Deschutes Mirror Mirror 2009 Re-Review

This is another beer generously donated by my friend Maggs. Thanks again, Maggs! I had this beer once when it was fairly fresh, so it will be very interesting to see how it is now, both in regards to the age in the beer and the change of my palate. You can read my original review here.

Stats:
Barleywine. 11.0% ABV. 30 IBUs. Oregon. Limited Release.

Rose and caramel in color with just a tiny bit of head on top.

The nose is outrageous. I’m getting some caramel, figs, wine, oak, brown sugar, vanilla, and a hint of mint.

Mouthfeel is huge, but the carbonation is still all there.

Sweet, boozy, sweet, oh and boozy. Holy crap, the alcohol has not calmed down at all and my mouth is on fire. Everything that you get on the nose, is on the palate, as well. It’s quite sweet still and has a huge finish of figs, dates, and vanilla.

Wow. I’m really surprised by the booze and the sweetness. The hops have begun to break down, creating a menthol-mint action, but it’s still a huge, full-flavored bruiser of a beer. 92 points.

Beer Club 02/18/12 American Pale Ales

February gave us a chance to try something that wasn’t just a seasonal. After the Winter seasonals and the stout tastings, I wanted to try something on the lighter side of things. The American Pale Ale is arguably the most important American craft beer other than the IPA. These beers are a nice way to show what American brewing is often about, without getting too hoppy. Besides, I love these beers because they are sessionable and go great with so many types of food.

We started with one of my favorite beers to come out last year, 21st Amendments Bitter American. It’s a 4.4% session beer that packs a great flavor punch. This beer was generally liked, but fell a bit flat compared to the bigger beers that we drank after this.

We moved on to one of my favorite party beers. The plain old Full Sail Pale. There’s nothing amazing about this beer, but it’s more than solid beer at a great price point.

Deschutes Mirror Pond is a classic. This was definitely on the malty side compared to the other pales. I think this was pretty well liked because of that, but I personally prefer on the hoppy side.

Of course, the most classic of them all is the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. This might have been the least favorite of all the beers we had. I was really surprised by this, especially since this was actually MY favorite of the bunch. It’s got this amazing citrus hop flavor that didn’t resonate with the other palates.

Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale was next and quickly became the favorite of the night. This was the biggest beer at 6.5% and was definitely on the malty side. Go figure, this was MY least favorite of the bunch, but people really loved that grainy malt flavor.

We finished the night with another Deschutes beer, this time the Red Chair NWPA. I put this last because I figured this would be the hoppiest of the beers. And it was, in terms of hop flavor, but actually had a very mild bitterness. Because of that, people actually enjoyed this one quite a bit. I did notice a hint of diacetyl, that I don’t recall before, but the tasting would probably make that more noticeable.

Beer Club 01/13/12 Stouts

This month’s beer club was all about stouts. Nothing in particular, just a random assortment. We had our biggest beer club yet. There were about 13 or 14 people. As I suspected, this was a bit too large of a group. It was more of a party than a tasting, but those are fun too.

We started with the Deschutes Obsidian. It’s a classic, in my opinion, and I think it was still one of the better stouts of the night. Full flavored, but the most sessionable of the bunch.

Next up was the Pike XXXXX stout. I’ve really liked this beer in the past, but was amazingly shallow after the Obsidian. This was a very forgettable beer during the tasting.

We had a couple oatmeal stouts after that. The first being the American Caboose. This was the first time I got to try this beer, and it was another great offering from the Sasquatch in Edmonds. This one had a little more roast quality than the previous beers.

Ninkasi Oatis is one of my favorite stouts and the tasting didn’t change my opinion. It actually showed a huge vanilla component, and had a little bit of sweetness. I think this was one of the favorites of the night.

Another local brew, the Skagit River Trumpeter from Mt. Vernon was next. This one did not show well. It tasted very sweet, with a very heavy caramel component. Most found this beer to be overbearingly sweet and lacked the roast.

Then the Yeti attacked. I was pretty excited that the soy sauce component was recognized immediately. It’s a very common flavor profile on high ABV stouts, and this one showed it big time. Still a great beer, and was probably one of the best made beers. Very complex and delicious.

Port Brewing’s Old Viscosity is an oak aged stout. I’ve always liked this one and the oak compliments it nicely.

The Cappuccino Stout from Lagunitas was a shock to the palate. The coffee actually came across as a very green, almost salad like flavor. I got green peppers, while cilantro and lettuce was also mentioned. This wasn’t very well liked, and it really is a beer that should be enjoyed on it’s own.

We ended on a delicious note. The Mokah is very delicious, but well-balanced. The high ABV is very well hidden. This might be my favorite of the Blackwater Series.

