The Abyss - Coconut
Deschutes Brewery

Bottle into snifter.

Looks: espresso-black, with a thin golden-brown head that leave little islands of bubbles on the surface and a nice ring.

Smell: Booozzyyyy. Oak, leather, char, dark chocolate. Very slight toasted coconut character.

Taste: Big hit of dark chocolate, leather, and char. Some whiskey and oak A tiny bit of cherry/raisin, and an even tinier bit of toasted coconut. Gets sweeter and more chocolaty as it warms.

Feel: Just a little thick, with a pleasant fizzy carbonation. Definitely a bit of burn, but not an unwelcome one.

I wanted to like this. I love coconut and imperial stouts, but I think what it is I don’t like is the base stout for the abyss. It’s just too overwhelmingly bitter, like an over roasted coffee, and I couldn’t really detect any coconut taste in the beer over the alcohol burn. It mellowed out slightly as it warmed up. I’ll probably give it another try but for now I’ma bit disappointed in it.

The Abyss - Coconut from Deschutes Brewery. Four pack of 12 fl oz bottles picked up at Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA, 28/08/25 - $ 19.50 (including tax)/$ 0.41/fl oz. Reviewed 09/09/25, review 3582. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped on label “PACKAGED ON 04/21/22.” Stored at home at 40 degrees F. Served at 54.6 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 57.0 degrees F.
Appearance – 4
First pour – Ruby Brown (SRM 24), nearly opaque.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. Under direct light, same with a small quantity of precipitate seen. When rear-lite, same, with light barely penetrating at the edges, ruby at the bottom and ruby brown at the top.
Head – Small (Maximum 0.4 cm, aggressive center pour). Tan Brown, high density, average retention, lightening to biscuit as it oxygenates, leaving a 0.2 cm crown and a thin partial cap.
Lacing – Fair. A couple of mushroom mesas hang on the sides of the glass as the liquid level drops.
Aroma – 4 – Begins with coconut followed by subdued chocolate and roasted, slightly charred, malt. No hops, no alcohol.
Flavor – 3 – Begins slightly bitter with Baker’s chocolate. Barrel present. Marked alcohol (14.3 % ABV, according to the label) and barrel taste, masking any coconut. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Slow gastric warming.
Palate – 4 – Full: Short of creamy: Soft carbonation.
Style: Follows the style guidelines as condensed by BA.
Final impression and summation: 4 Uncredited label artist. The initial nose is coconut, but this fades away as the glass warms. No coconut occurs in the flavor, beat into submission by the barrel and ethanol levels. Not a bad beer, just don’t expect any coconut – seek out a fresher vintage in hopes that the coconut hasn’t faded into oblivion.

Drinking in a small Teku glass.
Pours a dark, clear black color with a minimal head.
Smells strongly of coconut with some traces of cocoa.
Tastes strongly of cocoanut with some chocolate, but also somewhat medicinal.

 

Acquired a 12 oz bottle via trade with @BMBCLT 4-1-23. Bottled 4-21-22; consumed 4-18-24.

Beer poured jet black with a very nice brown head that has some hang time.

Nose is very nice with roasted malts that brings a hint of chocolate with a touch of the barrel in the background.

Taste is really well done. The heartbeat of The Abyss series is that lovely roasted malt base line that gives me some notes of dark chocolate and a trace of licorice. The coconut is under over perception levels but brings a touch of sweetness. The barrel is also under the radar but expertly balances the base line along with the barrel.

Mouthfeel is heavy bodied with each sip very soft and smooth.

Overall, what a treat! Many thanks to @BMBCLT!

A friend from Bend, Ore left it and me and a few friends tasted it. Unless you are a stout or porter lover it really is not for me or my fellow tasters. A bit much on the licorice with a little bit of a sour burn. Sorry but this has to be a beer that needs dedicated dark beer lovers. I did like the creamy feel though.

Love the orignal, this one was a step down, as the coconut covers up so much of the nuance, particularly the malt flavors that makes the original so complex. Coconut and smoky rugged tones and the yeast never seem to pair either. The whiskey barrels try to carry them all nonetheless. Not a bad stout just more muted than expected, still great roasted flavors and wood meeting the whiskey. Feel is smooth while rugged, coconut rounds things out a bit but does not cover up. It's good but not great like the original

12/25/23 bottle @ home

 

Wow.

