Price: $8.99 for a six pack
Brewery: Deschutes Brewery, Bend, Oregon
Style: Ale, Stout
ABV: 6.4%
Color: Opaque, black
Aroma: Roasted grains,slight hops, slightly burnt,
Body: On the higher side of medium.
Stomach Aspect: Full
Head: dark tan/brown, pours nicely to about 1/4 inch thick with tightly grouped bubbles. Faded within 30 seconds of being poured.
Head Retention: slight retention, the brew does leave a faint trace from the last pull.
Taste: Subtle hints of chocolate grains, strong presence of Roasted Barley, strong, lingering bitterness from Black Patent Grain, mild hops, slight malty finish.
Conclusion: I have been drinking this brew when it first hit the market about 14 years ago. Back then I didn't know what a Stout was, or how it was suppose to taste. Over the years (before I started brewing & reviewing beer) I would drink this brew every chance I got, and it became my favorite beer. The color is pretty and very enticing, the aroma is faint, but pungent (yes pungent), but with as slight citrus aroma from the hops. Taking a drink of this brew and you get a slight touch of chocolate grain flavor, and at mid tongue you get a nice flavor of roasted barley, but then the brew turns to into something odd. The bitter, pungent aspect of the beer hits the back part of your tongue and your almost get the feeling you're sucking on a Sour Patch Kid. Some people like to call this "bite", I beg to differ. If they would cut back the Black Patent (which the grain is used for dark color, not flavor) I think this brew would improve. Be as it may, the bitterness is so strong that it over powers the faint taste of hops just before you swallow. Just when you think your done with the bitterness, and have enjoyed the last of it, it sticks to your tongue. Almost like a coating of bitter, burnt toaster crumbs. The coating is so strong that it stays on the tongue for almost 3 minutes after you have swallowed, not good. I have tasted, reviewed and brewed award winning Stouts. This is not one of them, nor does it come close. It's not a bad beer, but it's not a good beer. Don't get me wrong, if you can handle the bitterness, and the full body aspect of this Stout then by all means drink it. However, if you can't, don't spend your money, there are better Stouts out there.
Public Aspect: None. I mean people shy away from the darker style brews like they do the plague. This beer will not only scare them away with the color, but once they've had a taste that bitterness will be sure to make them run for something less pungent. If you like the flavor profile of a Stout (especially this one) then you should not have any problem keeping this too yourself. I've gone to BBQ's with a six pack of this stuff as my drink for the night, and I've drank all six with out a single offer from someone asking to try it. That's how scary this brew is, but not scary in a good way.
Showing posts with label Deschutes Brewery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Deschutes Brewery. Show all posts
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Beer Review: Hop in the Dark C.D.A.
Price: $4.98 for 22oz
Brewery: Deschutes, Bend Oregon
Style: Cascadian Dark Ale (Black IPA)
ABV: 6.9%
Color: Black, opaque
Aroma: Hoppy.
Body: Light-Medium
Stomach Aspect: Little.
Head: Poured to a quarter inch but only lasted a minute before fading. The head is a tan colored with tightly grouped bubbles. The head has a nice velvet aspect like Stouts.
Head Retention: OK, leaves a nice ring from the previous pull.
Taste: Front of the tongue there is no sweetness in the brew. Little roasted malt flavor mid-tongue. Back of the tongue strong hop bitterness, and flavor.
Conclusion: I am not sure where to start with this brew. I like the label on the bottle, the idea behind the label was nice. Pouring the beer into my pint glass and instantly you see a nice dark color, and your brain goes "oh, Porter or Stout", you sniff the brew and your brain goes "WTF?" I am looking a dark beer, I smell no Roasted malt. The brew has a simple aroma, it's nothing but Hops. Taking a sip and your nose gives you the idea you're drinking an IPA, or something close to it. However, seeing the dark color you think Stouts or Porter. Continue to take that sip and instantly your tongue goes on Hop alert. The Roasted Malt is so faint that it leaves your tongue as fast as it shows up. It doesn't linger enough to make make you want more Roasted Malt. Move the brew to the back of your tongue and viola! Hops are present and accounted for. The Hop flavor is very bitter, almost like sucking from a lemon bitter. Swallow and the hop presence is even more pronounced. The finish is a little malty, but the brew does leave a thick film on your tongue, and after a pint, it gave me "Cotton Mouth." The brew itself isn't bad, but it's just like the other Dark IPA's I've reviewed. They (Breweries) take an IPA recipe and add enough Roasted Malt to color it black. The bottle says ""welcome to the curious place where the Velvet Dark of Roasted Malt meets the Hop snap of IPA." I disagree, the Roasted Malt is so faint it's not even present. Curious yes, my brain is going what am I doing drinking this? The label should have read "we used just enough Roasted Malt to color an IPA, without imparting any Roasted flavor." As you may know I am a Stout drinker, the darker, heavier the beer the happier I am. I am not a fan of this style of brew. Mixing Roasted Malt with massive Hops to obtain a dark beer in color is just wrong in my opinion. I mean, it's like someone buying a Hybrid car and saying they're going green, meanwhile they still drive the 8 MPG SUV all the time. See my point? IPA's have their place in the beer world and in the Pacific Northwest, they should be hoppy, they (IPA's) should be Gold to a deep yellow in color. They (IPA's) should have an off white head. They shouldn't be black. They (IPA's) shouldn't have a tan colored, velvety head as Stouts do. If I was sitting at brew pub and saw a pint glass with this brew in it I would think Stout because of the deep black color. I've said it before and I'll say it again. If the IPA's are boring to brewers and drinkers, improve the beer by making it better within it's realm of IPA. If you want to step up to the big heavy Stouts then drink one, don't phone it in and puss out with a Dark IPA.
