Deschutes Black Butte XXVII
Our 27th Anniversary Imperial Porter was brewed with Theo’s cocoa nibs, pomegranate molasses and select spices, blended with apricot puree, and then aged in bourbon barrels. The result is a truly exquisite ale with bold chocolate character, inspired flavors of fruit, and just a pinch of spice. The perfect way for us to celebrate our golden birthday with you!
Malt: Pale, Wheat, Midnight Wheat, Chocolate, Crystal
Hops: Millennium, Cascade, US Tettnang
Other: Theo Chocolate Cocoa Nibs, Apricot Puree, Pomegranate Molasses
Barrel-Aging: 6 Months in Bourbon (50%)
Malt: Pale, Wheat, Midnight Wheat, Chocolate, Crystal
Hops: Millennium, Cascade, US Tettnang
Other: Theo Chocolate Cocoa Nibs, Apricot Puree, Pomegranate Molasses
Barrel-Aging: 6 Months in Bourbon (50%)
3.9
203 reviews
Bend, United States
Community reviews
Bomber - the adjuncts and process used to create this beer make the result like a cross between an imperial Porter and Belgian strong (maybe because of all the fruit character) - lots of fig, plums, taramind, raisin, apricot - sweet, but with light tartness and spice - chocolate, vanilla, bourbon - cherry skin, oak - alcohol is present, but not too hot or boozy - enjoyable, but a little rough on the tail end, with some charred maltiness/burnt quality.
Draught @ Beer Junction. Dark brown. Thin head. On the nose, some thinner barrel notes, not as much residual sugar as other vintages. Big body, though, no shortage of sugars. Sweet, a bit fruity, big bourbon taste and a whack of alcohol. Good, but immature.
650ml waxed bottle. Pours a near opaque dark brown almost black with a medium, creamy, long lasting, tan head that leaves curtains of lace. Sweet aroma of roasted malt, figs, raisins, dried apricots, chocolate, molasses, bourbon and oak. Sweet flavour of roasted malt, licorice, figs, raisins, chocolate, caramel, dried apricots, molasses, pomegranate, oak and warming bourbon in dry, tangy finish. Medium to full body with an oily texture and soft carbonation. Very tasty. Lots of complexity and the high ABV is well hidden.
On tap at the brewery. Pours a deep black with a thin tan head. Big roast, cocoa, chocolate, a touch of fruit. Wood, bourbon, soft oxidation, chewy plums and fruit on the nose. Cocoa, roast, long plum and prune. Soft cocoa. Medium bodied, big and warm, plums, prune, long chocolate. Cocoa, plum, a bit of roast, cocoa, oxidized malt with some soy and umami tones.
Dark brown pour with a khaki head and spotty lacing. Aroma is berries, chocolate, char, caramel, and bourbon. Taste is sweet berry and fruit, dark chocolate, bourbon, sweet caramel, and fruity. Full body.
Bottle thanks to Bill. Pours dark brown with h no head. Pear, peach, mole chocolate. Very sweet, medium mouthfeel. Low carbonation.
Bottle 0.66l sample at Ratebeer Belgian Winter Gathering 2017 Antwerp, Belgium at Beerlovers Bar 25.02.2017. Thanks everybody for sharing great beers! Pour it dark color with no head. Aroma kick of molasis and ginger. Taste roasted coffee beans, apricot, spices, dark chocolate, molasis, wheat, woody note, vanilla, nice sweet after taste, medium sweetness, full body, thick feel, soft carbonation, long finish. Good!
Great combination of flavours. Starts sweet, with sour and bitter notes taking over. Long length.
Geproefd @ RBBWG2017. Kleur is zwart-bruin met kleine witte schuimkraag. Geur is kokosnoot, zoet en een tikkeltje vanille. Smaak is fruitig, een tikkeltje kokosnoot, zoet en licht bitter.
25/II/17 - 1Pt. 6Fl. Oz. bottle @ RBBWG (Beerlovers Bar, Antwerpen) - BB: n/a (2017-221) Thanks to sebletitje for sharing the bottle!
