April 7, 2014

Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA

Brewed By: Deschutes Brewing Company in Bend, Oregon
Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Friar Tuck Beverage in Urbana, IL; 2014
Style/ABV: India Pale Ale, 6.4%
Reported IBUs: 60

Oh man, tonight's beer is just fantastic. I don't even need to write this review, go buy this beer now. The Fresh Squeezed IPA is one of the most vibrant and drinkable IPAs I have had in a long time. I killed four bottles effortlessly, and will be picking this up again for the summer. About Deschutes:

The Deschutes Brewing Company was founded by Gary Fish on June 27th, 1988, when they opened the doors to their Bond Street Public House pub. The brewery has since expanded, growing to be one of the top craft beer producers in America. The brewery also operates a pub in Portland, and has a dedicated brewing facility overlooking the Deschutes river. For more information, check out the brewery's website; their Facebook page; their Twitter; or Wikipedia
The Fresh Squeezed IPA is a "mouthwateringly delicious IPA" that gets its flavor from Citra, Mosiac, and Nugget hops. This one also features a malt base of Pale, Crystal, and Munich malts. At 6.4% ABV and 60 IBUs, this is in the realm of fairly drinkable. And no, there is not fruit in this. "Don't worry, no fruit was harmed in the making of this beer."
Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA

This is your prototypical IPA: amber in color with bronze/orange tones, clean transparency, active small to mid-sized carbonation, and three fingers of off-white head that is soapy, sticky, and immortal. Bright light confirms the same stuff, and there is nice lacing. It's not standing out in a crowd, but this is definitely one of the preppy jocks.

The aroma here is all varsity. There are huge waves of citrus, mango, Citra hop goodness, tangerine, grass, and big fruity sweetness. The whole hop front is undercut by giant spice; I'm getting citrus zest, white pepper, and menthol pop. There's a grassy aspect to the hops, with some brighter melon and peach notes stringing along as well. Overall, it's a refreshing and juicy nose that's all sunshine and happiness.

The taste is also lighthearted sunshine and hugs. It's like the anti-Kurt Cobain, the one whose brains are still intact. There is huge Citra goodness with tangerines, limes, lemon-orange-resin, juicy apricots, and a pear/stone fruit thing that I can't quite figure out. The finish is slightly dank, bitter, and resinous. Some of the spice from the aroma pops up in the taste, with zest and pepper. There's also quite a bit of malt backing here, with caramel and bready notes.

I actually agree with the consensus that this could be a bit more hoppy...and for those reasons I don't think this is the ceiling for the style, but I would be hard pressed to recommend a more drinkable IPA. This is just fantastic, with a juicy, medium-light, well-carbonated mouthfeel. Palate depth is full, juicy, dank, and dry. The complexity is okay, and the beer's balance is shifted towards the sweeter, more sticky, maltier side. And that's okay. Seriously, I'm not hating on this beer at all. At 6.4%, you can roll through a 6-pack of this in one night. Up front: juicy hops, sweeter notes, tropical fruits, lime, tangerine; the mids dial up some malt sweetness, caramel, bread, lemon-orange-resin, apricot funk, pear and stone fruits; the back end hits some dank resin, lingering bread/caramel, sweet, sticky finish. Spice is present throughout in various levels. Good shit.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. Like I said, I don't think this is the best IPA in the world...but I would be okay with taking this to my deserted island. This is a great, juicy, IPA. The perfect vehicle to pair with sweeter, Spring/Summer dishes. I'm so happy that Deschutes is making this beer a year-round release, I will be picking it up again over the summer and I recommend anyone check this out. You can pair this with fruits salads, fish, pasta salad, pasta dishes, pizza, burgers, American bar food, crab, shrimp, and strawberry pound cake. 

Random Thought: Depending on how things go tomorrow, I might bust out the Abyss. 

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