Black Butte XXVI

We have it here in south central PA, York-Harrisburg area. going 16-19$

 

Wheres here?

 

I think that's the key. If you want a super barrel-forward beer, Abyss may not be your thing. It's only partially barrel-aged, after all, and even then it's just not the dominating flavor component of the beer.

That said, I think Abyss is outstanding, as it masterfully combines a full range of flavors without letting any single one dominate, which is hard to do when you're making a giant stout like that. So easy for the roast to take over, or the booze, etc. Last glass of Abyss 2013 I had on tap was magical.

 

Agreed and a very good point. It probably didn't come across well in my first post, but I'm not trying to knock or degrade it. I just didn't like it as much as I expected to. If it were $10-12, I'd probably buy one every year I had the chance.

I completely understand where other people may love it. I'm just giving those people one more bottle to buy.

 

I thought this was pretty awesome..right up my alley fresh.I wonder if you age it how much of the fruit flavor will tone down.Regardless its awesome stuff.

 

I'm very glad I only purchased a single bottle of XXVI...
I spent a couple weeks on the hunt for the beer and was disappointed after all the effort. I'm in the Seattle area and it seems funny we received it after places way out East.
Anyway, I split a bottle with my wife on Saturday and we both were overpowered by the tart, almost metallic, taste. Not what I enjoy in an imperial porter.
For comparison, we had Firestone Walker Aggrestic recently and loved it. That one is sort of a sour with tart cherries.
We just couldn't get past the metallic tang in XXVI though.

I'm still a big Deschutes fan but I'm really glad I didn't buy a few bottles.

 

The Reserve Series beers (i.e. Abyss, XXVI, etc.) usually get a lot better with age, hence the "Best After" date on the side of the bottle. I don't think you can fairly judge these beers when having them fresh, often times 9-12 months before recommended.

 

Golden Crust Pizza in Red Lion.

 

where in York are you finding yours?

 

Visiting Cali and got one from joe at liquorette great guy

 

I agree on the improving with age but not that I shouldn't be able to enjoy fresh.
I've had beers that were a little 'hot' when freshly bottled but mellow out after a few months. Even hot, those were still enjoyable.
I've had a few of the previous Black Butte Anniversary and Abyss when fresh and all of them I enjoyed. They inspired me to buy more to save for later.

Curious if anyone else had the metallic tang impression?

 

aging the black butte reserves is highly recommended in my opinion, and Im not even one of those "age everything" type of beer drinkers. I liked XXIV and XXV when they were fresh, but they were absolutely amazing with a year and 2 years on them. I like XXVI as it is now, but I guarantee that it will be phenomenal in 12-18 months.

Abyss is the same way. 2010 is drinking about as good as anything right now.

 

You should have had a swig of the XXI I drank recently. Oh man!!!

 

Where have you seen XXVI bottles in Wisconsin? No bottles here in Madison, as far as I know. But it is on tap at Dexter's.

 

Milwaukee got a shipment towards the end of last week. Word on the street is Deschutes didn't want to roll out all their bombers/seasonals at once. They'll be coming in one or two at a time to various markets. Beer guy didn't even know exactly which ones would be coming next week.

 

Yeah, says on the bottle "Best After xx/xx/15." They're not kidding around. Patience is a virtue with this beer.

 

Finally found it, $12.99 at total wine.

 

Buy 5 get 1 free at that price. Grab a case.

 

I don't understand how the price can vary so much from totalwine to totalwine. Is it purely state beer tax? It is 15.99 here in WA, 16.49 in CA, and looks like 12.99 in MI. Seems like a fairly big difference.

 

Wait, we got Black Butte XXVI in Michigan? Haha