I'm a sucker for coconut. And I'm a sucker for a good sipping stout. This one is aged in whiskey barrels. To be honest, if it had been aged in bourbon barrels I probably would not have rated it so highly, or at all.

I'll let the more sophisticate palettes find the adjectives for this one. But if you see it, I recommend you grab one, and take the time to savor it. Definitely not a chugger.

Pours opaque, jet black in color with minimal head. Taste is big oak, coconut shards, baker's chocolate and roasted malt. Heavy body, low carbonation, roasty. Excellent, excellent imperial stout. A lot more roasty stout than adjunct but the coconut kiss works well. Another winner from Deschutes.

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle dated 4-21-22 into a snifter.

Look- Black, opaque, frothy medium brown head, above average head retention and lacing.

Smell- Bourbon, black licorice, coffee, vanilla, coconut, between medium and high strength of scent.

Taste- Coffee, bourbon, black licorice, coconut, vanilla, cherry, highly bitter, very high strength of flavor.

Feel- Medium body, below average carbonation, high bitterness, mildly mouth coating, mildly creamy, mildly mouth warming.

Overall- Black and opaque with above average head retention and lacing. Bouquet was bourbon, licorice, coffee, vanilla and coconut. Flavor was a super vibrant blend of coffee, bourbon, licorice, coconut, vanilla and cherry. Feel was medium body with high bitterness and mild mouth coating properties. Overall this beer provided an awesome drinking experience. The flavors were extremely vibrant and well balanced, my only small critique would be the body was a little thinner than expected.

12 oz bottle from GA with a bottling date of 21 April 2022 stamped on the label. Repeated on 4 June 2024.

Under the black cap lies a dark, near black ale with an attractive, red-brown edge under illumination. High ABV is obvious although it seems like it is a little lower than the 14.3% stamped on the label. Loaded with dark roasted grains, the flavor has some burnt notes and leaves a lightly smokey aftertaste. Coffee, bitter chocolate, wood, whisky, vanilla and coconut appear in the rich, strong flavor.

Overall. More boozy and not as harmonious as I hope it will become with more aging. Update. At 2 years old, appearance (head) not as nice but smoother and less boozy.

12 ounce bottle into a snifter. Bottled 4/21/22, had 1/28/23.

Pours near black and opaque, with a half inch foamy head and light cling. Aromas of bourbon, roasted malt, oak, cherry bark, vanilla, light char, coconut and light licorice as it warms. Flavors of bourbon, roasted malt, licorice, vanilla, oak, cherry bark, coconut as it warms, light hop bitterness. Smooth, a solid full body, appropriately carbonated.

The coconut seems pretty minimal and I suppose the rating should be lowered somewhere. But since that left me with the always great regular Abyss, I didn’t even mind.

Poured at slightly warmer than fridge temp. Pours jet black with a nice thin layer of light brown head. The nose is fantastic. Tons of chocolate, black licorice, dark roasted malts, molasses, and coconut. A slight tar notes comes through. Just lovely.

The taste is incredible. I just love this beer. Black licorice, burnt wood, smoke, very dark chocolate, slight bourbon, macadamia nuts, burnt coconut, vanilla, molasses. There is a slight sweetness - maybe a hint of maple. The aftertaste is charred wood and roasted malts. Wow - this is just a super solid imperial stout.

The mouthfeel is creamy and viscous. Overall, this is one of my favorites from Deschutes. This is a winner for me.

 

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque in the glass with a one finger khaki head with great retention and nice lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, whiskey, licorice, light cocoa and coconut. Flavor is dark toasted malt, cocoa, whiskey, coconut, licorice woody oak and a hint of vanilla in the finish. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess. The traditional Abyss deep flavors of cocoa, licorice and barrel influence (wood and in this case whiskey) are the main profile with a light flavor of coconut. The Abyss is one of my annual stout regulars and it's great to see it back. The coconut is mellow but adds a bit of interest to an otherwise stellar stout.