Beer Club 12/10/11 Winter Seasonals

Yes, I’m finally getting around to posting a recap of the last beer club. This one might be on the shorter side, because we consumed the largest amount of beer for a beer club yet. It was also the smallest crowd that we’ve had for a beer club. So we drank a lot. I grabbed a bunch of random Winter seasonals. Some are my favorites, and some I just thought would be interesting.

We started with the Winter Bock from Silver City. This one was actually a big hit. It’s an easy-drinking beer, with a hint of sweetness, which went over very well.

The 10 Degrees Below is one of my favorite seasonals from this state. It’s a weizenbock, which makes it an interesting, and delicious, twist for the season.

Moving back to Silver City, we have the Old Scrooge. This is actually considered an English Barleywine. I have to say that the beer seems like it doesn’t know what it wants to be. It’s more like a cross between a winter warmer and a barleywine. I don’t think this one was a winner for anyone.

Moving on to a winter warmer from Oregon, the Laurelwood Vinter Varmer went over pretty well. It’s an alright beer, but doesn’t blow me away, especially with all the other great examples out there.

Then one of my favorites, the Deschutes Jubelale. I love this beer, but it didn’t seem to be a huge hit that night. It’s my favorite winter warmer, and it’s just a delicious beer. This year’s batch is actually quite a bit different, but every bit as excellent as last year’s.

And now for something a little different. This hopped up New Belgium Snow Day actually went over pretty well. Even though it’s a hoppy mother of a beer, the bitterness was on the lower side, which made it fairly drinkable for the rest of the club. I was expecting people to hate this, but they didn’t.

And here’s another one of my favorite Winter beers. This barleywine was a bit too much for everyone, except the one person who is a big fan of barleywines. I love this beer, and I’ve got one stashed away for next Christmas.

To end the night, we had the imperial stout from Port Brewing called Santa’s Little Helper. The beer was surprisingly light for an imperial stout, but it still had a bite. I wish we would have had this one before the HotD barleywine, because it wasn’t a very roasty beer and the hops from the barleywine really destroyed the palate.

We’ll see you next month!

Deschutes The Abyss 2011

This is always a special release that I look forward to. I’ve had several vintages of this beer and always like to see the differences on each batch. Deschutes is one of my very favorite breweries, and their reserve stuff is unbelievable. Let’s see how this year’s batch is.

Stats:
Imperial Stout. 11.0% ABV. 65 IBUs. Oregon. Limited Release.

About as dark as they get, but does have some dark brown on the edges.

I don’t even know where to begin on the nose. There’s chocolate, smoke, anise, caramel, vanilla, and bourbon. It has a slight earthyness, but the sweetness comes across heavy.

Mouthfeel is a bit more carbonated than I was expecting, but it’s still a huge body.

Give me a second to consult the thesaurus. All of the above, from the nose. There’s some much flavor in here, it’s ridiculous. But it’s not just the flavor, it’s the balance. Nothing overtakes the palate. The length is tremendous with chocolate and coffee.

This is one of the most complex, delicious, and balanced beers that I’ve had. This is drinking extremely well right now. It’s possible this won’t age quite as well as previous vintages, but don’t worry about it. Buy it. 96 points.

Deschutes Fresh Hop Mirror Pond

This is a limited release in the Bond Street Series of hoppy beers from Deschutes. I was super excited to get this beer, as I’m a big fan of Mirror Pond, and can only assume this will be even better. It’s hopped with Cascade’s.

Stats:
American Pale Ale. 5.0% ABV. 40 IBUs. Oregon. Limited Release.

Coppery golden color. Not that much head, but has some really nice lacing.

Nice nose. You can really smell the Cascades in here. I get a hint of vanilla and tobacco, as well, and a nice orange citrus aroma.

Mouthfeel is perfect. Great medium body with just the right amount of carbonation.

A little bit of fresh pine and citrus hit the palate. It kind of fades after that. The finish is decent and has malty flavor.

Well, it’s not terrible, but probably the most unimpressed I’ve ever been by a Deschutes beer. There’s no reason why I wouldn’t just love this beer, but I find it lacking flavor. I’m not even sure how that happens. This is the second time that I’ve bought it, because I thought maybe my palate was off the first time, but it’s pretty clear that this is a let down. 84 points.

Deschutes Black Butte Porter

I’ve had this beer a bunch of times before. It’s definitely one of my favorites, but for some reason, I’ve never reviewed it. Looks like this porter features 2-row pale, Chocolate wheat, Dextrin, and Crystal malts with Cascade, Galena, and Tettnang hops.

Stats:
American Porter. 5.2% ABV. 30 IBUs. Oregon.

Dark ruby in color with a fantastic, tan head.

I’m actually not getting much on the nose, though it is a bit cold. I’m getting some chocolate, vanilla, and roast.

