Tag: Deschutes

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Virtual Mirror Pond

Break out your VR gear and crack open wither Black Butte or Mirror Pond Pale from Oregon’s Deschutes Brewery.
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Then head to YouTube for a virtual look at the scenery that gave rise to the iconic beers.

Per the brewery press release, “Each film is about three minutes long, and viewers can immerse themselves completely. For example, while experiencing the Black Butte Porter film viewers can have a Black Butte Porter in hand, and toast at the summit with the folks who actually make the beer.”

Coming later this month a hop harvest themed video.

Then peer (and beer) into the future.

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Holiday Ale # 1 – Jubelale from Deschutes

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Deschutes Brewery has been adorning their Jubeale labels with new artwork each year.  They also seem to be releasing it sooner and sooner.  Hence it is first in line because it might be off shelves for a January seasonal soon.  I’m kidding, I think.

Here is the brewery description, “Warm spiciness and tradition grace this bold winter ale. Intriguing, layered flavors unfold to reveal chicory, dried fruit and toffee notes with a hoppy kick to finish. The deep garnet color pairs perfectly with holiday celebrations.“

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Review – Doppel Dinkel Bock from Deschutes

For some reason, I am enamored of the random releases and random styles of the Conflux series of collaborations from Deschutes.  # 2, a white IPA brewed with Boulevard came out before # 1 which was still being aged with Hair of the Dog.  Fast forward and now # 3 has slowly come out and it is a bock with Distelhauser which is on the Tauber River in Germany.

That being said.  How does DoppDink taste?  (OK, that is a horrible short name).  This is like a mixture of pie and an amped up hefeweizen.  It pours an almost reddish color and the nose has a bit of sawdust to it.  Very pleasant woody-ness with a bit of pepper.  But then you get a hit of clove mixed with bubblegum and a small dose of banana.  But it has a bigger malt profile and sticks around.  Very hearty this drink is.

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It is such a change of pace from the lighter beers of summer and will probably leave Session IPA fans in the dust.  As it warms up in the glass, notes of cola and caramel start to expand and add to the flavor profile.  I could easily picture this beer with a beef stew or maybe a non-BBQ presentation of pork.  This is a big beer but also one with delicate flavors that you don’t want to stun with a spicy meal.

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Sip & Scavenge

In one week the combined forces of Firestone Walker / Deschutes / Lagunitas brings a new type of event to Los Angeles….

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The triumvirate of organizers say, “This is the first of what we hope will be a series of scavenger hunts all over Los Angeles.”

Here is the 411 for you:

Beginning at the first bar, clues will be given directing teams to various bars or locations in downtown Santa Monica (all w/in walking distance)
–          Once your team has made it to the correct location you will have to correctly identify the beer being poured, at which time you’ll each be given one to enjoy
–          Drink up, get your next clue, so on and so forth….
–          At each location teams will also have the  opportunity to collect raffle tickets by doing additional ‘challenges’, the raffle will be held at the hosting bar, The Commons, after the hunt

Jumping off point is at The Commons on Broadway, half a block East of Ocean in downtown Santa Monica
–          Cost is $100 for a team of 4 or $35 for individuals (space is limited to 10 teams total so sign up now please)
–          Sign up can be done in person or over phone at The Commons (address/phone number)
–          Prizes will be awarded to 1st 2nd and 3rd place teams
–          And because everyone’s a winner in our eyes, every participant will be given a commemorative t-shirt and other swag

It is good to see craft beer integrated into events like scavenger hunts that are normally the domain of the bad beers.

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’88 like me

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The collaboration craze shows no sign of abating and I, for one, am not surprised. If brewers can be creative with malt and hops then why would that end when more industry friends are invited in.

Now Deschutes will collaborate with breweries from the Class of ’88. North Coast – Rogue – Goose Island – Great Lakes Brewing who have all reached the 25 year mark. This will be a series of beers honoring that joyous mark.

According to schedule the first to appear will be a barleywine in March of this year.
Then a couple months later a Smoked Imperial Porter will be released and finally a Belgian Style Strong Golden will arrive late in the year.

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Walking Away


“Beers Made By Walking is a program that invites brewers to make beer inspired by nature hikes and urban walks. This summer organizer Eric Steen invited five breweries on nature walks. A botanist/herbalist on each hike identified edible and medicinal plants along the trail which were then used to create innovative beers. He invited brewers in distinct parts of the state: Coalition and Upright (Portland), Flat Tail (Corvallis), Standing Stone (Ashland), and Deschutes (Bend).”

Here is the list of beers made:
Coalition Brewing – Ale with Stinging Nettles and Salmonberry
Deschutes Brewery – IPA with Juniper and Sage
Flat Tail Brewing – Fresh Hop Cherry Saison with Corvallis Cherries and Yarrow
Standing Stone Brewery – Ale with Sweet Root, and Wild Ginger
Upright Brewing – Saison with Yarrow and Rose

Now I just have to convince them to come to Los Angeles.

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The Beer Allowance – September

I did not dawdle when it came to selecting my special September beer. I did take awhile to post here on the blog though.

You can tell by my happy face that I have grabbed another cellar beer to add to my collection…..

Here is what Deschutes has to say about this special anniversary beer…”XXIV. 24 years after Black Butte Porter’s debut, our potent, layered, imperial tribute returns. As usual, it’s a jazz riff, guided by the brewer’s muse and the lure of exotic ingredients. Artisanal dark chocolate nibs. Deglet dates. Mission figs. It may, possibly, hopefully, be the best edition yet. But, as it should be, you’ll be the judge of that.”

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LA Beer Week – Day 4 – Bottle Room


As if last night wasn’t enough, back on the road to Whittier and The Bottle Room for Deschutes beer and chocolate….

Who needs dinner when you can start with dessert. Well, I almost did that last night. Placed an order for the chocolate dessert sampler and the two Deschutes beers (Black Butte and Jubelale) after sitting down. Then realized I should probably have some food first. And since I wanted to save the beer to pair with the desserts, I sampled Strand Brewing’s 2nd Anniversary braggot.
It was quite good. Braggots are hit or miss for me but this had a nice interplay of honey, vanilla and spice. A great fall beer for cool nights. (LA should get one of those in November).
Then it was on to the dessert.
. The cake was soooo rich. That was a wicked mixture of caramel and chocolate that came oozing out of the middle. I am much more a pie guy, but molten cakes rank really high too. The chocolates were also great. There was blue cheese lurking in the small square and it was good. Again, I shall close with the beer. I had the Jubelale 2011 at the Beer Bloggers conference this year and this was a chance to see if my initial reaction would be changed. It hasn’t. But it doesn’t scream winter ale to me. The Black Butte was quite good and matched the richness of the desserts better..

As usual, I was wowed again by the food of Tony Alcazar and the great tap list.

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Look in the mirror for a fresh hop


Part of the Deschutes Bond Street Series comes this fresh hop version of Mirror Pond, “This noble, fresh hop version of our classic American Pale Ale arose from a single plot of heirloom Cascade hops, revived by our brewers from the original rootstock developed at Oregon State University, grown by Goshie Farms in Oregon.”
These may be some of the hops that I saw harvested during the beer blogger conference in August. Boy did they smell good.