Whiskery Butte Porter

Review Date 11/9/2021 By John Staradumsky

  Style:  Imperial Porter   Brewery: Deschutes   Country: USA   State: Oregon   $ Per OZ: $.25 (B)   ABV: 9%

Way back in the 90s I was a big Deschutes fan. Mind you, I couldn’t get their beer in Rhode Island or anywhere in my travels through New England, New York, New Jersey or Pennsylvania for that matter. But friendly beer geeks in the Pacific Northwest turned me on to Deschutes beers, and I was immediately a fan. One of my favorite beers then was Black Butte Porter, and when my supply ran dry at the end of that decade, times were sad indeed.

After a two-decades long absence, however, Deschutes beers are now sold in Georgia-yay!  I’ve been enjoying Black Butte Porter in the bottle, on tap at Taco mac, and in a crowler at home. Recently, I stumbled on a variant of the classic Black Butte-Whiskey Butte Porter, porter aged in Whiskey barrels.

On the label, Deschutes adds that the beer is bottle conditioned, meaning live yeast is added during packaging. This will allow the beer to age gracefully, and I will save a bottle methinks to see how it fares in a few years. Of course, this is not simply Black Butte Porter aged in Whiskey barrels. At 9% ABV, Whiskey Butte Porter (am imperial porter) is far stronger than Black Butte at 5.2%. I paid $11.99 for a 4-pack at Total Wine. My bottles are marked PACKAGED ON 09/13/21.

Deschutes Whiskey Butte Porter pours to a jet-black color with a thick creamy tan head and a nose of dark roast and boozy whiskey. Taking a sip, the beer is rich and roasty just like the original with some dark fruity raisin and warming boozy whiskey notes. It finishes roasty, boozy, and dry.

This really is a delicious beer, a bigger and sturdier brother to the original. Absolutely a beer I would buy again.

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??