Mouthfeel is huge, but it has quite a bit of carbonation.

The palate brings coffee, chocolate, vanilla, raspberries, and a hint of honey. It has this amazing vanilla and roast length, but it’s not bitter. It’s got just a hair of sweetness.

I’ve never had a better porter. Enough said. 94 points

Deschutes The Stoic 2011

This is the newest in the Reserve lineup from Deschutes. These are some pricey beers, but considering the quality you get, it’s always been worth it. This one is a Belgian Quad brewed with pomegranate with 16.5% aged in wine barrels and another 16.5% aged in rye whiskey barrels.

Stats:
Quadrupel. 11.0% ABV. 20 IBUs. Oregon. Limited Release.

Light in color, and coppery. Reminds me more of an IPA except there’s no head. You can definitely see some carbonation rising and it’s a bit hazy.

Beautiful Belgian nose. Lots of yeast with some alcohol heat. But there’s also a ton of complexity. Red fruits fill the nose with a huge dose of honey. Actually, it’s very mead like. Heavy honey aroma with a dash of black pepper.

Mouthfeel is highly carbonated with a medium body. The bottle conditioned carbonation makes it appear very light and frothy. Very similar to many Trappists, it’s a bit too drinkable.

Goddamn is this good. The first thing that strikes me is the balance. It’s not overly oaky, it’s not overly fruity, it’s not overly boozy. Okay, it’s a bit hot, but that should calm down with some time. The complexity is immense. Red fruit, honey, black pepper, yeast, hint of citrus, hint of beef jerky. The length is fantastic.

I’ve said many times how much I love Deschutes, but this is the perfect example of the quality of their products. I’m absolutely amazed, no, astounded by the quality of this. It’s a Belgian Quad (difficult enough) that has pomegranates, then has some of it aged in two different types of oak barrels. There’s so much flavor, yet, it’s perfectly balanced. Perhaps, some of the balance comes from the blending, but regardless, this is nearly perfect. My only draw-back is the amount of heat, but even then, I believe that’ll calm down with some age. It’s expensive, but it’s not a gimmick. Buy this. 95 points.

Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale

This is one of the quintessential American pale ales, and one of Deschutes flagship brews. I believe this is 100% Cascades, or at least mostly Cascades. It doesn’t seem to say on their website.

Stats:
American Pale Ale. 5.0% ABV. 40 IBUs. Oregon.

Nice golden copper color. Head doesn’t last forever, but it does leave some lacing.

Beautiful nose with a ton of malty grain with a hint of hops. It’s definitely got that grape-nuts grainy-ness going on. Just a hint of citrus, just a hint of pine.

Mouthfeel is crisp and medium body. Carbonation is fairly high.

Grainy malts and it has this almost tart like flavor with a lemon-orange component. It never gets hollow or losses flavor. Immense length of grain on the finish.

Just a classic beer. It’s delicious, it’s well-made, it’s well priced. Buy this beer. 90 points.

Deschutes Black Butte XXIII

This is a special beer. I was trying to save this for a bit, but today is a holiday-ish day over at my house. It’s not a holiday, but for some reason we are having company and some good food, so it might as well be a holiday. I mean, that’s the best part of holiday’s, right? The food and booze! So here we go. This beer is is made for the anniversary of Black Butte, but the XXII was never released in bottles (due to the chocolate solidifying, I believe), so I’ve had to wait a long time for this beer. Okay, so about this beer. I’m not sure how it actually differs from the original Black Butte in terms of malts and hops, but this one has amped up alcohol and Spanish oranges, cocoa nibs from Seattle, and Pasilla Negra chilies and 25% is aged in bourbon.

Stats:
American Porter. 8.0% ABV. 55 IBUs. Oregon. Limited Release.

Very dark ruby, not black. Nice tan head. Looks a lot like Abyss actually, just a bit lighter.

Right off the bat, the nose is a bit of a let down. I mean, it’s definitely a barrel aged porter. The bourbon comes out, with lots of chocolate, vanilla, custard, but otherwise, it’s fairly unspectacular.

Mouthfeel is big and thick. Very nice.

Boozy. Bourbon, vanilla, and chocolate big time, and really covers the palate. There is a bit of orange in here, but it’s fairly muted. I don’t taste the chili, but it does actually have this hot spice. If you keep it in your mouth, it’ll start to get a subtle burn. I thought it was the carbonation at first, but it actually sticks in your mouth, very interesting. Long chocolate finish with a serious amount of bitterness.

So the booze on this is a bit too much, probably from the combination of high ABV and bourbon barrel. I feel like that will subside if it it’s aged, like it’s supposed to be. The orange and chili is pretty muted, and many may not even get the flavors at all. 91 points.