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 American-style Black ale style of beer was originally created by the late Greg Noonan at the Vermont Pub and Brewery. However, it hasn’t been until recently that the style has gained popularity among craft beer drinkers with the advent of such beers as Deschutes Hop in the Dark and 21st Amendment Back in Black.

Date Reviewed. August 29, 2010

Where I Found It. Whole Foods California St., San Francisco, CA.

Appearance. Hop in the Dark has an opaque obsidian black color with faint clear dark-brown color on the edges. The head is the color of espresso crema and when first poured is thick and frothy.

Aroma. This beer exudes roasted malt aromas with a bit of earthy nuttiness. It smells bit like peanut or beer brittle candy. The hops bouquet adds a floral, citrus, and grapefruit quality much like an American IPA. The hops also have a touch of green vegetation and herbs.

Taste. Hop in the Dark has a nice dark roasted flavor from the barley malt but not overly so. It is just enough dark malts to add the obsidian color while bringing in roasty flavor. The hops come through with a nice IPA bitterness accompanied by just enough sweetness to offset the bitter. This is a hoppy beer, there is no question about it. The hops have a bit of the same qualities as the aroma with some grapefruit qualities. It is not particularly sweet and can be characterized as being more dry than sweet. Hop in the Dark is truly like an American IPA with the careful addition chocolate malts.

Mouthfeel. This is a medium bodied be but maybe on the lighter side of that spectrum. It has a smooth not-quite silky texture.

Overall. This is a surprisingly crisp, snappy, and refreshing beer. It is a perfect example of this somewhat new style of beer. Hoppy like and IPA and roasty like a porter or stout, while maintaining a body and sweetness more like an IPA. It is well crafted and enjoyable to drink.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (6%): 4.0
• Smell (24%): 4.5
• Taste (40%): 5.0
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.0
• Overall (20%): 4.5
• Total: 4.62

Information

• Style: American-style Black Ale
• Brewery: Deschutes Brewery [more info]
• Alcohol by volume: 6.5%
• Bitterness: 70 IBU
• Original gravity: 1.067
• Malts and grains: pale malt, flaked oats, munich malt, dark crystal malt, chocolate malt, chocolate wheat malt, black barley, toasted oats, dark candy sugar
• Hops: Northern Brewer, Nugget, Centennial, Amarillo, Cascade, Citra
• Web page: Hop in the Dark by Deschutes

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.

This award winning beer, including a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2008, is described by the brewery as follows:

Our Pale Ale has a fresh, hoppy aroma that comes from two (top secret) Northwest hop varieties, while two-row Pale and Crystal malt give it a mild sweetness that finishes clean and crisp. Feeling out of whack? Put on some music, crack a Pale Ale, and readjust your balance.

If I had to guess the hop varieties used in this beer, I would go with Mt. Hood and Willamette or maybe a touch of Cascade to replace either one of those.

Date Reviewed. May 10, 2011

Where I Found It. BevMo on Van Ness in San Francisco, CA

Serving Type. 12 oz. bottle to a nonick pint glass.

Appearance. Full Sail Pale Ale has a crystal clear, light amber and coppery color with a white head. The head doesn’t have much retention but it does leave a nice lacing ont the glass. The beer appears to maintain a very thin layer of white foam on the top.

Aroma. The aroma of this beer is comes primarily from the malt. It has a malty and with an earthy spiciness to it coupled with woodsy note almost like cedar. It also has some hints of a floral hop bouquet, which complements nicely the grainy aroma. Possibly more of a noble hop nature to it and maybe just a dash of vanilla to accompany the malty aromas.

Flavor. This pale ale is nicely balanced with a subtle malt sweetness that is nicely balanced by a touch of bitterness from the hops. This beer, at 37 IBUs, has more than a touch of hops but the balance and flavor of this beer is clearly more malt-forward than hop-forward. Although this beer is more malty than hoppy and has some sweetness, I would not consider it a sugary-sweet beer. It has a nice balance. The malty-cedar and spicy-earthy notes from the aroma follow through nicely in the flavor.

Mouthfeel. Full Sail Pale Ale is a medium to light bodied beer with a nice smooth texture that is just shy of being described as velvety.

