Deschutes Brewery calls their American-style Black Ale, also known as Black IPA, a Cascadian Dark Ale, which reflects the nature of it’s origin. This beer is a great example of what happens when you innovate to combine a hoppy, bitter IPA with a roasty, chocolatey porter.
The craft beer made by Full Sail Brewing Company is of high quality, reasonable price, and easily accessible in 27 states. In fact, I’ve seen it at every Trader Joe’s that I’ve been to in California. Their pale ale is no exception to their high standards of quality. On a coast dominated by super hoppy and bitter pale ales, Full Sail has made a beer that is a refreshing departure by being more malt-forward than hops-forward.
Full Sail Brewing Company, of Hood River, Oregon, produces 4 seasonal selections each year, three of which are branded as LTD, which stands for both limited edition and also “Live The Dream.” LTD 3 is the summer offering and is a pilsner-style beer perfect for warm summer weather and BBQs. It is also an award winner with a silver medal in 2009 at the World Beer Championships. Continue reading
Deschutes Brewery is the number 6 craft brewery, by sales volume, in America (as of 20008 and 2009) and they continue to produce excellent products such as Hop Henge Experimental IPA. Hop Henge is part of Deschutes Bond Street Series, which features hop-forward beer that are inspired by the original Deschutes Brewery & Public House on Bond Street in downtown Bend, OR. Continue reading
Deschutes Brewery of Bend, Oregon has a solid line of year round beers and many times an even better line-up of seasonal ans special release beer. The spring seasonal beer from Deschutes in 2010 is the Red Chair NWPA (Northwest Pale Ale). I thought it would be heard to beat Cinder Cone Red from 2009 but they did it. Continue reading
On the same visit to the Yard House, when I tried Avery White Rascal, I also had a pint of Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red by Rogue Brewery.This beer is made with Chinook and Centennial hops giving it a piney hoppy smell.
St. Rogue Red beer is an award winning red ale that has won Best Amber at the 2006 Celebration of Suds, a Silver at the 2004 World Beer Championships, and more.
Where I Found It. I enjoyed this beer at the Yard House in Pasadena, CA.
Serving Type. I tried St. Rogue Red on tap served into a pint glass.
Appearance. This beer has a typical off-white head, which lasts an average amount of time. Despite it’s amber color, it is crystal clear with a medium amber golden color.
Smell. Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red has intense floral hops with citrus and pine notes. The pine is a smooth scent and not harsh and scratchy. There is also a hint of grapefruit with a touch of orange.The malt aroma is almost completely masked by the hop bouquet.
Taste. The hop bitterness can be characterized as being smooth and not very harsh. I was surprised when I tasted this beer because it is not as bitter as you might expect from the very hoppy nose. It gives it a refreshing quality. I would consider this beer to be more roasty and toasty but less malty. It does, however, have a nice balance between the malt and hops.
Mouthfeel. This is a medium to light bodied beer. I actually find it to be on the lighter side of body and almost feeling a bit too watery for my taste. The hop bitterness finishes well and does not linger too long. Although it seemed watery to my, my gravity calculations don’t agree so take this part of the rating for a grain of salt.
Drinkability. This beer is very drinkable. It is smooth and well balanced which makes it feel like it is not too bitter even though it has 44 IBUs of bitterness. Although it felt a little watery for my taste, this lighter body makes it more refreshing.
Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.
For my first beer review I’ve selected a winter seasonal ale, Jubelale. Jubelale is a winter warmer style beer that is available from October to December from Deschutes Brewery out of Bend, Oregon. It comes in artistically styled packaging, which, according to Deschutes, is different every year. Even though I shouldn’t chose a beer by the label, the packaging helped influence me to try it out.
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Beer 47 in a Tumblr
