Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout 2015

Brewed By: Goose Island Beer Company in Chicago, Illinois

Purchased: 16.9oz bottle bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2015 (bottled on 11/06/2015)

Style/ABV: Barrel-Aged Stout, 14.3% 

Reported IBUs: 60

Far be it from me to revive this blog to just make a post with my Bourbon Countries 2015 tasting notes. 

I have to say, I was ready to take the ideological position and jump ship after the 2014 release of Bourbon County. It was a little too fruity, had not nearly enough alcohol, and didn't stand out compared to the 2012 and 2013 vintages. I thought the coffee was the standout of the 2014 bunch, but it played into the beer's shortcomings. That was then, this is now. This year's release featured above-average Thanksgiving day temps, and people setting up tents (yes, tents) in front of Binny's two days in advance. This was followed by another wave of Bourbon County distro to the city (presumably Georgia's supply, suckers) with cases of this beer, including Rare, sitting on shelves at Jewel-Osco and the like. 

Anyway, who cares about politics and beer drama...

with filter...

Bourbon County pours opaque and black like every other fucking Imperial Stout, and especially those in the wheelhouse of barrel-aged. That dark brown head gives way to a mostly tepid and anti-carbed beer, all is well in the land of appearances. 

This has sick nose, bruh, with liquid brownie sweetness, macaroons, coconut, raisins and dark fruits, coffee, Muscovado sugar, biscotti, and chocolate-dipped churros. The barrel and bourbon and alcohol come through on the nose -- all in moderation. 

I really wanted to write this review to simply say that who needs variants when the regular is so good this year. This is insanely tasty and rich, and drops insta-liquid-brownie on the palate from the onset. The back end hits you with lingering chocolate thickness, chocolate-dipped churros, and growing bourbon heat and lovely spirit and barrel character. This is a wild ride of bourbon, brownie batter, dark fruits/raisins, macaroons, coconut, coffee, and Muscovado.

No Filter!

The 14.3% feels DIALED IN. This is a thick beer, but by comparison and in 2015 is also incredibly smooth and balanced and maybe even lighter compared to other comparable beers. What I like here is the presence of bourbon, and the presence of alcohol. For bourbon lovers, this is where beer is at. The 16.9oz bottle format is something I strongly oppose because I like 4-packs; but the format is growing on me. It means you get a little more beer to push this experience over-the-top if you are flying solo, and it means you'll have 8oz to yourself if you decide to share. 

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Divine Brew on this. This is the best Bourbon County vintage in a long time, and surpasses the 2014, 2013, and 2012 releases. Also, in terms of the diminishing price versus beer returns, I find the regular Bourbon County 2015 to be a better investment than Rare. Rare was different, and offered something that you can't find here, but at $60+ a pop the price per ounce is so hard to justify. 

Random Thought: Where to go from here?

Rogue Sriracha Hot Stout Beer

Brewed By: Rogue Ales in Newport, Oregon  

Purchased: 750ml (1 pint, 9.4oz) bottle bought at Jewel-Oscoin Chicago, IL; 2015

Style/ABV: Spice/Herb/Vegetable American Stout, 5.7%

Reported IBUs: ?

In b4 this is the best beer I've had from Rogue in a long time. About Rogue:

Rogue has been around forever, and if their beer was more widely available, and not so damn expensive, I'd probably drink more of their stuff. The brewery was founded in 1988 in Ashland, Oregon by Jack Joyce, Bob Woodell, Rob Strasser, and home brewer Jeff Schultz. Due to increasing space and distribution limitations, Jack Joyce went searching in Newport for a location for the new Rogue pub. It was at this time that he met Mohave Niem, founder of Mo's Clam Chowder. She offered Jack space to brew in her building, and in 1989 the Bay Front Brew Pub was built. Rogue's headquarters currently reside in Newport to this day. In May 1989, current head brewmaster, John Maier, joined Rogue after a brief sting brewing with Alask Brewing. John was a former Senior Technician with Hughes Aircraft Co, and a graduate of the Seibel Institute. To learn more about Rogue, check out their website HERE.

The Sriracha Hot Stout is brewed with Huy Fong original hot chili sauce and sun ripened Rogue Farms ingredients. As you can guess, this pours into a dark, opaque body, kicking up a couple of fingers of tan head. There is good head retention, good lacing, and the beer looks the part of any solid American Stout/Porter.