Overall. When so many American pale ales are so hoppy, Full Sail provides a refreshing departure with a finely crafted malt-forward pale ale. Hops are not absent, instead they accentuate the hardiness and grain-qualities of the malt rather than introducing citrus or pine notes. This beer also does not have a harsh bitterness to it, instead it has a smooth bitterness. This beer is full of flavor but if you put it next to much hoppier and much more bitter beers, it will seem flat and with less flavor. I highly encourage you to start your session with this great beer and maybe you won’t feel a need to move on to something with more aggressive hops.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (6%): 4.5
• Aroma (24%): 4.5
• Flavor (40%): 4.5
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.0
• Overal (20%): 4.0
• Total: 4.35

Information

• Style: pale ale
• Brewery: Full Sail Brewing Company
• Alcohol by volume: 5.4%
• IBU: 37
• Grains: two-row pale malt, crystal malt

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.

Full Sail describes this summer brew as follows:

Well looky here, a crisp new pilsner-style lager all ready to rock your tastebuds’ little world. The latest addition to our LTD series is pale-golden in color, featuring a spicy floral hop aroma, malty medium body, and a smooth, thirst quenching finish.

Another great thing, for homebrewers, about their LTD series is that they list the ingredients on the bottom of the box so you can make an attempt at recreating this beer at home.

Date Reviewed. August 9, 2009.

Where I Found It. Trader Joe’s in San Mateo, CA

Serving Type. 12 oz bottle into a glass.

Appearance. Full Sail LTD 3 has a smooth white head that lasted long enough to take a few pictures. This beer is crystal clear with a rich burnished golden yellow color.

Smell. After opening and pouring out the beer you can immediately smell the floral and spicy bouquet of the Sterling hops. The malt aroma is biscuity, sweet, and like fresh sweet grains. There is a slight coppery smell that I always get when drinking Pilsners. Ever so slightly citrusy.

Taste. LTD 3 is gently sweet and well-balanced by a smooth bitter hops taste. This is a crisp beer and the bitterness does not linger. It has a bit of grainy sweetness with a hint of a buttery flavor. All-in-all this is a nicely flavored pilsener.

Mouthfeel. This is a medium-light bodied beer with a good amount of carbonation. Palate cleansing.

Drinkability. Thirst quenching, crisp, and smooth and very easy to drink.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.0
• Smell (20%): 4.0
• Taste (40%): 4.0
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.5
• Drinkability (10%): 5.0
• Overall: 4.15

Information

• Style: pilsener
• Brewery: Full Sail Brewing Company
• Alcohol by volume: 5.6%
• Original Gravity: 1.056
• Hops: Sterling
• Malt: 2-row pale malt
• Beer Advocate rating: 3.64 (as of May 9, 2010)

Other Reviews

• Beervana – Hard Reviews: Full Sail LTD 03 and Ninkasi Radiant
• The Full Pint – Review – Full Sail LTD 03 Lager
• Draft Magazine – Tasting Notes: Full Sail LTD Series No. 3
• Beer Advocate – LTD Series – Bottling 03
• Rate Beer – Full Sail Limited Edition Lager (LTD 03)

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.

This beer almost seems like a hybrid between and American amber ale and an American double IPA. It is very hoppy with a smooth biscuity sweetness to it. Deschutes describes Hops Henge as follows:

First brewed in 2006, Deschutes Brewery’s Hop Henge Experimental IPA reappears this year with more extreme hop flavors than ever before. The new formulation is the epitome of the brewery’s experimental style and commitment to innovation, while gratifying their unquenchable thirst for beautifully balanced hoppy beers. The newest incarnation of Hop Henge uses several new hop processes and techniques to create a truly unique and unexpected beer.

Where I Found It. BevMo in Sacramento, CA.

Review Date. July 11, 2009

Serving Type. 22 0z. bottle

Appearance. Hop Henge has a crystal clear but bold red-amber color and you can see the bubbles rising to the top. It has a tan head that started off with loosely coupled bubbles but after that subsided the head was tighter, creamy, and long lasting. After drinking half the beer, there is still have about 3mm of head.

Smell. The aroma of this beer is slightly bready aroma with much stronger notes of biscuity malt coupled with a roasted quality. The hop bouquet is earthy, spicy, and a little floral with pine and maybe some cedar. Since this is made with Cascade and Centennial hops, I was expecting a little more citrus and more in-your-face hops smell. However, my bottle was about 3 months old.

Taste. Hop Henge has both spicy and smooth bitterness from the hops. Although this beer has 95 IBUs, it does not seem overly bitter. It has a nice noticeable bite but is not overwhelming. The biscuit aroma follows through in the flavor with malty sweetness that you taste up front followed by that wonderful hop flavor. The sweetness of the malt buffers the 95 IBUs of bitterness. This is an 8.75% abv beer and sometimes you can taste the alcohol astringency and sometimes you cannot.

