Deschutes Black Butte XXV
Dates, figs and chocolate. Black currants, barrel-aged in bourbon casks. The result is an Imperial Porter with a tart berry and chocolate aroma with luscious layers of dried fruit, oak and vanilla. A fitting tribute to the 25th Anniversary of our flagship beer.
3.9
295 reviews
Bend, United States
Community reviews
Bottle. Pours clear black, medium tan head, slow to dissipate, good lacing. Aroma is roasty, hints of tartness, apparently from the berries? Oak tannins and a bit of cocoa, fruity for sure. Flavor is light sweet, hints of tartness, roast, berries. Not getting much bourbon influence here. Medium body.
Enoyed this last night. Pours dark cola hue with a nice light tan head. Figs, bourbon, vanilla, oak are the main focus in the mouth, light sweetness. Medium body with a light booze burn. Massively impressed.
Pours very dark brown with a tan head. The aroma has vanilla, chocolate, bourbon, dates, figs, raisins and smooth roast. It has a medium / full body with some roughness and mild carbonation. The flavor starts with molasses, dates, figs, raisins, roast, cream and warming alcohol. The finish has alcohol warmth, chocolate and bourbon. Pretty nice.
22 oz bottle shared with Spencer. The pour is a dark brown/medium black with a thin ring of light tan head and no real lace. The aroma is strong on dark fruits. There is a lot of fig and dates. A little currant and lots of bourbon. The booze is really heavy. Roasty and fruity on the back end once the booze passed. The flavor is surprisingly full of dark fruits. It's actually really good. There is a good cocoa to work with a nice bourbon heat. The currants and figs come through on the back end nicely. The mouth feel is a little thin but the barrel works well. There is a nice carbonation but it does fall off quickly. Aftertaste is lingeringly dark fruits and a light roast. I like it.
Bottle; Pour is dark brown - fine bubbled khaki - its quite modest, with average retention - spotting presence here as well - The nose slowly reveals fine layers of dark fruit - there are roasted malts present, cocoa, with feint vanilla as well - The flavor profile is initial currants, more roasted notes, with layers of earthy oak - more vanilla - and very feint booze - Smoke and cocoa rounds this one out - This might be bourbon barrel aged but It’s hard to pinpoint. There’s a lingering bitter - mild sweet - while the body is a touch thin - It’s nice, overall
Bottle. Deep brown beer with an lasting beige head. Malty roasted chocolate cherries licorice dark fruits caramell aroma with vanilla and oaky notes. Roasted chocolate caramell licorice coffee, oak vanilla dark fruits flavour with some vinous notes.
At logan’s alley in tulip. Black large light brown head. Intense brown sugar, dark fruits, raisins, some spices. Sweet, mild bitterness, full body, soft carbonation. Good.
Tap. Black with small head. I don’t think I’ve ever noted lacing in a review before, but this has exceptional lacing. Beer geek status now official. Anyhow, huge malt, tart berry, chocolate. Complex and awesome. Outstanding beer.
Draft at Logan's Alley - pours super dark brown thin tan head . Faint dark berry aroma .mild cocoa and nice tart berry flavor . Very good .
This was about two years on the shelf. Powerful tart fruit aroma, heavy chocolate and some wood. Even more powerful tartness at first sip, as if the malty bready goodness receded a bit over time. Became more balanced as it warmed, with strong fruit, wood, vanilla, chocolate flavors alongside a restrained and very welcome alcohol burn. This is a huge beer, beautifully balanced, just enough of the barrel and a delicious blast of everything else. Just beautiful.
I liked some of the earlier versions better. Some of these fruit flavors along with the bourbon and the bitter clash a bit both in taste and in the body. Still a good beer.
Draft at the bridge. Pours black with a khaki head. Leaves a shitload of lacing in the glass. Lots of roasted malt on the nose. A fair amount of malt on the tongus with a bit of grapefruit on the finish. Interesting.
Deep black colored beer with a light brown head. Aroma is smoky and includes liquorice and chocolate. Flavor is sweet, with ash reminders and hops. Body is slightly watery and carbonation is balanced.
Bottle. The darkest shade of brown, capped with a head like ground cinnamon. The aroma is lovely -- cocoa, peanuts, maple, vanilla, blackberry, smoke. It’s rich and complex without being busy. More fruitiness shows up in the flavor as plums and black currant lead the way, followed by a rich chocolate syrup and espresso middle before a slightly smoky, burnt-malt-and-whiskey finish. The fruits are just a bit more pronounced than the barley and barrels, lending a soft tanginess to the proceedings. A sweet, dessert-like brew.
22 oz. bottle shared by?. Pours black with a medium sized frothy tan head. The aroma is roasted malts with dark chocolate, oak, bourbon, cocoa nibs, vanilla, figs, dates, dark fruit and berry character and light coffee. One word to describe the flavor is BIG. This has decadent chocolate, creamy vanilla, roasted malt, mellow bourbon and oak, figs, some dark fruit and berries, cocoa, and flashes of the alcohol as it warms. For all of that, the balance is surprising. Full creamy body. Solid.