Rogue Sriracha Hot Stout Beer

The aroma on this is actually really good. You get tons of umami, Sriracha, spicy heat, chili, chocolate, cocoa, toast, that creamer/lactose note, and a fair amount of milk chocolate ala a Hershey's bar. And then there's just that hint of coffee from the darker malts. The aroma really starts to pop as things warm up as well.

I cannot fault this beer, it basically sets out what it intends to accomplish, and it does a really good job. This beer nails the umami flavor up front, and delivers a solid Sriracha punch with lots of tomato paste, and chili heat that punches the lower part of your throat. This is not a 2-D beer, and delivers a wave of chocolate, coffee, dark malts, and milk chocolate towards the back. The chocolate plays well with the chili heat that is kicking around in the back of the throat, and you get some cinnamon and chocolate-chili vibes. Overall, it's not bad. 

This is medium-bodied, has good depth, good complexity, and a good Porter/Stout base. The base to this is actually quite rich, especially at 5.7%. I'm getting a lot of that chocolate goodness, and the mouthfeel has substantial chew. Rogue's beers are hit and miss in this category, but they nailed the body on this one. The complexity unfolds through the umami-forward front, and then the chocolate-heavy middle, and the chili-chocolate back. It's like a toned down version of the many higher ABV chili Stouts out there. 

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average here. This is a really good Porter/Stout masquerading as a really solid chili beer. The Sriracha comes through with some nice chili spice and umami character, and the base beer is big and bold. I would definitely consider pairing this beer with food. And as it stands, 750ml is a lot of this beer...maybe share this one with a friend. 

Random Thought: Overall, Rogue makes some solid beers...maybe even more hits than misses. It's too bad they price themselves out of the market. 

Goose Island Ten Hills

Brewed By: Goose Island Beer Company in Chicago, Illinois

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a Variety Pack left in my fridge in Chicago, IL; 2015 

Style/ABV: American Pale Ale, 6.2% 

Reported IBUs: 50

Woo shelf turds. About Goose Island:

Goose Island is a Chicago-based brewery that began as a brewpub on Clybourn, which opened on May 1988. The actual brewery opened on 1995, and is located on the Southwest side of Chicago. The second brewpub, located in Wrigleyville by the Chicago Cubs, was opened in 1999. On March 28, 2011, Goose Island sold 58% of the brewery to Anheuser-Busch. The remaining 42% of the brewery is supposed to be acquired by A-B InBev in the future, and there has been much discussion about the brewery's takeover. On November 16th, founder and CEO, John Hall, announced he would be leaving Goose Island. On January 1st, 2013, Anheuser-Busch "veteran" Andy Goeler will take over Goose Island. Additionally, around the same time as John Hall's departure, resident barrel-program leader John Laffler also announced his departure from Goose Island. There have been many changes regarding Goose Island...so we will see what the future has in store for Goose Island. 

The Ten Hills is a seasonal APA released during Decemeber through March. This beer is brewed with 2-Row, Caramel 20, Caramel 40, and Munich malts, and features Perle, Cascade, and US Saaz hops. 

Goose Island Ten Hills

This pours into your typical copper, amber-body, kicking up two fingers of amber-tinged head. Blah blah, it looks like every other Pale Ale/IPA out there. The beer is well carbed with good lacing, it's basically a basic bitch beer. 

The aroma is...shock...hops. This has a faint hit of onion and garlic on the aroma, with lots of orange, citrus, pine, and big hop wallop. The malt base is unobtrusive, and hints at whole grain bread if anything.

This isn't bad...it's actually a pretty basic follow through of the aroma. You get sweet malts, caramel sugars, and lots of oranges, hints of resin, and some lingering onion/garlic. It's pretty big for its britches, and that's not a huge shock at 6.2%. This is practically an IPA. 

Again, this is a big APA and really pushes the envelope as far as the style is concerned. I'm not having any trouble getting this down at 6.2%, and the palate depth is good with good duration. This is medium-bodied, and has lower carbonation. It's not that complex. This is pretty sweet...with honey like sweetness, lots of caramel sugars, and orange candies. You get those honey-like sugars up front (it reminds me of a toned down Hopslam), with lots of juicy hops in the mids, and some caramel sugars and lingering hops in the back. It's not bad. 

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this. This is a nice contender from Goozie Islands. I'd buy this again to pair with a spicy dish, and I think Goose Island has their heart in the right place when they decided to release this in the colder months of the year. The malt-heavy profile and intense sweetness makes this great for slightly colder weather. I hope Goose Island keeps this as part of their rotation. 

