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The Abyss

Deschutes Brewery
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🌍 United States · Imperial Stout · One of 125 Imperial Stouts in hopIQ

The Abyss is the barrel-aged imperial stout of the Deschutes Reserve Series, released each year around November. It is brewed with licorice, cherry bark and molasses, and the 2025 vintage matured in a blend of whiskey barrels, red wine barrels and new oak. It pours near black with a ruby edge under a brown head. Dark-roast coffee, baker's chocolate and licorice lead the nose, followed by molasses, cherry and oaky whiskey. The body is full and warming, and the long finish turns bittersweet.

ABV
11.4%
Bitterness
Very bitter
Roasted bitterness
SRM
dark40
See all Imperial Stout alternatives →

AWARDS

Gold · 2007
Great American Beer Festival
World's Best Imperial Stout · 2012
World Beer Awards
U.S.A's Best Imperial Stout · 2015
World Beer Awards
Gold · 2017
World Beer Awards
Country Winner · 2018
World Beer Awards
Country Winner · 2021
World Beer Awards
★Gold — Great American Beer Festival
★World's Best Imperial Stout — World Beer Awards
★U.S.A's Best Imperial Stout — World Beer Awards
How it drinks· Its pace, balance and relationship to the style.
Pace
sessionsipper
Balance
malt-ledhop-led
Where this beer sits· Four axes, the same for every beer in hopIQ.
Body
Full body.
lightfull-bodied
Sweetness
Gently sweet notes.
drysweet
Bitterness
Firm bitter edge.
mildbitter
Texture
Somewhat creamy mouthfeel.
crispcreamy

The weight carries the beer on its own, leaving the aromatics free to lead.

Character· What makes this beer itself — not just another Imperial Stout.
Malt character
coffee
chocolate
roasted
Distinctive notes
oak
dark fruit

Tasting Notes

AI-generated sensory profile for The Abyss

◎ Appearance

The Abyss presents a deep, near-black body with a distinctly ruby-tinged edge visible against light—a hallmark of high extraction and long barrel aging. A brown head settles to a thin collar, displaying moderate retention and fine lacing that clings to the glass. The opacity and color density signal substantial roasting and adjunct integration.

near-black with ruby rimbrown head, moderate retentionopaque, dense

◌ Aroma

The nose leads with dark roast coffee and baker's chocolate, grounded in rich roasted malt character. Licorice emerges as a distinct herbal-sweet thread, followed by undertones of molasses and cherry bark that speak to both the brewing additions and barrel maturation. Oaky whiskey notes round out the profile with a subtle vanilla-oak backdrop without overwhelming the complex base.

dark roast coffee, baker's chocolatelicorice, molassescherry, whiskey oak

◐ Taste

Entry is full-bodied and warming, with the roasted malt character anchoring a palate that unfolds through molasses sweetness and cherry fruit. Mid-palate reveals layered complexity from the three-barrel blend—whiskey wood providing dry oak structure, while the licorice and cherry bark additions weave through. A measured bitterness (65 IBU) emerges in the mid-to-late palate without cutting short the sweetness, creating controlled tension.

full-bodied, warmingroasted malt, molasses sweetnesscherry, licorice, whiskey oakbalanced bitterness

◑ Finish

The finish extends long, pivoting from the residual sweetness toward a bittersweet and increasingly dry conclusion. The oak, whiskey warmth, and roasted grain linger on the palate and throat, with the bitterness gaining prominence as the beer warms in the glass.

long, bittersweet finishwarming, dry lingering notes
88
hopIQ score
Aroma
88
Taste
89
Appearance
85
Finish
87
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Serve & Enjoy

How to get the most out of The Abyss

Serve at 13–16°C
Refrigerate, then rest 2 min

Slightly warmer than you might expect. 10–13°C lets the roasted malt, chocolate and coffee notes open up fully.

Pint glass
Recommended for this style

The classic — versatile, comfortable to hold and keeps the beer cool. No frills, no distractions: just the beer.

Can be cellared 2–5 years. Develops dark fruit, leather and port-like complexity with age.

Food Pairing

What to eat with The Abyss

About Imperial Stout

Style guide · what to expect · how to find alternatives

What is a Imperial Stout?

Stouts are dark ales with roasted barley character, 4–8% ABV and IBU 25–45. Expect coffee, dark chocolate and toast flavors with a creamy body and dry finish.

Finding a similar Imperial Stout

hopIQ matches by flavor profile — not just style label. A beer with the same coffee, full-bodied, roasted character as The Abyss will score highly even if brewed in a different country or under a different sub-style name.

Other Imperial Stouts in hopIQ

Compare with another beer →Explore all Imperial Stout beers in hopIQ →Browse United States beers →