Heavy Taste: Deschutes Black Butte XXIII (Black Juju)

"Welcome to crazy. Get it while you can."

Black Butte XXIII
(23rd Birthday Reserve )

2011
Porter

10.8% ABV. 55 IBU
25% Aged in Bourbon Barrels

Brewed with (Spanish) Seville Oranges,
Cocoa Nibs, from Theo Chocolate in Seattle,

and some Pasilla Negra chilis (pasilla negro chili w/ancho and guajillo makes mole)

Chocolate, Chocolate Wheat, Crystal 75, Wheat, & Pale Malt.

Millennium, Cascade, & Tettnang hops.
(475 Barrels produced. 275 Bottled)

I am cellaring a couple of these, but wanted to try one now,

even though I knew it was too early.

At least now I have something to compare with.

The bottle actually has a date on it: Best After 6/15/12.
I look forward to more but until then...

Very tasty. Too hot since I opened too early,
but I am really looking forward to next bottle opening, in about six months.
Strong flavors of rich dark chocolate,
coffee, molasses, and roasted chocolate malt.
as well as underlying caramel and vanilla from the barrel aging.
Strong and full flavored.
Perhaps the heat that I assumed was from high alcohol is from the chilis?
Will be interesting to see later when I open the next bottle.

Deschutes makes one of the best beers on Earth: The Abyss.

So far, nothing I have had from Deschutes is as good as The Abyss.

The regular version of Black Butte Porter is a bit too low ABV for my taste and sort of thin, so I am really glad they release these alternate annual versions.

Also great that they experiment each year and have some fun with it.