Deschutes Obsidian Stout.

Picked this up a while ago but just now getting around to it. This will probably be my last tasting from Deschutes regular lineup. I remember being denied this beer earlier this summer because the coffee shop had run out, so here it is, the volunteer from the 6-pack.

The pour was delightful. Rich black with a fluffy mocha head. Against the light, you make out a clear dark brown around the edges. The smell is slightly nondescript, cool and just shy of metallic, and I like that. Here is a stout that intends to be just that. Not a stout brewed with local, organic fair trade coffee harvested by children rescued from Martha Stewart sweatshops or a stout infused with Amazonian cacao or some bullshit like that. Here is a stout with a deep black heart that knows exactly what kind of beer it wants to be and doesn't need any extraneous decoration or over-the-top antics. The dark, well-roasted malts make a nice blend with a hint of naturally arising chocolate syrup taste. Assertively bitter but not ostentatious. It is a stout and not an RIS. Silky and smooth, there's just enough carbonation to make it roll off the tongue without blowing up; the finish is clean with very minor residue. Very well played, Deschutes.

This reminds me a bit of the classic first encounters a budding beer aficionado has with Guinness Draught and Extra Stout. After drinking so much American adjunct lager, Draught is like chocolate milk made with 2% (or more) milk and Hershey's chocolate syrup instead of Nestle Quik. They were so smooth, you think you could be so content drinking them all night. And then the intensity of an Extra Stout. Harshly bitter, at first, it's noted as a pretty chewy beer, dense in both flavor and body. Deschutes Obsidian Stout is like reliving both of those experiences at the same time. Everything is in balance, and this is what it'd be like if Draught and Extra had a baby. I like this beer.

• Appearance: Opaque black with a fluffly mocha head that leaves decent lacing. No haze against the light.
• Smell: Slight roasted malts but mostly a clean and fresh bouquet, untainted by accessories.
• Taste: Chocolate-y arising from natural complexity. Slight cola taste with a mild roasted bitter.
• Mouthfeel: Clean with an excellent level of carbonation. Certainly lighter than an RIS and just heavy enough compared to most other stouts.
• Drinkability and Overall: This is a fantastic stout. It is a stout, nothing more, nothing less. I could easily drink a couple of these while sitting around.