DRAFT beer editor Christopher Staten is at is again. In his latest 60-second Beer Review, the man sits down and sips on Deschutes Brewery’s Jubel 2010, also known as Once In A Decade Ale. What a tough job he has.
Out, that is.
Deschutes Brewery in Oregon just had too much of that good stuff to keep it all to themselves, so they’re sending a little of that spirit of the northwest down to Minnesota. For those familiar with Deschutes, you know they’ve given nothing but the best to their neighbors in the Heartland: as of March 29th, the Twin Cities will be free to pour Mirror Pond Pale Ale and Black Butte Porter.
Deschutes, the sixth largest craft brewer in the nation, doesn’t give cheap house-warming gifts, either. Black Butte is the country’s most popular craft porter, and Mirror Pond is the brewer’s most popular ale, so no need to keep the receipt. Now what on earth will Minnesota be able to give that will top that?
– Mariah Beckman
Hop heads of the world, rejoice: A new brew’s on the shelves to satiate your appetite for bitterness. Released in January — available through April — Deschutes Brewery’s Red Chair NWPA (Northwest Pale Ale) is a citrusy, sweet-and-bitter joy worth celebrating.
Up from Red Chair’s beautifully clear, deep-orange body floats floral notes, a touch grassy, but clean throughout. Spend some time letting this beer air, and a distant piney, resinous hop quality eventually emerges.
On the front of the tongue, this brew’s all floral, citrusy hops. It perks the taste buds before a swell of biscuit and sweet caramel flavors pool toward the middle; mouthwatering, yet balanced by bitterness. A final wave of grassy hops takes this beer into the finish. As one would expect with a well-hopped 60-IBU brew, the finish is bitter dry in the throat, however a lingering sweetness prevails on the tongue. Breath deep, and phantom orange notes rejoin the caramel sweetness for a tasty, yet not overpowering aftertaste in the mouth.
We once went rafting the Deschutes River. We were 10 or so. We may have been in love with the raft guide’s girlfriend. Sadly, she didn’t return our affection beyond saying something like “oh, you’re so cute.” Swoon.
Anyhow, Deschutes Brewery is releasing two beers this fall: Jubelale (the first beer ever bottled by Deschutes) on October 1 and Abysss sometime in November.
The brewery will be hosting parties to kick off the seasonal debuts. You should go if you’re in the area. And Carrie, if you’re out there, drop us an email. We’d love to bring you.
Who says charity is dead? The 2009 edition of the Deschutes Brewery Sagebush Classic raised $80,000 for Oregon nonprofit organizations nonprofits that serve children and families in need.
Gary Fish, founder and president of Deschutes, called the 21st annual Sagebush a complete success:
“Each year, I’m awed by the commitment to giving we witness as organizers of the Sagebrush Classic. This year we’ve been particularly touched that even in these tough economic times the Central Oregon community members, sponsors and celebrity chefs have given significantly to those in our community who need it the most: underserved children and families.”
It’s never too early to start preparing to donate to the 2010 Sagebush.
Deschutes Brewery can now drink its own beer; last month, the company turned 21. To celebrate, it rolled out a limited batch of Black Butte XXI, a barrel-aged version of its best-selling Black Butte Porter. (And yes, the brewery was fully aware that a barrel-aged porter released in summertime seems a bit odd, but brewery founder Gary Fish thinks it’s appropriate, given the base beer has kept the brewery thriving for two decades.) Brewer Larry Sidor stuck last year’s XX version — which trumped up the existing porter’s chocolate notes with cocoa nibs and locally roasted coffee — and aged a portion of it in Stranahan’s Colorado whiskey barrels; the result is something we’re going to begrudgingly age. Did you get your hands on a bottle? And were you crazy enough to crack it open? If so, tease us with your tasting notes below.
In our opinion, the best smell in the world is the one dryers give off when they are drying clothes. Deschutes Brewery’s Larry Sidor disagrees, however, arguing that freshly cut hops take the aroma cake. In honor of this wonderful olfactory sensation, he created Hop Trip, a fresh hop pale ale that features 680 pounds of Crystal hops picked from Doug Weathers’ farm outside Salem, Oregon in each 120-barrel batch.
“These are the aromas I want to capture and get into the beer,” he said in a release. “It just makes me want to jump in and roll around in there!”
Fine, but can we get a Dryer Beer next year?
My, it’s a big day for beer release news and we have another one for your drinking pleasure. In conjunction with its 21st anniversary this summer, Deschutes Brewery will release Black Butte XXI — an updated version of its famous Black Butte Porter. XXI is made by adding chocolate and coffee to the base brew.
The beer — coming hot on the heels of last summer’s Black Butte XX — will hit stores on June 27. There’s also a party at the brewery that day to celebrate Deschutes reaching legal age.
Chocolate and coffee and parties, oh my.