Mouthfeel. The beer is nicely carbonated with small bubbles giving is a more creamy nature. It is a full-medium bodied beer with a hop spiciness. The spiciness is not burning like a chili pepper but the spiciness is more that of black pepper or ginger, with out the flavor of those of course.

Drinkability. It’s summertime and I’ve been craving a lot of IPA beer discovering it to be more refreshing in hot weather than I previously expected. This beer is a little sweeter than some of those other quenching IPAs that I had. That and the high alcohol content makes this not a session beer. It is so delicious however that you do want your entire 22 oz. bottle to yourself.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.5
• Smell (20%): 4.0
• Taste (40%): 4.0
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.0
• Drinkability (10%): 3.5
• Overall: 4.05

Information

• Style: Double IPA
• Brewery: Deschutes Brewery
• Alcohol by volume: 8.75%
• Bitterness: 95 IBU
• Hops: Centennial, Cascade
• Malts: crystal, pale and carastan
• Beer Advocate rating: 4.1 (as of May 6, 2010)

Other Reviews

• The Brew Site – Hop Henge (2010)
• Drink Hacker – Review: Deschutes Brewery Hop Henge Experimental IPA
• The Full Pint – Deschutes Hop Henge Experimental IPA
• It’s Pub Night – Hop Henge and Pliny the Younger
• Beer and Whiskey Brothers – Deschutes Hop Henge: What time is it?
• Hopzine – Hop Henge Experimental IPA
• Beer Advocate – Hop Henge Experimental IPA
• Rate Beer – Deschutes Hop Henge Experimental IPA

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.

This beer has a nice balance between hoppy and malty and I found it to be an excellent beer to accompany a long day of snowboarding. When I saw this beer at Northstar-at-Tahoe during lunch, there was no doubt that I was going to pick some up. Although, this beer worked well in cold weather, I think it would be great anytime of the year.

Deschutes named this beer after the oldest operating lift at Mt. Bachelor and they describe this Northwest Pale Ale as follows:

What makes this copper colored beauty so wildly popular?  As a debut Northwest Pale Ale, it’s an adventure all its own.  It has a plush body with satiny caramel flavors derived from seven varieties of malt.  Yet, despite it all, it remains a hop-forward ale with that distinctive citrusy punch.  Just minus any mouth-puckering bitterness.

Date Reviewed. April 5, 2010

Where I Found It. Draeger’s in San Mateo, CA.

Serving Type. 12 oz bottle to pint glass.

Appearance. Red Chair has a creamy meringue-colored head with average retention and a crystal clear orange-brown color.

Smell. The aroma of this beer is a little toasty, bisquity, syrupy, and malty. The hop nose is very noticeable with a hint of citrus, like orange and grapefruit, Squirt comes to mind. The hops are not earthy and certainly not grassy. It includes a hint of pine, a dash of cedar, and some citrus. The bouquet of fresh green hops predominates.

Taste. The bitterness of Red Chair is very apparent and a bit spicy but it contributes to the crisp drinkable nature of this beer. It is balanced by just enough roasted malt sweetness to smooth out the bitterness without having being too sweet. This is a very enjoyable and delicious beer.

Mouthfeel. Red Chiar is a medium bodied beer with an average amount of carbonation and it goes down smoothly.

Drinkability. I find the balance of this beer makes it highly drinkable and easy to quaff several. It has just enough sweetness to counter the bitterness of the hops. It has a crisp nature to the bitterness that make it quenching and quaffable. I find that there are aspects of this beer than can adapt to nearly any beer craving. I wish it was offered all year round.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.5
• Smell (20%): 4.5
• Taste (40%): 4.5
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.0
• Drinkability (10%): 5.0
• Overall: 4.50

Information

• Style: IPA
• Brewery: Deschutes Brewery [more info]
• Alcohol by volume: 6.4%
• Bitterness: 60 IBU
• Beer Advocate rating: 3.92 (as of May 1, 2010)

Other Reviews

• Brewed for Thought - Beer of the Week: Deschutes Red Chair IPA
• The Full Pint – Deschutes Red Chair Northwest Pale Ale
• Drink Hacker – Review: Deschutes Brewery Red Chair IPA
• Beer Douchebaggery – Deschutes: Red Chair NWPA
• Beer(ein)stein – Red Chair NWPA Review

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.

