Archive for the ‘Brett Nelson’ category

Welcome to the Abyss.

OK. I tried. It was a dare. Actually, it was a bet. But it was a bet without money, and that’s pretty much just a dare. The idea was to buy a case of Deschutes’ Abyss and drink one a day for 12 days. Simple. Or so it seemed.

In fact, I upped the ante and said, “12 days? I’m not an amateur! I can do this blindfolded by the end of the weekend.” It was a Friday. Don’t get me wrong, I knew what I was up against. I’ve had plenty of Imperial Stouts before. I’ve mixed them with meals, I’ve mixed them with other beers, and then I’ve mixed up my words like scrabble squares thrown randomly on the floor where my head was resting. When I called Matt and told him that he was right, that I was not up for this challenge, it came out “wdksjd imperial hsdfkljs iiej jkjdf nksadfn. Know what I’m sayin’?” Or at least that’s what the saved voicemail says (Matt, you should probably go ahead and delete that. Seriously).

So, what have I learned? I can’t really remember. I do know that The Abyss is worth the hype. It is a superb Imperial Stout that deserves all of the praise in the world. At about $1 for each ABV percentage point per bottle, it’s not a cheap session beer (that’s about $10 for a 22oz bottle for those of you who haven’t been keeping up with the previous articles). That’s pretty steep in many circles, but you actually have to look at it more as a bottle of wine when it comes to usage and price. Find a great food pairing, and split a bottle with a friend over dinner. Hell, split it with an enemy over dinner and you’ll have a new best friend by the end of the meal.

So that wraps it up. The beer was great. The “12 Days” idea was terrible. Sorry for drinking 12% of the Abyss that made it to Portland. Keep an eye out for my next article entitled: “20 Portland IPAs in 20 Minutes, Bitch”. Another bet from another bar…

Tonight’s intake (at home, on the couch, with a sitter):

1) Lazy Boy IPA (22oz)
2) Stone Old Guardian (22oz)
3) Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard (12oz)
4) Deschutes’ The Abyss (22oz)

OK. Normally, I’d segregate and enjoy my beers. Well, it’s not like I’m not enjoying my beers, I’m just rushing a little. I haven’t had a day off of my day job in 18 days, and my beer collection has been growing since I haven’t had the time to sip. Now that I’ve got the time, I need to get through the backlog. And this only means one thing–work my way up to another Abyss. I’ve enjoyed it under other conditions, why not this condition?

So, what did this little experiment reveal? For sure, 78oz of beer can make you drunk. 78oz of strong beer can make you relly drunk. Super drnk. Plus, drink plenty of water–ounce of water per ounce of beer. Seriously, especially beers of this high octane (At this point, I’m basically talking to my self so that I remember to do this) . These beers will suck the moisture out of your brain until it’s just a brutally painful rock rattling around in your skull the next morning.

Out.
Brett.

[Author's Note]: It’s now the day after. Ouch. And what a bunch of BS rambling that is above. But, sometimes beer has an ugly side and I’ve left it here for all to see, much to my embarrassment. Oh well, I will stick by one thing above: water — drink it.

So far, I’ve done a good job of talking about the idea of the beer, now I’m going to talk about the actual beer. Deschutes’ The Abyss is categorized as an Imperial Stout. I’m going to slide it into the Russian Imperial Stout category as recognized by the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP).

Out of the bottle and into the glass…

Just like an IPA to India, a Russian Imperial Stout was overhopped and had a higher gravity to withstand the journey from England to Russia and surrounding regions. However, as many dimensions as an IPA may have, the Russian Imperal Stout can have many, many more. For example, an IPA brewed with black cherries ends up being more of a novelty than a by-the-guidelines IPA. Not that this type of experimentation can’t produce a wonderful IPA, but strictly speaking, the beer is starting to leave the IPA category. With a Russian Imperial Stout, you can almost thow anything into the black void–fruits, spices, herbs, etc.–and still remain within the category. The complex, roasty malt bill and high alcohol content are usually enough to calm down a lot of other ingredients and push them to the subtler areas of the brew.

The BJCP Style Guidelines say that the overall impression of a Russian Imperial Stout should be: “An intensely flavored, big, dark ale. Roasty, fruity, and bittersweet, with a noticeable alcohol presence. Dark fruit flavors meld with roasty, burnt, or almost tar-like sensations. Like a black barleywine with every dimension of flavor coming into play.”

The elusive bottle of Deschutes’ The Abyss.

Deschutes Brewery says “This exceptionally popular imperial stout, aged in French oak, pinot noir, and bourbon barrels since March 2007, has immense depth with its rich and complex flavors. True to its name, subtle notes of coffee, chocolate, molasses and licorice pull you in deeper and deeper. Cherry bark and vanilla bean added during the dry-hopping process are the proverbial “cherry on top”!”

You’ll definitely notice all of these flavors and more, especially if you pair it with different foods. This is not a session beer, so relax and enjoy it with your favorite meal or snack.

11 bottles of beer in a box, 11 bottles of beer, take one out…

You’ll notice something strange in the photo below. When I got the case home, there was already one missing. Don’t worry, it’s not a mistake. Within ten minutes of purchase, I had already given one away. A friend of mine had his last day at work the same day that the Abyss appeared. As a fellow homebrewer and beer lover, I had to leave one on his desk as his going away present.

But to be fair to this adventure, I’ll be making up for the missing bottle by replacing it with a growler of Abyss directly from Bend. Yeah, I know. How much luck can one person have?

By now, everyone has either uttered the word, or heard it whispered in the dark corners of your favorite bar: abyss. As soon as the word hits the air, it evaporates into a ghost of a rumor, a tall tale, a big fish.

It’s nice when it’s cold enough outside to keep beer cold.

Riding on a huge wave of publicity generated by Men’s Health magazine recognizing The Abyss as the World’s Best Stout, this beer is damn hard to find. Well, it’s actually not hard to find, it’s hard to find before it’s gone. This beer is walking out of most places by the case as soon as it hits the shelves. I bought mine before it even hit the shelf. It was sitting in a shrink-wrapped pallet at the end of a non-beer related aisle at the store. There were two cases, one of which had already been infiltrated by the employees before leaving the loading dock! I inquired about the unopened case and they gave it up without a fight.

I can see a beer of this caliber stirring up emotions in different cities around the world, but here in Portland? Here, you are never more than 7 steps from a great beer. So how can one beer have this much of an impact in a city where great beer is ubiquitous? Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s a great beer. I had last years on tap here in Portland. I also had it straight from the teat in Bend. Delicious, strong, and a great example of a multi-barrel aged Imperial Stout.

You can hear the sigh from accross the house when my girlfriend opens up the fridge to see this.

So, what’s all the hubub, bub? Well, I’m going to find out. I’ve got twelve 22oz bottles to “test” in different settings, possibly paired with food, probably paired with other beer. I’m not sure where this journey is going to take me, but I’m almost certain that at some point along the way, I will hallucinate–most likely if I pair and Abyss with another Abyss. So, over the next two weeks or so, I will be checking in with you to deliver the savory details.