Deschutes Red Chair NW Pale Ale

Brewery: Deschutes Brewery | Beer: Red Chair NW Pale Ale
Style: American Pale Ale | ABV: 6.2% | IBUs: 60
Serving Method: 22 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

Originally known as Red Chair IPA, Deschutes' spring seasonal beer is now listed as an American Pale Ale and known as Red Chair NW Pale Ale. It's a move I support, as upon first sampling the beer when it was a special-release bomber, I felt it was much closer to an APA than an IPA.

Anyway, name and style aside, let's get into the nitty-gritty. The backbone consist of Northwest Two-Row Pale, Crystal, Carastan, Carapils, Munich, and Pilsener malts, while the hop bill is made up of Cascade and Centennial varieties. Deschutes describe the resulting brew as having "the citrus punch of a big IPA, minus the one-dimensional hop sledgehammer."

Sounds like a winner, lets dig in.

Appearance: A slightly hazy, rich red-orange body capped by over two fingers of creamy, off-white head that features fantastic retention and lacing.

Aroma: Bright, citrusy and piney hops over a caramel malt base.

Taste: Up front, lots of bright hops with citrus, pineapple, pine, and herbal notes. The hops are bold, but not overly bitter. Underneath, there's a biscuity caramel malt backbone keeping everything decently balanced. Just a mild hint of alcohol towards the end leading to a mildly bitter and biscuity finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with good carbonation and a dry finish.

Drinkability: The 22 ounce bottle disappears quickly, making this a great session beer.

Verdict: Red Chair is a very tasty and sessionable brew, another in a long line of impressive beers from Deschutes. I totally agree that this slots into the APA category better than it does with the IPA category, but at the end of the day it's just the same great beer.

Grade: A-

Deschutes Cinder Cone Red Review

Brewery: Deschutes Brewery | Beer: Cinder Cone Red
Style: American Red Ale | ABV: 5.4% | IBUs: 55
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

Here we have another case of a review that is way too late for its own good. I was checking out the Deschutes site looking for information on this beer and it turns out it was retired earlier this year. D'oh!

Anyway, Cinder Cone Red was brewed from 2003 through 2010 as Deschutes' spring seasonal. A Red Ale, it was named after northern slope of Mt. Bachelor turns red as the snow starts to melt in the spring. Very clever.

As for ingredients, the backbone was built with Northwest Two-Row Pale, Caramel, Dextrin Black Barley malts and it was hopped with a mix of Cascade, Amarillo, Simco, and Tettnanger hops varieties. It was an interesting mix of hops and malt, one which Deschutes claimed to "captivate thirsty palates with its toffee-like flavor, intense citrus aroma and defined bitterness"

Let's hop in the Delorean and take a taste, shall we?

Appearance: Pours an ever-so-slightly hazy, rich orange-brown body with a solid two fingers of off-white head. Great retention and lacing.

Aroma: Citrusy and floral hops over a sweet caramel malt base. This smells great.

Taste: Lots of hops right off the bat. They're citrusy, juicy, a little spicy, and decently bitter for the style. The Amarillo and Tettnang combination is just brilliant here. Underneath, plenty of lightly-roasted caramel malt in the backbone. This is certainly a well-hopped Red, but it's still well-balanced. The aftertaste is nicely bitter.

Mouthfeel: The body is a little fuller than medium and the carbonation is nice and smooth. Dry finish.

Drinkability: Tasty with a mild alcohol content, this makes for a brilliant session brew.

Verdict: Cinder Cone Red was a real hit. I loved the combination of hops, and the rest of the beer wasn't too shabby either. It seems odd to me that a beer this tasty and sessionable was a seasonal, it seems like the kind of beer that would have flown off the shelves year-round. I'll really miss this one.

Grade: A

Note: While the review above is being posted in October 2010, the tasting notes contained within were taken when the beer was fresh in May 2009.

Deschutes Hop Henge Experimental IPA Review

Brewery: Deschutes Brewery | Beer: Hop Henge Experimental IPA
Style: American Double India Pale Ale | ABV: 8.8% | IBUs: 95
Serving Method: 22 oz. bottle poured into tulip glass

Clocking in at almost 100 IBUs, Hop Henge Experimental IPA is the hoppiest beer in Deschutes' Bond Street series of hop-forward beers. It was first brewed in 2006, but has gone through a significant recipe change since then. As the name implies, this beer is meant to embody Deschutes' more experimental side and their "commitment to innovation."

As usual, Deschutes provide lots of detail on construction. Each barrel is brewed with several pounds of Centennial and Cascade hops, with even more hops employed for dry-hopping. The malt body is built from Crystal, Pale, and Carastan varieties and "creates an overall biscuity characteristic that is dense and muscular, building the alcohol base to support the monstrous hop profile."

All this hop talk has got me mighty thirsty, so let's open it up and hop in.

