[BW] Beer Blog

I’m going to deviate from my normal format and instead do a few quick reviews of some awesome brews I had last weekend.

Casked Deschutes Fresh Hopped Mirror Pond Pale Ale
This cask-conditioned ale I had at Deschutes’ new Public House in the Pearl District of Portland. As a huge fan of cask-conditioned ales, this didn’t disappoint. Much, much smoother than regular Mirror Pond with a way higher floral aroma. I could have drank this all night if I had the opportunity. A colleague of mine also enjoyed it, which was surprising since he doesn’t really like regular Mirror Pond.

Block 15 Chocolate Porter
Block 15 is a brewery and brew pub in Corvallis, OR that I haven’t even remotely written enough about. Block 15 has quickly become one of my favorite breweries period and definitely my favorite brew pub. Their Chocolate Porter was exactly what it claims to be. Very similar to Rogue’s chocolate stout offering, yet just a tad thinner in body. Definitely grab a pint while it’s still available.

Block 15 Ridgeback Red
Ridgeback Red is one of Block 15’s standard offerings and has claimed quite a bit of success as a beer almost everybody will enjoy. This red takes the standard west coast twist on reds in that it leans much more towards hoppy than malty. I had the opportunity to enjoy this from a pony keg that Josh from The Oregon Wine Blog brought to a recent show our rock band played. If you want to play it safe visiting Block 15 for your first time, then perhaps consider ordering a pint of Ridgeback Red.

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Brewery: Deschutes
Style: Imperial Stout
BeerAdvocate.com Rating: A+
RateBeer.com Rating: 4.16 (100th percentile)
Serving: 22oz Bottle

The Abyss is perhaps the hottest beer in the United States, if not the world right now. Like most of us, I never had a chance to try Deschutes’ first run last year. This year is different though as I marked my calendar for the date of this year’s release to make sure I’d get a bottle. This review may seem a little late as The Abyss has already been reviewed a million times already, but I wanted to make sure that I was truly in the mood for an imperial stout.

The Abyss has immeasurable depth inviting you to explore and discover its rich, complex profile. Hints of molasses, licorice and other alluring flavors draw you in further and further with each sip. And at 11% alcohol by volume, you will want to slowly savor each and every ounce.

January 2008 marks the return of this rare and eclectic ale. Limited availability in wax-dipped 22-ounce bottles and on draft at a few select establishments.

Russian Imperial Stouts have experience somewhat of a renaissance lately, so I’m excited to get this underway.

Appearance - No false advertising here. Absolutely pitch black with zero light shining through. Big, couple fingers worth of tan head.

Smell - Big hues of malt, chocolate, and licorice. The alcohol definitely shines through as well. Once again, no false advertising.

Taste - Surprisingly a lot creamier mouthfeel than I expected. Big hues of burnt coffee, chocolate, and licorice. The cask conditioning really shines through as well as the bourbon barrels definitely did this brew justice. For its 12% alcohol content, the taste really isn’t strong at all. I completely understand how this brew has received its accolades as it has accomplished something no other imperial stout has in terms of balance and complexity.

However, I’m going to go on record and say if given the choice between a pint, I’d still choose Stone’s Russian Imperial Stout. Stone’s isn’t as complex and obviously isn’t conditioned in bourbon barrels, but there’s something about Stone’s variation that is more enjoyable for me. Perhaps this just stems from the fact that I’m not a huge licorice fan.

That said, The Abyss is still an amazing brew that any imperial stout fan should try. Aside from Stone’s Russian Imperial Stout, I can’t think of a single imperial stout even remotely near The Abyss’ league. The Abyss is a truly unique brew that shows how dedicated Deschutes’ brewers are to creating world class beer.

