Deschutes - Black Butte Porter

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Black Butte Porter
Deschutes Brewery
901 SW Simpson Avenue
Bend, OR USA
Est. 1988
www.deschutesbrewery.com 


Brain Damage Quotient = 5.2% ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 


Postmortem Brew Review
Dark black with reddish hues on the edges.
Roasted malts and roasted coffee in aroma.
Deep tan, two finger head. Draped lacing with good head retention.
Coffee and malt taste, though just a bit restrained.
Moderate amount of carbonation.
Medium to full bodied. Rich, creamy, smooth and refreshing.


Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Black Butte has been hanging out in the mortuary fridge for a while. Lucky me, I recently had some of this on Tap out in Portland and took some tasting notes. While the draught version is a bit tastier and fresher, my notes were fairly similar. The only thing lacking in my bottle version was a bit more punch of malt and coffee flavors that were found in the tap pint I tried. Other than that, no complaints.

I noted the bottle neck label mention that this porter uses the Kraeusening process in which the brewer adds freshly fermenting wort to beer that is ready to bottle. This aids the fermentation process, right in the bottle up until the point it is opened to be consumed.

This is a solid porter and is so smooth and creamy. It finishes with a nice clean pop and makes you come back for another sip, over and over.

Deschutes - Jubelale

Dead Soldier 

Veronica Vega - Deschutes

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Jubelale
Deschutes Brewery
901 SW Simpson Avenue
Bend, OR USA
Est. 1988
www.deschutesbrewery.com


Brain Damage Quotient = 6.7 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 (3 oz. sample)


Postmortem Brew Review
Rich, deep red color.
Smell of citrus and pine hops on the nose. Good amount of caramel malt present. Some spiciness also present.
Choppy tan colored head, about one finger high.
Great lacing down the side of the glass.
Caramel toasted malt with hops in balance. Bready and earthy tastes.
Medium bodied. Full flavored mouth feel.


Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Round #6
This blog post was done live at the 2nd Annual Beer Blogger's Conference, held in Portland, Oregon. 95 bloggers were in attendance, from over one thousand identified blogs. Luminaries of the craft beer world also attended to serve as presenters and keynote speakers for the event. A "speed round" of blogging was held by brewers, each bringing an exemplary brew to blog. Great craft beers, 12 blogging tables and 60 minutes were allotted in a fun, free-for-all session. 

Deschutes - Red Chair Northwest Pale Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Red Chair Northwest Pale Ale
Deschutes Brewery
901 SW Simpson Avenue
Bend, OR USA
Est. 1988
www.deschutesbrewery.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 6.4% ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Beautiful amber color.
Piney and citrusy hops and roasted caramel malts in aroma.
Near-white, two finger head. Nice draped lacing, good head retention.
Caramel malts abound. Zingy pine hops taste.
Moderate amount of carbonation.
Light to medium bodied. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Okay, so I couldn't wait. Had to try another Deschutes from the cache of beers brought back from Arizona. Another crowd pleaser. I also enjoyed this "Northwest" version of a Pale Ale. It differs from the Mirror Pond Pale Ale by the variety of hops used in the batch and the malt.

Whereas Mirror Pond has Cascade hops in the mix, the NWPA uses more of the maltier side, (7 types of malts, in all), to produce a softer pale ale, although it achieves 60 IBU's compared with 40 in the Mirror Pond.

Decisions, decisions. Both are great choices for Pale Ales and I can't decide which I enjoyed more. Take a ride on the "Red Chair" and get the 'lift' you're looking for.

Deschutes - Mirror Pond Pale Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Mirror Pond Pale Ale
Deschutes Brewery
901 SW Simpson Avenue
Bend, OR USA
Est. 1988
www.deschutesbrewery.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0% ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Pleasant amber color.
Floral hops and roasted caramel malts in aroma.
Near-white, two finger head. Wonderful ringed lacing and superior head retention.
Caramel malt and biscuit flavored with floral hops taste.
Moderate amount of carbonation.
Light to medium bodied.  Perfect session beer. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
New, uncharted ales brought back from a visit west of the Mississippi!

40 IBU's and a ton of fresh hop flavor make this a stellar Pale Ale. It was love at first sip. I brought several of Deschutes ales back from a recent trip out west, but was also able to sample this while in Arizona. A great color, terrific fresh smell and just the right amount of hops attracted me to this ale. I read the beautifully worded label and now wish to see the brewery first hand, on the banks of the Deschutes River.

I could drink this one all day long. More Deschutes in the fridge...can't wait to try them all now!

Deschutes Brewery - Hop Trip

Dead Soldier 

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Hop Trip
Deschutes Brewery 
901 SW Simpson Avenue
Bend, OR USA
Est. 1988
www.deschutesbrewery.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Amber color; clear.
100% crystal hops and citrus orange-like aroma.
One to two finger head with super sticky lacing as it drapes on the glass.
Tastes of malt and hops, interesting because malts are masked by hops on the nose.
Modest carbonation.
Semi dry finish in the taste.
Medium bodied. Fresh taste and easy to drink. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
This blog post was done live at the first ever Beer Blogger's Conference, held in Boulder Colorado. 108 bloggers were in attendance, from over five hundred identified blogs. Luminaries of the craft beer world also attended to serve as presenters and keynote speakers for the event. A "speed round" of blogging was held by 12 brewers, each bringing an exemplary brew to blog. 12 beers, 12 blogging tables and 60 minutes were allotted in a fun, free-for-all session. 

Round #12

Stacey Denbow

Stacey Denbow explained all about this wonderfully interesting hopped brew. He stated that this "fresh hop" Pale Ale is about the celebration of the hop harvest in the fall. Deschutes picks the hops fresh and trucks them to the brewery so they can be added to the brew right away. It takes about 680 pounds of Crystal hops from a farm outside Salem, Oregon.  The hops are added to each 120 barrel batch in addition to some dry kilned whole flower hops. Crazy stuff from their Bond Street Series, but with all those hops, it's even crazier that it attains a mere 38 IBU's ! No mistake, it has all the full fresh hop taste enveloping your taste buds with none of the over hopped burnout. Refreshingly delicious!

Some of the more interesting highlights that Stacey shared with us:

• Hops are added immediately after arrival to the brewery (the boil is started as the trucks leave the hop yards!)
• Produced once a year in 22oz bottles.
• Hop Trip is meant to be consumed immediately, to keep the hop fresh flavor alive.
• Our tasting bottle was only 10 days old !