Black, small tan head. Aroma is a tart almost tannic fruityness. Flavor is much less tart. Roast forward with some dark fruits and some berry tartness in the finish. Very nice beer.
Tap at Churchill’s Pub. Pours nearly opaque black with a small, fizzy beige head, short retention with light lacing. Aroma is roast and chocolate malt, lactose, prunes and figs. Flavor is sweet dark malt and fruits, light earthy hops and bitterness with a sweet finish. Full body and medium carbonation.
650ml bottle, trade by Bob, shared at the Hoppy Pub, Thessaloniki. Thanks Bob! Dark brown almost black color with beige head. Malty aroma, light roasted, bready, caramel, light buttery and soy sauce in the beginning before it gets warmer, later the dominant aromas are chocolate, wood, fruity. Sweet and bitter taste like the aroma, roasted malt, dark fruity chocolate, light alcoholic. Medium oily body with soft carbonation.
Fig and slight fruit aroma come from this thick black brew with a small cream brown head. Molasses fig chocolate come up front in a full bodied beer with a slightoak flavor in the aftertaste followed even later by chocolate. This is a thick low carb. Beer and worth a try.
Bottle... Pours dark brown with a small, creamy, mushroom-colored head. Good retention. The nose is complex, but I can’t really nail down any of the components or adjuncts listed on the bottle. I do, however, pick up notes of mocha and caramel once warm. Full-bodied and as flat as a pancake. The flavor is boozy, burnt and far too bitter for my palate. There’s light acidity in the bitter, acrid, scorched finish. This isn’t talking to me. Not my thing. Mikkeller-like imperial porter/stout – basically an Imperial Black IPA. I have to go against the grain with this one. Bottle courtesy of ctipping!
Bottle. Very dark brown pour with a tan head. Tons of dates and dark fruit in the aroma, malty chocolate and vanilla, some dark berries. Flavour is much the same, but with some roasty notes on top. Sweet with a bit of bitterness to balance. Quite nice.
Dark black. Thick beige head. Molasses, dark fruits. Heavy & thick on the palate. Complexity is off the charts. This is a great beer.
Bottle, body reddish black, not quite opaque. Almond colored head, no retention. Aroma is fruity raisin molases, roasted barley, cherries, bourbon, vanilla. Taste is molases, raisin, bourbon and vanilla, spice, citrus rind, berries (currant?), oaky finish. Body is rich, but not as heavy as most imperial stouts, carbonation a bit sharp for type. Boozy, but not hot. This is another great black butte, but I think the last one was just a little better.
What a lusciois beer. Pour is thick and black with a tan head. Dissipates to a thin sheet of tiny bubbles. Alcohol legs are present. Aroma is dark fruits, cherries, chocolate, oak, vanilla. Taste is similar, with lots and lots of dark fruit. Body is full, finish is dry. Beer is fantastic. Merry Christmas!
Poured from tap to glass. Dark hue with thick creamy brown head that lingered. Aroma is toffee, huge chocolate, figs, caramel. Mouthfeel is great with a full body and crisp carbonation. Taste is sweet throughout but not cloying and a slightly astringent bitterness following. Overall this beer is great.
Raisin, coffee/cocoa malt aroma. Some fruity hops. Probably some fruit from the black currant; a little tart. Really fruity flavor. Sweet, with some tartness. Roasted malt. Bourbon flavor; in the background, but definitely there. Raisin-like finish. Moderate bitterness.
Aroma of coffee, malt, chocolate and dried fruit. Pours a clear black without much head. Wonderful taste of chocolate, coffee, malt and alcohol. Creamy feel with an alcohol finish.
Poured from a bottle. Yummy delicious porter--one of the best I’ve tried. Great Bourbon understated aroma. Chocolate and coffee notes.
poured from a bottle. Medium brown color, small off white head. Sweet bourbon and malt aroma. Medium body with a sweet bourbon malt flavor and a medium finish.
Meilleure après le 06.10.14. Profondément ténébreuse. Mousse beige riche qui génère une dentelle bien épaisse. Vibrante barrique, petits fruits foncés, légère acidité, chocolat, mélasse, cuir, tabac, figues (ou autre chose qui partage les mêmes molécules) et raisins parfument avec impérialisme mes narines qui sont bien heureuses. En bouche, un bourbon qui prend une ampleur boisée et plutôt aigre : mais est-ce ici l’évolution du travail des fruits? Ceci dit, la concoction reste bien maltée, riche en chocolat, fruitée par sa mélasse et amère par ses céréales bien travaillées. En bouche, un corps des plus costauds avec un pétillement plutôt faible et une texture huileuse. En finale, une avancée des fruits aigres avec une touche de lactose(?) et de bourbon boisé à travers la poussée de sucres résiduels plutôt raisonnables ou raisonnés.