Public Aspect: I think at first hop heads are going to be put off by the color of the brew (if shown in a glass). The one thing most beer drinkers hate are the dark, deep heavy, full bodied beers. This brew (by looks) will fool some to believe it's a Stout. But yet, drink it and there is no mistaking this brew for anything other than an IPA. This brew is a "Faux-rrari." A Pontiac Fiero dress up on the outside to look like a Ferrari 308. Some people are going to like this style of brew, which is fine, I guess. But if you want a dark beer wouldn't you rather just have a dark beer? If you wanted an IPA, wouldn't you rather have an IPA? The price of the beer is tolerable for the size of the bottle. But in reality I think this brew won't grab and hold the attention of either the Stouts or IPA drinkers. So please, don't show up to a public event with this style of beer. Find your calling, listen to your taste buds, and be proud of the style of beer you drink.
Brewery: Deschutes, Bend Oregon
Style: Cascadian Dark Ale (Black IPA)
ABV: 6.9%
Color: Black, opaque
Aroma: Hoppy.
Body: Light-Medium
Stomach Aspect: Little.
Head: Poured to a quarter inch but only lasted a minute before fading. The head is a tan colored with tightly grouped bubbles. The head has a nice velvet aspect like Stouts.
Head Retention: OK, leaves a nice ring from the previous pull.
Taste: Front of the tongue there is no sweetness in the brew. Little roasted malt flavor mid-tongue. Back of the tongue strong hop bitterness, and flavor.
Conclusion: I am not sure where to start with this brew. I like the label on the bottle, the idea behind the label was nice. Pouring the beer into my pint glass and instantly you see a nice dark color, and your brain goes "oh, Porter or Stout", you sniff the brew and your brain goes "WTF?" I am looking a dark beer, I smell no Roasted malt. The brew has a simple aroma, it's nothing but Hops. Taking a sip and your nose gives you the idea you're drinking an IPA, or something close to it. However, seeing the dark color you think Stouts or Porter. Continue to take that sip and instantly your tongue goes on Hop alert. The Roasted Malt is so faint that it leaves your tongue as fast as it shows up. It doesn't linger enough to make make you want more Roasted Malt. Move the brew to the back of your tongue and viola! Hops are present and accounted for. The Hop flavor is very bitter, almost like sucking from a lemon bitter. Swallow and the hop presence is even more pronounced. The finish is a little malty, but the brew does leave a thick film on your tongue, and after a pint, it gave me "Cotton Mouth." The brew itself isn't bad, but it's just like the other Dark IPA's I've reviewed. They (Breweries) take an IPA recipe and add enough Roasted Malt to color it black. The bottle says ""welcome to the curious place where the Velvet Dark of Roasted Malt meets the Hop snap of IPA." I disagree, the Roasted Malt is so faint it's not even present. Curious yes, my brain is going what am I doing drinking this? The label should have read "we used just enough Roasted Malt to color an IPA, without imparting any Roasted flavor." As you may know I am a Stout drinker, the darker, heavier the beer the happier I am. I am not a fan of this style of brew. Mixing Roasted Malt with massive Hops to obtain a dark beer in color is just wrong in my opinion. I mean, it's like someone buying a Hybrid car and saying they're going green, meanwhile they still drive the 8 MPG SUV all the time. See my point? IPA's have their place in the beer world and in the Pacific Northwest, they should be hoppy, they (IPA's) should be Gold to a deep yellow in color. They (IPA's) should have an off white head. They shouldn't be black. They (IPA's) shouldn't have a tan colored, velvety head as Stouts do. If I was sitting at brew pub and saw a pint glass with this brew in it I would think Stout because of the deep black color. I've said it before and I'll say it again. If the IPA's are boring to brewers and drinkers, improve the beer by making it better within it's realm of IPA. If you want to step up to the big heavy Stouts then drink one, don't phone it in and puss out with a Dark IPA.
Public Aspect: I think at first hop heads are going to be put off by the color of the brew (if shown in a glass). The one thing most beer drinkers hate are the dark, deep heavy, full bodied beers. This brew (by looks) will fool some to believe it's a Stout. But yet, drink it and there is no mistaking this brew for anything other than an IPA. This brew is a "Faux-rrari." A Pontiac Fiero dress up on the outside to look like a Ferrari 308. Some people are going to like this style of brew, which is fine, I guess. But if you want a dark beer wouldn't you rather just have a dark beer? If you wanted an IPA, wouldn't you rather have an IPA? The price of the beer is tolerable for the size of the bottle. But in reality I think this brew won't grab and hold the attention of either the Stouts or IPA drinkers. So please, don't show up to a public event with this style of beer. Find your calling, listen to your taste buds, and be proud of the style of beer you drink.
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