Appearance: A slightly hazy, burnt-copper body capped with a generous and creamy off-white head that features brilliant staying power and lacing.

Aroma: Sweet, somewhat juicy and citrusy hops and moderate alcohol character over a substantial caramel base.

Taste: Just as you'd expect from a Double IPA, there's a generous flourish of hops up front. They're citrusy, piney, resiny, and nicely bitter. That nearly nine percent alcohol content is hidden rather well with. Underneath all of this, there's a solid enough caramel malt backbone to keep it all together. Lots of resiny, bitter hops and a few wisps of booze in the finish.

Mouthfeel: A fuller than medium body with moderate carbonation and a dry finish.

Drinkability: Perhaps a little above average for the style in this department, despite the high IBU rating. Just watch out for the nearly nine percent alcohol.

Verdict: Hop Henge is a tasty and quite serviceable Double IPA, though I might stop short of calling it "experimental." A definite pickup for the hopheads.

Grade: A-

Note: While this review is being published in August, the tasting notes contained within were taken when the beer was fresh in spring 2009.

Deschutes Black Butte Porter Review

Brewery: Deschutes Brewery | Beer: Black Butte Porter
Style: American Porter | ABV: 5.2% | IBUs: 30
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

I recently reviewed my first Deschutes beer, Mirror Pond Pale Ale, the Oregon brewery's most popular offering. What better choice for the next review than the beer the company defines as its flagship?

Named after an extinct volcano in nearby Sisters, Black Butte Porter dates back to the first days of Deschutes back in 1988. Deschutes doesn't provide much information on the ingredients, but Jonathon over at The Beerocrat called them up and got the details. The hops used are Cascade, Galena, and Tettnanger, while the malts used are Chocolate, Wheat, and mid-level Caramel. Nicely done, Jonathon.

Here's how Deschutes pitch Black Butte:

Black Butte is rich in flavor yet easy to drink, with a creamy, smooth mouth feel. The slight hop bitterness up front only enhances the distinctive chocolate and roasted finish to come.

Sounds good to me, let's dive into this volcano.

Appearance: A hazy, deep dark brown body with ruby highlights and a finger and a half of caramel-tinged head. It leaves a fantastic curtain of lacing that leaves the glass virtually opaque.

Aroma: Roasted malt, bitter chocolate, and dark coffee with hop notes around the edge. The classic Porter aromas, used to great effect here.

Taste: Much the same in flavor as in taste. An abundance of rich, roasty, and chocolaty malt. There's a splash of hop bitterness in the back for added complexity. The aftertaste is of roasted malt and bitter coffee.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and velvety with a smooth carbonation. It coasts the mouth well, allowing the flavors to linger a long time.

Drinkability: With a tasty flavor profile, a medium body, and the alcohol content clocking in at just over five percent, this is a very drinkable beer. If you love dark malt, you could drink this all night.

Verdict: Black Butte is smooth, chocolaty, and tasty as all hell. Well worth seeking out for fans of Porter, Deschutes have brewed up a solid example of the style here.

Grade: A-

Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale Review

Brewery: Deschutes Brewery | Beer: Mirror Pond Pale Ale
Style: American Pale Ale | ABV: 5.0% | IBUs: 40
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

Founded as a small brewpub in downtown Bend, Oregon back in 1988 by Gary Fish, Deschutes has grown into one of the most talked about breweries in the country. Known best for their big beers like The Abyss, Black Butte XXI, and Mirror Mirror, the company also has a very full protfolio of year-round and seasonal brews.

To start off, I decided to go with their most popular beer: Mirror Pond Pale Ale. Described by the brewery as "the definitive American Pale Ale," Mirror Pond goes through four hop additional during the boil and a round of dry-hopping after. They only mention Cascade hops in their marketing, so I'm unsure what (if any) other varieties are used. As for the backbone, Deschutes mention they use Crystal malts to offset the hops for a solidly balanced beer.

I love a nicely balanced Cascade-driven Pale Ale, so let's get to it.

Appearance: A slightly hazy, pumpkin-colored body. On top, a finger and a half of off-white creamy head featuring excellent retention and lacing.

Aroma: Floral and citrusy Cascade hops over a solid caramel malt base. Classic American Pale Ale all the way.

Taste: A wave of Cascade hops in the front, a little more grapefruity then in the nose. Underneath, a sold caramel malt backbone keeps everything well balanced. Sure, I'd love to see more focus on the hops, but I suppose that's what IPAs are for. The aftertaste retains the balance, with equal doses of bitterness and sweet malt.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation. It gets a little watery in the finish, limiting the aftertaste's strength a bit.

Drinkability: This is an easy drinking beer, just what you want from a Pale Ale.

Verdict: Mirror Pond is a great example of the American Pale Ale style. While not the most complex beer out there, this does make for a very solid session beer. I can't wait to see what these guys are cooking as far as IPAs and Double IPAs go.

Grade: B+