• Appearance (20%): 4.0
• Smell (20%): 4.5
• Taste (40%): 4.0
• Mouthfeel (10%): 3.0
• Drinkability (10%): 4.0
• Overall: 4.0

Information

• Style: Red Ale
• Brewery: Rogue Brewery
• Alcohol by volume: 5.1%
• Original Gravity: 1.053 (13° Plato)
• Final Gravity: 1.014 (3.6° Plato)
• Hops: Chinook and Centennial.
• Malt: Great Western Harrington, Klages, Munich & Hugh Baird Carastan 30-37 & 13-17, Crystal 70-80.
• IBU: 44
• Yeast: Pacman yeast
• Color: 27° Lovibond
• Beer Advocate rating: 3.85 (on May 19, 2009)

Other Reviews

• Legal Beer – Rogue Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red Ale
• The Full Pint – Review – Rogue Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red Ale
• The Beer Babe – Rogue – Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red Ale
• Grizzly Growler - Fall beer picks: St. Rogue Red Ale
• Mike Loves Beer – Rogue Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red Ale
• Beer Advocate – St. Rogue Red
• RateBeer – Rogue Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red Ale
• 97 Bottles – Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red

Every year Deschutes Brewery selects a Northwest artist to create an image evocative of the season’s festive atmosphere.

According to the brewery this beer is brewed with “dark crystal malt” and “bountiful hops.” Although that description is not enough to recreate the recipe for home brewing, it does give you a glimpse of what to expect. During my first session trying this beer, I thought it was interesting and fairly decent. In successive sessions, this beer grew to be one of my favorite winter warmers of this season.

Where I Found It. I picked up a 12oz bottle 6-pack at a Beverages and More in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Serving Type. When I sampled this brew, it it was served from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance. Pouring the beer directly into a glass produced a very healthy 1.5 inch head that had a very nice eggnog and cappuccino hue to it. The beer itself had a slightly translucent and clear brown oak color with a slightly orange hue.

Smell. The aroma was malty and roasty, probably from those dark crystal malts. The hop bouquet was nice and floral with a hint of pine. The combination of the floral notes and pine gave it a very slight hint of Christmas potpourri.

Taste. The flavor was wonderful with a strong roasted flavor and a slight caramel taste. It also had hints of a strong cup of cappuccino. The balance was slightly more bitter than malty but it is not overpowering and if it was any less bitter it might have been too sweet.

Mouthfeel. The beer felt like a medium to full bodied beer with just the right level of carbonation. It went down fairly smooth but it is not the smoothest beer I’ve had but it is also not harsh at all. Aside from the hops, there was no discernible aftertaste and even the hop aftertaste did not linger.

Drinkability. I think this was a very drinkable beer especially for cold weather. It might be a bit heavy for the summer time but this is a characteristic common to winter warmers. It was easy to drink more than one. Jubelale has a high alcohol content producing a nice buzz after one beer but the alcohol does not adversely affect the flavor.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score. The overall rating is an average of each of the ratings.

• Appearance: 4.0
• Smell: 4.0
• Taste: 4.5
• Mouthfeel: 3.5
• Drinkability: 4.0
• Overall: 4.0

What Others Thought

It’s always more enjoyable to share a beer with friends and family. As part of this blog I plan on not only reviewing the beer myself but also gathering feedback from others. Below is what Liz and Doug thought about the beer.

Liz

• Appearance. Amber color with a cola fizz colored head.
• Smell. A hoppy floral smell and a light roasty malt aroma.
• Taste. A coffee taste that is almost espresso-like. Bitter and piney.
• Mouthfeel. Palette cleansing. Medium to full bodied.
• Drinkability. Although does not prefer amber thought this beer is drinkable. 3.0 rating.

Doug

• Appearance. Maple brown color with a stouty head.
• Smell. Bright and floral.
• Taste. Floral. Brownish with a touch of black coffee. Like a stout.
  
• Mouthfeel. Cleans palette.
• Drinkability. Drinkable. 3.0 rating.
  

Caption from the Bottle

The following appears on the side of each bottle:

Every year, fall’s crisp, cool air signals the imminent arrival of winter. Thoughts of snow, friends and family, the holidays, and — Jubelale. Brewed with dark crystal malt creating a luscious holiday note with bountiful hops to excite your taste buds— it’s easy to see why Jubelale is the perfect complement to the season.

Information

• Alcohol content: 6.7% abv
• Bitterness: 60 IBU
• Style: winter warmer
• Brewery: Deschutes Brewery [more info]
• Beer Advocate rating: 4.01 (as of Jan. 2, 2009)

More Reviews

• Beer Advocate — Jubelale
• The Full Pint — Review – Deschutes Jubelale 2007
• The Brew Site — Deschutes Brewery Week: Jubelale 2008
• randys.org — Holiday Beer Report: Deschutes Jubelale 2008
• BetterBeerBlog — Beers in Review: Deschutes Jubelale 2008 and Scaldis Noel