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Brewery: Deschutes
Style: Amber Ale
BeerAdvocate.com Rating: A-
RateBeer.com Rating: 3.35 (74th percentile)
Serving: 22oz Bottle

To say I’m excited about this beer is a huge understatement. Deschutes is one of my absolute favorite breweries and they’re finally giving organic brewing a shot. This brew’s press statement alone has impressed me so much, in fact, that I’m going to share the majority of it with you right now:

“Green Lakes is a classic amber ale,” says brewer Paul Arney. “We used caramel and Munich malts for a nice color and six different varieties of hops.” The reddish colored brew has a nicely balanced taste with a distinctive but restrained hop profile that includes Salmon-Safe certified Sterling hops.

After working with Oregon Tilth for nearly six months, Deschutes Brewery received organic certification for its 50 barrel brew house and can now brew tasty organic ales for year-round enjoyment.

Let’s see what this organic and salmon safe brew tastes like!

Appearance - Rich, translucent amber color with minimal carbonation. A thick, beige head slowly dissipates to a thin lace about 1/3 of the way through a pint.

Smell - Hoppy enough to let you know they’re there, but not overwhelming at all. Also a slight hue of maltiness that piggybacks after the hops.

Taste - Amber ale perfection. A medium amount of hops (slightly less than Mirror Pond for comparison) greet the palate followed by subtle tastes of caramel and malt. A flowery hop taste rounds out each sip as the last of it dissipates off of the palate. The mouthfeel is incredibly smooth and the brew itself is both highly refreshing and drinkable.

I know I haven’t really said much, but Green Lakes is the epitome of what an amber ale should taste like. The fact that this brew is both certified organic by Oregon tilth and salmon safe just brings home that yes, brewers can brew amazing, world-class craft brews while being environmentally responsible. I’m going to go on record and say to this date that this is my absolute favorite amber ale.

And as a special note to Eric; I’ve got one of these waiting for you as well. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

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Brewery: Deschutes Brewing
Style: Winter Warmer
BeerAdvocate.com Rating: 88
RateBeer.com Rating: 3.65 (92nd Percentile)
Serving: 12oz Bottle

Last year Jubelale quickly became one of my favorite winter ales. What I regret most, only second to not stocking up on more, is that I never reviewed it for this site. To say I was excited when I noticed six packs Jubelale 2007 at my local grocery store is an understatement. Before we get to my thoughts, let’s take a look at what the brewery has to say about it:

A whirling, whimsical snowstorm brightens the sky over wintery blue peaks in Lindy Gruger Hanson’s painting for this year’s Jubelale label. The artwork will grace bottles of Deschutes Brewery’s award-winning seasonal ale, available only from October through December.

Jubelale is crafted with dark crystal malt and whole flower hops providing a rich flavor perfectly matched for the cold weather and hearty foods of winter. It’s also the first beer ever bottled by Deschutes Brewery, and 2007 marks the 20th version of this seasonal favorite.

While most people associate Mirror Pond or Black Butte Porter with Deschutes, most probably didn’t know that Jubelale was the very first to be bottled. Hell, I didn’t know that either. What I also didn’t know is that they change the label and packaging every year. This year’s label definitely separated it from all others. More important than its label, the taste separates it as well.

Appearance - Very dark ruby read with a thick tan head. Not much carbonation emitting bubbles through this one. Not much light gets through either.

Smell - The very first aspect I noticed was the presence of an abundance of hops. This is Deschutes, so don’t be surprised. By no means do I mean this is as hoppy as an IPA, so don’t fret if hops scare you. Also noticeable is an almost chocolate-coffee-esque hue. Alcohol is noticeable as well, but not as strong as some other winter warmers available on tap or from 22oz bottles (probably due to legalities).

Taste - Definitely a winter brew. Almost immediately my palate was greeted by hues of chocolate and toffee being escorted by copious amounts of hops. Also present is a very slight hue of cherries, which rounds out the sweetness of this brew perfectly. If you have not had a winter warmer style brew before, think of it as a darker red ale with the intent of relying on alcohol to warm you up and put a smile on your face. Last year I had this both in a bottle and on tap and the only difference I can tell is this year’s brew seems a tad hoppier.

