. The whiskey is on the mild side, but still leaves its mark. I do understand that Deschutes probably wasn't intending for this one to be big and bold, which I respect. It's definitely not bad for what it is.

From the 12 oz bottle in a snifter. This solid brew from a coworker (Thanks Randy!)
pours a dark muddled brownish black with a modest head of khaki foam that
settles to a thick ring, thin subtle film, and shows some nice light lacing. Nose
of dark chocolate, whiskey, damp oak, subtle vanilla, and faint coffee. Flavors
surpass the nose nicely with dark chocolate, dark coffee, touches of whiskey,
damp oak, faint vanilla, and moderate char. Nice mouth feel; medium full
body, smooth, lightly coating, low carbonation, and a moderately dry malt
and char driven finish.

Overall---very nice!

Cheers

 

12 fl oz brown glass bottle:

B- / WORTHY

Pours an effervescent mahogany with one finger of fast falling tan head. Near zero head retention & lacing

S: Vanilla. toffee, roasty grains

T: Roasty grains, vanilla, slight smokeyness up front. A little barrel dryness mixes with toffee notes, a hint of coffee. Finishes dry, roasty with a trace of barrel

MF: Medium body, fairly firm carbonation

Hoped for way more from this, needs more barrel character

 

Bottled 09/13/2021. Drank 11/23/2021
Pour is opaque brown/black with a nice half finger of khaki head. good retention.
Nose is soft bourbon, charred malt.
Taste follows. hint of soft bourbon, a hint of warming alcohol, rich dark chocolate, charred malt come through on the finish.

Packaged September 13th 2021.

Pours a dark brown with a small head of tan foam.

Smells of burnt chocolate, roasted malt, hint of toffee, noticeable bitter notes, light whiskey.

Taste is dark chocolate, roasted malt, a kind of sweet fruity thing, some whiskey, slight warming from the alcohol.

Medium bodied.

Pretty nice beer.