I've done it, folks. I've finally gotten through three of the reserve beers by Deschutes. The unfortunate part is that one of these wasn't The Dissident, which I am, perhaps, more interested in trying than any of their other beers. Fortunately, I picked up The Abyss the other day, and some friends brought me Mirror Mirror and Black Butte XXI quite a while back. Now that I've had all three and some time to reflect, I'm going to give a taste to reviewing the trio.
The Abyss: Critical acclaim for this one sets the bar really high. It's number 4 on Beer Advocate and 23 on Ratebeer. It has received multiple awards and is worthy of respect. The cumulative effect of these ratings makes one believe that it is, in fact, one of the best beers on planet earth.
Some beers live up to the hype. (my experience of Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout by Three Floyds). They say the proof of the pudding is in the tasting, and The Abyss, unfortunately, did not live up to the ratings that I've seen. Again, don't mistake me, it is still a good beer and I'm not bashing it. I do think it had ...