Random Thought: Goose Island's rotation changes are pretty frustrating, actually. They've killed some good beers. 

Marz The Machine

Brewed By: Marz Community Brewing Co. in Chicago, Illinois  

Purchased: 22oz bottle/bomber bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2015 

Style/ABV: American Pale Ale, 5.3%

Reported IBUs: ?

Something something Chicago shelf turds. About the Marz Community Brewing Company:

The Marz Community Brewing Company is a brewery based out of Chicago, Illinois. The brewery launched in 2014, and was a project started by brothers Ed and Mike Marszewski, along with a handful of professional and amateur brewers. The website credits several "members of the Colletive," including Alex Robertson, Mike Marszewski, Pete Alvarado, Johanna Wawro, Michael Freimuth, Doktor Kazys Ozelis, Eric Olson, Ed Marszewski, Mike Redwick, Malread Case, Tom Piekarz, Eli Espinoza, and Tim Lange. This is like a football team or film credit roll, and I'm sure their list of contributors will expand. The brewery's POV is that they are a collective comprised of home brewers, professional brewers, and artists, that have united to make small, artisanal batches of beer. And that's all you really need to know. For more info, check out their website or Facebook.

The Machine is an American Pale Ale, brewed with hops and malts. Wewwww. This pours into a hazy yellow body, with tight carbonation, and a bright white and fluffy head. This is very much reminiscent of a hazy pineapple, and reminds me of beaches and Chicago politics. Okay mostly the former.

Marz The Machine

Since missing out on this year's Hopslamzzmzmsmz, I've been finding reasons to complain about how little I care about that beer. The Machine is another reason. It's like...there is really no shortage of super hoppy beers in Chicago. This is bright and clean, and reminds me very much of Maine's Lunch and Another One. The aroma is lemony, with clean lines, zesty citrus, and clean resin. This dabbles with some citrus zest and black pepper, and has lemon skins and lemon leaves all over it. The malts are buried in the back, like you want with this style, and they hint at watery crackers.

This is a fantastic American Pale Ale, if only because it is fresh from the source. Seriously, this is Marz channeling their Maine Brewing...clean lines, bright lemony zest, light white pepper, citrus zest, and minimal/unobtrusive cracker malts. This is bright and vibrant, and has a light mineral quality that reminds me of a Pilsner. Just fantastic.

At 5.3% this is super drinkable. And fantastic. I'm not gonna wax poetic...this is light-bodied, has good depth and duration, is moderately complex, and nails everything about the style that I want. It's juicy and citrusy up front; and rolls into bright, clean, and zesty citrus, white pepper, and resin; the back end drops off with lingering resin, some cracker malts, and this finishes nicely. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. Another fantastic, hoppy beer in Chicago. Sorry Bells, but I just don't care about Hopslammzzsmzmz this year. I'd love to pair this with some nice, cheesy pizza...oh lawdy. 

Random Thought: Whiskey and Bourbon are awesome...his wallet and liver hates him. 

Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA

Brewed By: Deschutes Brewing Company in Bend, Oregon

Purchased: 12oz bottle bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2015 

Style/ABV: White IPA, 5.6%
Reported IBUs: 55

The best part about hosting a party is being left with a fridge full of shelf turds. 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 Chainbreaker White IPA is a White IPA brewed with Pilsner, Wheat, Unmalted Wheat malts; Bravo, Citra, Centennial, and Cascade hops; and also has some sweet orange and coriander thrown into the mix.

Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA

I love White IPAs. This is such an underrated style, so disclaimers up front, this is maybe my favorite shelf turd beer from Deschutes. The Chainbreaker pours into a hazy, unfiltered, conditioned body that is a radiant yellow-orange color, with a firm white head. There is tons of lacing, carbonation, and all that good stuff.

The aroma is a fantastic blend of Belgian yeast, spice, and tons of white pepper, black pepper, and BOLD pink peppercorns. Bright, sweet citrus comes forth, with oranges, tangerines, pineapple, peach, and some mango. The aroma also has some wheat notes, with a little Belgian funk that leans towards clove. It's just a fantastic fusion of that pink peppercorn spice with those bright citrus hops and complex Belgian yeast aromas. 

