Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale

Solid, Solid, Solid. True to style. This is a Deschutes Brewing staple that you can never go wrong bringing to the party(provided you don't mind everyone drinking YOUR beer). Not too bitter, not too crisp. This is what a pale ale should be. A little sweet citrus in the background that keeps things lively and tones down the mild bitterness. Cascade hops are Oregon's finest and they shine here. I've got a case chilling right now.

Deschutes Hop in the Dark

Deschutes always impresses me I've had so many of their beers and so much of their food. They are constantly pushing the envelope while keeping their quality consistent. Case in point this beer.

Deschutes is calling it a Cascadian Dark Ale and it is that. Using cascade hops along with traditional porter malts and even some oats to provide body Deschutes has created something of a hybrid. A dark IPA.

Essentially that's what this is. A mishmash of a roasty toasty stout or porter mixed with low grade IPA bitterness. The aroma is roast and a hint of pine while the taste is the opposite.

I appreciated this for what it was. A distinct departure from style and an experimental beer, but I wasn't really that enamored with it. The roast just didn't fit well with the pine and a hint of citrus. I think that's what ruined it for me, that hint of citrus. Most stouts have that back-end bitterness and it works, but this one just doesn't seem to meld well. 

Deschutes Twilight Summer Ale

Deschutes Brewing is probably my favorite brewery of all time simply because I grew up around it. We have a communal house there between three families and I've been skiing at Mt. Bachelor since I was 3 years old. I've reviewed some of the beers here on the blog( The Abyss, Hoptrip, Hop Henge) and over the years I've had just about everything they have to offer short of the seasonals that were one shot wonders when I wasn't old enough to drink. I probably had some of those too although it was long before I actually appreciated it. 

This beer was a gift from my mom. Love you Mom! There were 6 of these beauties waiting for D and I when we got to our INCREDIBLE house in the mountains of Maui. We stayed at a spa where we had the ENTIRE house to ourselves. What a view. We watched storms roll in, the fog and mist that D and I love so much, and stood out on the balcony overlooking the island as warm rain come down on the lights below.

After that description of the setting this beer couldn't help but be good. It was! Crisp, bright, without being to acidic. A little lime, orange, citrus. Not too many bubbles. A perfect summer ale. This would definitely be my go to light beer if I could get it year round but alas it is a summer seasonal.

Deschutes The Abyss

Deschutes holds a special place in my heart as I have mentioned before(Here and Here). I grew up skiing at Mt. Bachelor and taking family trips down the brewery's namesake river. Black Butte is synonymous with porter as far as I'm concerned.

That's why I was stoked that "The Abyss," a much exhalted beer lived up to its reputation. Going head to head with another imperial stout that had been aged in barrel, The Bruery's "Coton," Deschutes' beer came out on top as far as I'm concerned. No bias here, the deciding factor for me was that I could actually drink and finish "The Abyss." I wanted to drink "Coton" I swear. It's one of the most complex beers I have had, probably, well ever. The problem was it was just TOO much bourbon. I mean it tasted more bourbony than straight Jim Beam. So much flavor though, but I had to fight it every teeny tiny sip of the way whereas "Abyss" was a pleasure to drink.

The aroma coming off "The Abyss" was sweet but not cloying. There was a lot of roasted sugar, toffee, and licorice but it wasn't overwhelming unlike the "coton." I wanted to keep smelling the "coton" because it smelled good but there is definitely a little too much of a good thing there. "Abyss" on the other hand strikes a great balance between overpowering and underwhelming. I could have my nose glued to the glass and be happy.

The only taste knock on "The Abyss" was that I felt like it had too much carbonation. I like my stouts smooth and it was a little too prickly on the tongue. It had wonderful roasted coffee, milk chocolate, vanilla, toffee, and licorice flavors that melded together beautifully. Each rolling into the next as the taste lingered. The coffee and chocolate flavors were not bitter and the toffee was not too sweet. There wasn't too much roast in the taste but enough to balance the sweet.

This definitely is my all time favorite stout.

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Deschutes Brewing Hop Henge IPA

This is the second beer in Deschutes lineup called their "Bond St. Series" that I have reviewed. The first being their ode to fresh hops, Hop Trip. Let me start off by saying that I am a bit biased towards Deschutes, having grown up skiing at Mt. Bachelor in Bend, Or. I have had many a Black Butte Porter from here and in fact that is my mom's favorite beer.

I shared this 22 with The Jew as she had brought us brisket over for dinner. No, I am not kidding, she is a vegan Jew who brought D and I brisket. Who am I to say no to brisket from a Jewish mother's kitchen? I have all kinds of Yiddish rolling around in my head right now. Anyway, being the hop head that she is she was stoked to have some of this.

Appearance:  Caramely, coppery with an off white head

Aroma: MMMmmmmm....It's an IPA so of course there is pine but it's not overpowering. There was a floral aspect to it and a little citrus. I knew right away that this beer was going to be balanced despite being 93 IBU's because I could smell the malt mixed in with the herbaceous hops. I was really stoked to dive into this one.

Taste: Can I say MMMmmmm again? Redundant, but MMMmmmmm...this is so well balanced! If you are a hop head it might not satisfy you but I was in heaven. Slightly creamy body, perfectly light carbonation. Caramel and a little sweetness on the front end and piney bitter on the back end. Looong finish. I did not want this 22 to end. I KNOW it was good because the Jew refilled her glass before I had finished mine. That. Good.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5 I have to leave room for improvement.

Oh and the food at their brewpub is outstanding if you are ever out in Bend it is definitely worth a lunch time trip. The Black Butte Porter Mustard? I think I would drink it if I thought people wouldn't lock me up in a mental institution somewhere.

Deschutes "Hop Trip"...From the Vine to the Kettle

The Germans +1 are back for a week! There's no way that this beer could have been bad because of the company it was shared with. It's kind of like when D and I share a really good glass of Manishevitz(?) with our Jewish friends. Wait, no, no nonono it's not like that at all. That's all wrong, Manishevitz is awful. Always, despite the company it keeps. Sorry T, Shiraz, and One German out of Two, but your wine sucks.

This beer however, does not suck. Whatever the opposite of suckiness is, this beer is that. Well maybe not the opposite because the opposite of suck is, well, ok so it doesn't suck nor does it do the opposite of suck. It's just, mellow. That's a good word for it. Mellow.

It pours a little hazy at first and then settles down into a clear copper state. Lots of pine in the glass on this one, the reason being the fresh hops. This is a Deschutes Brewing Bond Street Edition Brew that celebrates the hop harvest by using fresh off the vines 4 hours down the road hops. It's an American Pale and without a doubt it is my favorite of this style. Most pale's I drink lately seem to be IPA's in APA's labeling. A litle too bitter, a little too carbonated for me. This one has an almost creamy mouthfeel from the diminished bubbles, and just enough bitterness to level out the malt. D even thought it was good and she's not one for hoppy beers.

It might have been the company, maybe the cute new baby, but I just wanted the sun not to set, it was so warm, and I wanted to sit out on that patio never empty beer in my hand with friends all around and D right next to me