Previous Winners
Supreme Champion, International Champion and Best in Class Beer above 7% ABV
Deschutes The Abyss, 11%
Take a rich, strong stout and mature it in French oak and Bourbon casks. Package it in a tall, imposing bottle and wrap the neck in a thick collar of wax. Give it a name that suggests impenetrable darkness and adds a shiver of fear, a name that not only sums up the depth of the beer but also makes drinkers stop, think and respect. That's how you create a beer called The Abyss.
This astonishing creation comes from the Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon. They've long been known for brewing full-flavoured beers and their skill in bottling, and now they've been recognised in the International Beer Challenge with the supreme champion title, thanks to this stunning beer.
The Abyss pours mysteriously dark brown with a lively foam the colour of a smoky bar-room ceiling. The nose is biscuity, slightly vinous and packed with the aromas of chocolate, orange and liquorice. If that sounds complex, wait till you discover the taste, which has oily chocolate flavours, nuts, lots of coffee, hints of orange cream, a tinge of liquorice and an oaky dryness. It's super-smooth and lusciously creamy, with the sumptuousness of a chocolate truffle, only more bitter. There's more dark chocolate, coffee and oak in the warming, drying finish that follows, but you could drink this beer all night (slowly!) and keep finding new flavours.
'It ticked all the right boxes for me,' revealed judge Zak Avery. 'Although it was very dark and heavy, it was balanced. It was big without being brutal and had a wonderful unctuous, bittersweet quality that made it interesting but not cloying.' Another judge, Glenn Payne, described the beer more succinctly. 'As a celebration of the brewer's craft,' he said, 'it would be hard to better.'
Class Winners 2007
- Class 1 Ales up to 4.2% abv - Red McGregor - Orkney Brewery
- Class 2 Ales between 4.3% and 5.5% abv - Bachelor ESB - Deschutes Brewery
- Class 3 Ales between 5.6% and 6.9% abv - Victory Ale - Batemans
- Class 4 Lager up to 4.2% abv - Latitude - Atlas Brewery
- Class 5 Lager between 4.3% and 5.5% abv - Monteith's - D B Breweries
- Class 6 Lager between 5.6% and 6.9% abv - Weltenburger Asam Bock - Kloster Weltenburg, Germany
- Class 7 Beer above 7.0% abv - Abyss Imp Stout - Deschutes Brewery
- Class 8 Fruit Beers - Meantime Raspberry Grand Cru - Meantime Brewing Co Ltd
- Class 9 Wheat Beers - Weihenstephaner Hefeweiss - Weimenstephan Brewery
- Class 10 Stouts and Porters up to 6.9% abv - Meantime Coffee Porter - Meantime Brewing Co
- Class 11 Dark/Black Lagers up to 6.9% eg: Amber Lagers, Vienna, Dunkels, Rauchbiers - Samuel Adams Boston Lager - Boston Beer Company
- Class 12 Non-alcoholic and low alcoholic beers - Clausthaler Classic - Surfax Ltd
World's 50 Best Beers 2007
Click here to download the full list of the World's 50 Best Beers 2007
Class Winners 2006
- Class 1 Standard Ale - Bitter & Twisted (4.2%), Harviestoun, Harviestoun Brewery
- Class 2 Strong Ale - La Trappe Dubbel (6.5%), Koningshoeven, Bavaria UK
- Class 3 Standard Lager - Latitude Highland Pilsner (3.9%), Atlas Brewery
- Class 4 Strong Lager - Cerne Pivo (5.1%), Bernard (CZ), Pivovar Ltd
- Class 5 Strong Beers - Thomas Hardy Ale (11.7%), O'Hanlons
- Class 6 Fruit Beers - Jacobins Kriek Max (3.2%), Bockor, Vertical Drinks
- Class 7 Wheat Beers - Franziskaner Hefe-Weiss (5%), InBev, InBev UK
- Class 8 Stouts and Porters - Cream Stout (6.5%), St Peters Brewery
- Class 9 Cider - Jack Ratt Vintage Cider (7.4%), The Lyme Bay Winery
- Class 10 Non-alcoholic & Low Alcohol Beers - Bavaria Apple Malt (0%), Bavaria NV , Bavaria UK
World's 50 Best Beers 2006
Click here to download the full list of the World's 50 Best Beers 2006
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