Clear dark brown beer, irregular beige head, little stable, non adhesive. Aroma: vanilla, sweet, caramel, bit sugary, dried fruits, some chocolate. MF: soft carbon, medium body. Taste: sweet, bit roasted, caramel, vanilla, alcohol, bit sourish, more alcohol, bitter touch. Aftertaste: bit sourish, alcohol, roasted, some honey, bitter touch, dried fruits.
Black body with a reddish-brown ring of head. The bouquet is decidedly bourbon and vanilla with smooth roastyness well-faded into the background. The body is richly flavored with coconut, some residual bourbon notes, smooth roastiness, and strong dose of butterscotch. Smooth drinker for the ABV %.
Bouteille via trade with Ibrew2or3. Cheers Dave. BB after 7/20/2016.
Brune assez foncé, au col beige.
Arôme au nez malté, caramel, toffee pas mal de fruité noir et un rétro fort plaisant de pêche. Petite pointe de poudre de cacao perçant en rétro-nasal. Le Bourbon est assez discret, et je note peu le côté boisé et vanillé.
Palais est malté, caramel, toffee avec une certaine épaisseur en bouche et une pointe de fleuri arrivant en retrait. Purée d’abricot voire de pêche complète cette bière fortement centrée sur les malts.
Le Bourbon reste très fin et apporte une petite rondeur et douceur vanillée sans vraiment être le trait arquant de ce porter.
Always have enjoyed this series. Strong roasted malt with chocolate, berry, molasses, some spice and whiskey. Slight oak sweetness. Nice color and feel.
Sampled at the RBBWG2017 . Thnx for sharing, everyone ! Pours black/brown, small white head. Smell is full, sharp, bit fruity. Sweet, dark malts. Taste is full, dark malts, mild booze, some fruits. OK .
Cream-ochre head, stable, over near-black beer. Roasted, nuts, bit rust-like, hot metal aroma, chocolate. Roasted, dried fruit, alcohol, fusels, banana. Very well-bodied, alcoholimpression, quite oily-viscous feel. I would have expected more from this. Nowhere bad, but nowhere original flavours neither.
Bomber shared by sebletitje at RBBWG. Moussy, dense but quickly dissolving, brownish pale beige head, black robe with mahogany edges. Aroma of hot chocolate sauce, treacle, chestnut, vanilla, beef stock, caramel, candied banana, ’natural’ iron, cappuccino, marmelade, kahlua. Sweet onset, pear syrup and marmelade impressions but balanced by underlying brambleberry-ish sourishness, soft carbo, slick, thick and oily mouthfeel. Nutty, toffeeish malt core gaining more bitter ’chocolateness’ as it grows, ending in a mild coffee-like roasted bitter accent, spicy hop bitter punch in the end, leathery and umami flavors linger along with ’wet wood’ tannins and the expected bourbon-like alcohol warmth. Quite intense but packed with flavor, tasteful and rich beer, worthy of this brewery’s reputation.
Thank you Sebletitje! 650 ml. bottle sampled @ RBBWG VI (2017). Black, lovely creamy mocha head. Nose is bitter licorice, molasses, burned barrel, mocha, roasted malts, herbal bitter. Taste is strongly bitter, herbal, bitter plastic, roast, burned plastic, charred barrel, molasses, licorice. Body is bitter thick plastic molasses. Overly bitter licorice, roast & molasses heavy for me. I got absolutely zero apricot puree here, bourbon seems lost underneath the bitterness as well. Not what I hoped for.
22oz bottle picked up at the state store
Pours dark brown with a medium sized tan head, some lacing. Aroma of cocoa, chocolate, dark fruit and bourbon. Flavor of chocolate, dark fruit, molasses vanilla , bourbon and spices
Good, but it’s not as good as other years. Surprisingly, it is a little thin.
Very dark brown pour. Aroma whiskey, slight tangy fruit, slight sweetness. Tastes slight rose, burnt barley, dark choco. I like this combination a lot more compared to XXVI.
