Black Butte XXXVI Imperial Porter

Review Date 1/31/2026 By John Staradumsky

  Style: Imperial Porter   Brewery: Deschutes   Country: USA   State: Oregon   $ Per OZ: $.33 (B), $.91 (D)   ABV: 11.4%

Oh! Oh! Look what I found! I found Deschutes Black Butte XXXVI on tap at Taco Mac! Yeah, you know I was all over that. Deschutes releases a special anniversary brew every year, and they sell it all year, or longer, until it is gone. Then they brew up a different beer for their next birthday, but you get the present! Nice, huh?

Although the anniversary beer is called Black Butte, it should not be confused with Deschutes Black Butte Porter. That beer is a traditional English porter and less than half as strong. It is, though, one of my very favorite porters.

Deschutes says of Black Butte XXXVI on their website:

Brewed with chocolate and peanut butter. This special 36th anniversarybeer was inspired by the signature dessert at our original brew pub in Bend, Oregon: the peanut butter pie. Dig into this decadent bourbon barrel-aged brew with notes of dark chocolate and creamy peanut butter dolloped with a sweet vanilla cream. Cheers to 36 years!

They list the following ingredients:

Malt: Dark chocolate malt, Midnight wheat, Crystal 75, Premium 2-row, Flaked oats

Hops: Cascade, Nugget, Tettnang

Deschutes Black Butte XXXVI has an alcohol content of 11.4% by volume with 44 IBUs. I paid $10 for my 11-ounce glass at Taco Mac. You can get a 4-pack of 12-ounce bottles at the brewery for $16.

My glass of Deschutes Black Butte XXXVI arrived a jet-black color with a thick creamy tan head and chocolate, grassy herbal hops and boozy bourbon in the nose. Taking a sip, the beer has a full rich body with a hint of creamy peanut butter, decadent dark chocolate, and intense boozy bourbon on into the rich roasty char finish. The bourbon is strong here, and I really love that.

$10 a glass may sound steep but I would have paid twice that for this treasure (don’t tell Taco Mac that). I highly recommend you seek it out, and that you hurry, too. Deschutes Black Butte XXXVII has already been released.

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??