I love this brew. Anybody who has been reading my blog regularly knows how much I adore unique brews and this is definitely one. Those same people probably also know that winter is my favorite season for beer, so the fun has just begun for me. If you can find this at your local beer store I highly recommend picking one up. Save it for a cold night and enjoy it with friends or loved ones by a fire. No fireplace? A video of a fire will work just fine.

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Brewery: Deschutes Brewing
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
BeerAdvocate.com Rating: 82
RateBeer.com Rating: 3.14 (55th Percentile)
Serving: 22oz Bottle

As a big fan of Deschutes’ brews, I had to pick this up. A golden ale is definitely something unique for Deschutes, so let’s see how they did.

Color - Transparent, rich golden in color. A good amount of carbonation is present as indicated by the continuous bubbles. Surprisingly this poured with virtually no head.

Smell - I’m not very well versed in reviewing this kind of brew, but nothing really special is reaching my nose. Kind of smells like a really mellow belgian.

Taste - Oh wow, what a train wreck. This tastes like incredibly carbonated yeast in water. I just finished my second sip and my entire mouth is coated in what feels like chalk. I’d take a few more sips to be more descriptive, but I don’t hate myself that much. I apologize for not being very descriptive here, but if you tend to agree with my reviews then stay away from this one.

I should note as a disclaimer that I am not the hugest fan of Belgians. I keep trying and trying to find one that I’ll like, but it appears even most of the internet beer community wasn’t a fan of this one either.

Normally I’m a huge fan with most of what Deschutes puts out, but this one is definitely an exception. This is actually the second anniversary brew in a row of theirs that I haven’t been a fan of. Last year they made an 18th Anniversary Pilsner and maybe it’s good if you enjoy Pilsners, but I wasn’t a fan of that either.

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Style: American Barley Wine
Availability: Rotating release
Beer Advocate rating: 88
Rate Beer rating: 3.59/5 (88th percentile)

I’m going to be totally honest and state that this is the first barley wine I’ve ever tried. With that said let me say that I absolutely loved this brew. I poured from a 22oz bottle of 2005 into a pint glass.

Appearance - Dark red, almost brown tint with a very thin head that dissipated almost immediately. Kind of surprised me how easily it poured.

Smell - I seriously couldn’t get enough of this smell. It almost smelled like a cider in some aspect. I can’t put my finger on it, but raising the glass to my mouth made me excited for each forthcoming sip due to smell alone.

Taste - This stuff is flat out delicious. Sweeter than most beer, but incredibly inviting. The weirdest part about this brew that surprised me is each sip leaves an aftertaste that reminds you of how delicious that last sip was.

Mouthfeel - Nothing too spectacular in the field of mouthfeel. Not quite syrupy, but not watery by any means.

Drinkability - This is actually a lot more drinkable than I expected. To be totally honest the first couple sips left me wondering if I was enjoying what I was drinking due to my lack of experience with barley wine, but after a few sips I honestly couldn’t get enough. My 22oz bottle is gone and I wish I had a couple more.

Warning: the alcohol content is very apparent. I recommend you sip this.

-Rick

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Style: American Pale Ale
Availability: Summer seasonal
Beeradvocate.com rating: 84
Ratebeer.com rating: 83

My Thoughts:
Pretty mediocre. I’m not going to write up a full review because in my opinion there isn’t much to talk about. While I didn’t personally enjoy it very much, this seems like an attempt to bring in people who usually drink macro beers.

That’s not a bad thing.

I doubt this was Deschute’s intention, but I can see myself suggesting it to friends who would normally drink crappy macro brews. Would I buy it again? Probably not. Would I suggest it to most of my friends? Definitely. It’s just I prefer much darker, richer brews while this is lighter and more bitter for my taste.

-Rick

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