Bottle. It poured a black color with a tan head. The aroma was of bourbon, oak, vanilla, chocolate, bread and some spice. The taste was similar to the aroma with more bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, spice and molasses. It had a medium to full body with a nice aftertaste. Good stuff.
DATE: December 27, 2016... OCCASION: just got back from "bowling" with some good friends... GLASSWARE: Duvel tulip... pours a dark black body that supports a one-finger brown head that bubbles and froths while maintaining its integrity... rich, thick cocoa impacts the nostrils, while bourbon, vanilla, cedar, and an aromatic citrus that makes for a full dose... full-bodied, explosive at the teeth and throat, warming and long on the finish--a thick, blanketing mouth feel that is also creamy and drinkable, especially given its ABV... the pomegranate plays prominently in this profile, with cocoa and bourbon infusing each sip with an alcoholic punch... a meal in itself, this beer gets stronger as the glass drains... fruit esters linger with every sip, and its strength holds steady... the bourbon makes its presence known...
Shared 22oz. bottle. Pours dark brown with a tan head. Aroma of dark fruit, molasses, bourbon and chocolate. Taste is chocolate, bourbon, oak, molasses, fruit. Gets better as it approaches room temperature.
Aroma: malt, current, some booze; Appearance: pitch black with creamy off white head that lingers; Taste: follows nose with some additional cocoa, bitterness and booziness at the end; Palate: heavy body with long, sweet finish; Overall: nice complexity but a little too sweet.
This Black Butte release is, like many of the others, totally weird. Lots of crazy things in here yet he taste is lovely and cohesive. Roast, fruit, and cocoa aromas. Flavor is chocolaty with notes of stone fruit and dry sherry. The booze is tremendously well hidden. For all the added ingredients and the experimental attitude, this Black Butte is marvelously balanced and flavorful.
Bottle.
A- Oak, subtle cherry, bourbon, mild fruit.
A- Black color, dark liquid, light brown head.
T- Oak, subtle bourbon, dark fruits, slightly sweet.
P- Full body, average texture, average carbonation, complex finish.
O- My 3rd in this series. Had 26 fresh and 28 fresh so why not have 27 after the best after date. Drinks nice. Don’t really get any pomegranate or apricot or even spice, but it makes for a slightly fruity sweetness. Plenty of oak and maybe even some cherry in there. Nice beer overall. An addition of coffee would really be nice I think.
So this looks great and is a nice sipping beer. The combination of the two fruits makes it a bit too sweet at times but I’ve always enjoyed pomegranate in my beer. Solid.
Bottle ~1 year old. Pours dark translucent brown black. Nose is pomegranate molasses (I cook with this a lot), dark roast malts, light vanilla and bourbon. Taste is lightly sour....I would suspect infection if not for the pomegranate molasses. Flavors of dark chocolate, dark and chocolate malts, fig/stewed prunes, with sour pomegranate molasses finish. Probably the worst of this series to date for me.
Sampled from a 22 oz brown bottle this beer poured a black color with a medium sized soapy-foamy brown head that lingered and left a bit of lacing. The aroma was sweet and toasty with notes of chocolate, ripe dark fruits, anise, wood and rum. The flavor was woody with notes of whiskey, anise, fig, cherry and molasses. Noted boozy presence. Long finish of whiskey, anise and dark fruits. Moderately full bodied. Surprisingly smooth.
650ml bottle from Park Royal. Tasted with Ilya. Pours an opaque dark brown with a brown head. Aroma is coffee, cocoa, bourbon barrel, some leather, fruity and grassy notes. Taste is pretty the same, medium to high sweetness level, medium booziness level, with chocolate, molasses, fruity and roasted malt notes. Roasted malt, chocolate aftertaste. Excellent.
Bottle 65 cl. Pours dark brown with a warm, burgundy hue and a light brown head. Bourbon nose, but also a whiff of tartness. Rich, sweet body, some licorice, but subtle roastiness. Has a slight, rustic tartness as somme barrel aged beers get, I wonder if that’s why it was blended. But not horrible or anything, just not as smooth as some of the best Bourbon barrel aged beers. 031016