Abyss

Discussion in 'Pacific' started by Chelsea1905, Dec 24, 2015.

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  1. sanford_and_son

    sanford_and_son Initiate (0) Jul 23, 2012 Washington

    Pulled the trigger on $27/bottle Abyss variants, better be damn good :astonished:
     
    #341 sanford_and_son, Jan 3, 2017
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  2. distantmantra

    distantmantra Pooh-Bah (2,954) May 23, 2011 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I heard Winco (South King County) had regular for $14 and variants for $22.
     
    #342 distantmantra, Jan 3, 2017
  3. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I drank my Brandy variant last week. I thought it was pretty good, but decidedly less so than the cognac and rye from last year. In retrospect, probably should have held onto for a bit, as I thought it a bit hot.

    I paid $25 for the bottle I bought, and was not sufficiently impressed to go out and buy another. Am hoping the scotch version will be better, frankly.
     
    #343 John_M, Jan 3, 2017
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  4. sharpski

    sharpski Grand Pooh-Bah (3,100) Oct 11, 2010 Oregon
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I was initially more attracted to the Cognac too, but friends who attended the release preferred the Scotch so that's what we ordered the other night. Not a Scotch drinker, but it did a great job in Abyss, am contemplating another bottle to sit on.
     
    #344 sharpski, Jan 4, 2017
  5. shnsajax

    shnsajax Initiate (0) Jul 2, 2013 Idaho

    Is there a pretty big shortage of the variants this year compared to last?
     
    #345 shnsajax, Jan 4, 2017
  6. sharpski

    sharpski Grand Pooh-Bah (3,100) Oct 11, 2010 Oregon
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I recall an initial scarcity last year too. A second drop of larger quantities made people question how "remarkably limited" it actually was.
     
    #346 sharpski, Jan 4, 2017
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  7. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader


    LOL! So true.

    When I was in Eugene, the beer flew off the shelf initially, and was all gone throughout the city in roughly a week. However, there was a very large second drop, which stuck around for a very long time. Many people I know felt that Deschutes had created an artificial perception of scarcity, just to promote a purchasing stampede. After the second drop, I think some customers felt as if they'd been duped, and it had a significant impact on continued demand for the beer. You could still find bottles of the variants into the Spring at 16 tons and Bier stein, as I recall.
     
    #347 John_M, Jan 4, 2017
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  8. Chelsea1905

    Chelsea1905 Initiate (0) Sep 3, 2008 Washington

    Anyone seen this years Abyss, not even variants, in Spokane?
    I see a number of 2015 bottles seem to have hit the shelves again, but not seen this years. I need it in my life...plus I need to keep my vertical going from 2010
     
    #348 Chelsea1905, Jan 12, 2017
  9. Babbo

    Babbo Devotee (389) Mar 13, 2014 Washington

    Deschutes online beer finder is showing it at JB's, Bottles and valley Total Wine, would assume that's the 2016 - also Steady Flow Growler House posted on Monday that they had bottles of 2016 regular/Scotch/brandy and 2015 rye.
     
    #349 Babbo, Jan 12, 2017
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  10. vurt

    vurt Grand Pooh-Bah (4,504) Apr 11, 2004 Oregon
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Right this very moment, Abyss is on tap at Henry's...at PDX.

    That's right, folks. Abyss is on tap at the airport.
     
    #350 vurt, Jan 13, 2017
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  11. distantmantra

    distantmantra Pooh-Bah (2,954) May 23, 2011 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    That's cool but not too crazy. MSP airport gets Darkness on tap every year.
     
    #351 distantmantra, Jan 13, 2017
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  12. Chelsea1905

    Chelsea1905 Initiate (0) Sep 3, 2008 Washington

    Thanks for the heads up. I had no idea Steady Flow sold bottles.
    I was at TW in the Valley and they had 2015 bottles.
    I'd imagine if Steady Flow has bottles, then TW should have some soon also.
     
    #352 Chelsea1905, Jan 13, 2017
  13. Babbo

    Babbo Devotee (389) Mar 13, 2014 Washington

    They just arrived at Nectar:
    https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=751719174975735
     
    #353 Babbo, Jan 18, 2017
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  14. NWer

    NWer Pooh-Bah (2,145) Mar 10, 2009 Washington
    Pooh-Bah

    Abyss is ubiquitous this year. It's everywhere I look. Including my local Fred Meyer who never gets anything. They even had it on sale for $14.99 so of course I had to buy a few even though I thought I had all I wanted for this year.
     
    #354 NWer, Jan 22, 2017
  15. vurt

    vurt Grand Pooh-Bah (4,504) Apr 11, 2004 Oregon
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    As the price-slashing electronics dealer Crazy Gideon used to shout on his late-night commercials, "IF YOU DON'T BUY FROM ME, WE BOTH LOSING MONEY! WOW!"
     
    #355 vurt, Jan 22, 2017
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  16. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    OK. I'll be that guy.

    What's everyone's impression of the current vintage, along with the variants?

    I have to confess that after the Rye and Cognac variants from last year, I've been a bit disappointed by the Brandy and Scotch versions. They're still good, and perhaps they'll improve over time, but after the rye and cognac from last year I've been a bit disappointed by both. Frankly, it's the same with the regular Abyss, though again, I plan to hold onto my current couple of bottles for a while to see how they develop. The licorice and ash like qualities just seem excessive this year, though I did think the beer improved as it sat in my glass and warmed a bit. The wife and I were at Concordia Alehouse last night, and they had it on tap. I wasn't even tempted to order it.
     
    #356 John_M, Jan 22, 2017
  17. NWer

    NWer Pooh-Bah (2,145) Mar 10, 2009 Washington
    Pooh-Bah

    I think I'll be very glad I have them in a few years. I agree it seems to be somewhat raw now but that seems to happen every year. Abyss has always aged well. The variants are too expensive but I did buy a brandy in a weak moment.
     
    #357 NWer, Jan 22, 2017
  18. itracy63

    itracy63 Savant (1,187) Apr 20, 2013 Washington

    As much as I like to try everything fresh, Abyss is one of the few beers I don't even bother with anymore. Every time I've had it fresh, I think "meh", and then I'll crack the same vintage a year or two later and think "wow!"
     
    #358 itracy63, Jan 22, 2017
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  19. stillill

    stillill Devotee (329) Mar 6, 2016 Washington

    Are the variants flying off the shelves? Because I saw a ton in a store locally today.
     
    #359 stillill, Jan 23, 2017
  20. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Hard to say, but I get the impression they aren't. Based on my experience at the pdx pub some weeks back, I was concerned that it might be difficult to find them around town. When I was at the pub, Deschutes made it sound as if the demand was huge, as they blew flew though a huge number of cases in just a few days. However, like the regular abyss, the beer doesn't seem to be moving all that quickly. I'm sure the $24 a bottle price tag is a bit of a deterrent as well.
     
    #360 John_M, Jan 23, 2017
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