{February 3, 2011}

This is, by far, my most favorite beer in the entire world. Granted, I'm not much of a drinker but I do love to try new beers and Deschutes Brewery does not ever disappoint in that respect. I have to give credit to both my cousin, Adam, and to Ryan for bringing me to the wonderful world of microbrewed beer. Before them my only foray in to "beer world" was with the typical, mass-produced, commercial, "beer" that I thought tasted nasty. But after sampling various microbrews my palate expanded and I've come to appreciate even the darkest of beers. Moving to Bend, Oregon introduced me to even more tasty goodness by way of the Pac Northwests' insane amount of artisan brewers. Deschutes, of course, was one of the best places to grab an incredible brew and yummy pub food. I still crave their Black Butte Porter and the halibut fish and chips. Ryan continues his search for a macaroni and cheese that is as good as theirs, but has yet to find it. The Abyss is brewed once a year and sells out within the blink of an eye. When we lived in Oregon we were always able to grab some, yet living out east has made it impossible as they do not distribute out here (yet). We lucked out last year when two friends of ours scored some and sent it to us, but this year that didn't happen. Ryan has put back a bottle every year to let it age and see how it changes over time. Last night he decided to crack open our saved 2009 vintage--much to my delight. I savored every sip, longing both for more of The Abyss and for the ability to partake of Deschutes beers once again. Maybe one day...

On to the pic...{click to view full size}