This tastes as good as the aroma, if not better. You get blasted with tons of sweet hops that dial up pineapple, sweet lemon, and bright oranges. There's a ton of black pepper in the taste, almost drawing up Saison comparisons. There's a good amount of clove funk, pink peppercorns, bold yeast character, and some biscuity/bready malts in the background. The hops are the main character, and they keep the beer bold and refreshing. The peppery spice rides the mids and back part of the beer, and help to dry everything out.

This is an impressively tight package. At 5.6%, this is super drinkable, and a lot of that is thanks to the impressive hop package. This is medium-light bodied, with good palate depth and good duration. This actually ratchets up the complexity beyond the usual 1-Dimensional Deschutes' approach. Up front: tons of delicious citrus, pineapple, bright hop notes; the mids roll into fantastic peppery spice, pink peppercorns, Belgian funk, some clove, more juicy hop goodness; the back end trials off with clean hops, lingering black pepper, and then it dries out with this Saison-like finish. It's just a well-done beer. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average here. This is an awesome beer, and maybe the only Deschutes beer I would seek out regularly and by the 6-pack. Fantastic stuff, really. It's veering into the land of a Saison...and to me....this is better than many of the Belgian IPAs. Really though, I would pair this with some peppery chicken/turkey. Or anything rustic. 

Random Thought: Shelf turds ftw. 

Deschutes Obsidian Stout

Brewed By: Deschutes Brewing Company in Bend, Oregon

Purchased: 12oz bottle bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2015 

Style/ABV: American Stout, 6.4%
Reported IBUs: 55

The best part about hosting a party is being left with a fridge full of shelf turds. 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 Obsidian Stout is an American stout brewed with Pale, Crystal, Carapils, Munich, Black Barley, Roasted Barley, Wheat malts; and features Nugget, Millennium, Willamette, and Northern Brewer hops. 

Deschutes Obsidian Stout

This beer has awesome bottle art, and it is highly photogenic. The beer itself pours into your typical Stout affair: a dark, opaque, nearly all-black body. There are some brown edges with this beer, but the head settles into an impressively dark brown foam that just hangs around. There's good lacing, and all that stuff. It looks pretty damn tasty.

The aroma is pretty fantastic, even at colder temps. I am gonna let this one warm up, but from the outset I am getting rich and deep roast, tons of coffee, some chocolate truffles, coffee creamer sweetness, and hints of fruits. As this warms up, the roast, coffee, and baker's chocolate notes start to pop.

This is fairly tasty, and better than the Black Butte. There's a solid dose of deep roast, baker's chocolate, coffee, some chalky dirt, dry chocolate cake, and hints of dark fruits beneath the roast. It kind of reminds me of a toned down Old Raspy, and that's not a bad thing.

This is full-bodied, carries itself well for 6.4%, has good palate depth and duration, and is not very complex. There's good roast, chocolate, and coffee up front; that gives way to some chalky ash, earthy dirt, more coffee, tons of earthy notes, spent coffee in the filter, dirt; the back end trails with roast, and lots of baker's chocolate. It's a really tight package, and follows the Deschutes MO of being refined and clean. I really like it and could recommend it as a non-Imperial American Stout, which is a rarity style these days.

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average here. This really rocks out those earthy dirt and ash notes, with pretty complex roast, and a nice baker's chocolate note. I really want to pair this beer with a dry chocolate cake, I think it would elevate that experience. Good stuff.

Random Thought: Deschutes knows how to make beer.

Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale

Brewed By: Deschutes Brewing Company in Bend, Oregon

Purchased: 12oz bottle bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2015 

Style/ABV: American Pale Ale, 5.0%
Reported IBUs: 40

The best part about hosting a party is being left with a fridge full of shelf turds. 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 Mirror Pond Pale Ale is a "northwest pale ale" brewed with Cascade hops, and Pale, NW Pale, Crystal, and Carapils malts. This pours into a hazy orange body, kicking up a finger of caramel-tinged head. The head retention is solid, and this is a lively beer with good lacing. There's suspended yeast in the body, and this is clearly an unfiltered, conditioned beer.

Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale

On the aroma: really nice orange, grass, and notes that are reminiscent of a Two Hearted. The citrus notes have a really nice spice character, with some pepper, peppercorns, an almost Belgo-esque quality, and zesty white pepper. It's an inviting and clean aroma, and the hops are sweeter and softer than the Inversion IPA.

This is a delicious, well-done American Pale Ale. This has solid citrus notes, with grassy orange, appreciable hop bite, and some nice lemony and pine notes. It has just the right amount of sweetness, and it's not too bitter. The malts are generally unassuming, but hint towards caramel. This has a nice clean yeast character. In every way this is unobtrusive it is also refined and done well. 

You can't get much simpler than an American Pale Ale, so I won't wax on for long. This is light-full to medium-light bodied, with good carbonation, juicy and clean hops, and no alcohol. Depth and duration are on point, and there's little complexity. It's just a nice ride of clean orange and grass up front; some zest and spice and juicy orange in the mids; and clean bitterness with just a twinge of caramel in the back. Solid if not better than.

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'll toss this a Light Above-Average. I could see myself buying this by the 12-pack for camping or a party or just drinking on the patio in the summer. This is one of hundreds of refreshing American Pale Ale-style beers, but it pulls it off. You could pair this with anything really, but I'm feeling beer battered fish and chips.

Random Thought: I miss summer. Fuck winter. 

Deschutes Inversion IPA

Brewed By: Deschutes Brewing Company in Bend, Oregon

Purchased: 12oz bottle bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2015 

Style/ABV: American India Pale Ale, 6.8%
Reported IBUs: 80

The best part about hosting a party is being left with a fridge full of shelf turds. 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 Inversion IPA is an American-style IPA brewed with Pale, Crystal, Munich, Caramel malts; and features Millennium, Horizon, Centennial, Northern Brewer, Cascade, and Citra hops. 

Deschutes Inversion IPA

This pours into a reddish-amber-copper body that is reminiscent of an IPA for sure. The body is slightly hazy, with yeast suspended in the mixture. There's good head retention, nice lacing, and the head soaks up those amber-red hues. Hue hue. 

This also reminds me of Bell's Two Hearted. There's a strong guava-citrus-orange-tangerine aroma from the outset, and it is wrapped in caramel malt sweetness. This dips into some caramel sugars, sticky hemp, tobacco, and honey.

This isn't bad...but it's not blowing me away. It has a good amount of resin, dank American citrus, weed, tobacco, and rosin. The caramel malts heighten some of the earthy/dank character, and this is pretty much a caramel-hops delivery system.

I'd say this is medium to full-bodied, filling up the 6.8%. Palate depth is good, complexity is okay, and I find this to be very much par the course. At one time this may have stood out, but as it stands it is very much in line with what I've come to expect from the style. Up front: guava, citrus, hemp; the mids roll into sweet tobacco; the back end drops more citrus. Nice bitterness and dryness. 

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this. It's not bad but it doesn't stand out among the sea of IPAs. I'm sure this was at one time a banger, but I'd rather drink some Two Hearted or one of the many local IPAs available to me. The good news is that Deschutes has an absolute banger in their Chainbreaker White IPA, which I will review soon. 

Random Thought: The evolution of IPAs is fascinating. 

Deschutes Black Butte Porter

Brewed By: Deschutes Brewing Company in Bend, Oregon

Purchased: 12oz bottle bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2015 

Style/ABV: American Porter, 5.2%
Reported IBUs: 30

The best part about hosting a party is being left with a fridge full of shelf turds. 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 Black Butte Porter is Deschutes' flagship beer, brewed with Cascade, Bravo, and Tettnang hops; and features Pale, Carapils, Chocolate, Crystal, and Wheat malts. 

Deschutes Black Butte Porter

This looks very much like an American Porter...coffee black with brown tones, a mocha-tan head that is leaving tons of lacing and has good retention. Appearance doesn't matter much in the grand scheme of things, but the production suggests that Deschutes knows how to roll out and execute these simple styles (they do).

The aroma on this doesn't lean towards the heavy roast, but there are some nice coffee notes and a little hint of baker's chocolate. What's interesting about this aroma is the yeasty esters, as this has hints of banana...like...banana Runts. There's some other fruity esters I can't quite place, and lots of dusty coffee and cocoa notes. It smells fairly sweet as well.

This is sweet, easy-going, and fairly straightforward. It reminds me of a Milk Stout in some regards, with sugary-but-not-quite-lactose sweetness, lots of coffee, creamer, hints of vanilla, and lots of fruity esters that hint at bananas, berries, and some toffee sweetness. 

With a medium-body, good palate depth, and moderate complexity...I'm gonna say this is very much par the course. The sweet notes up front, yeasty esters, and coffee mids give way to nice subtle roast, creamer, chocolate, dark fruits, toffee, and berries. But it's nothing stand-out-ish, just very solid bang for buck.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Average on this. Not really a slight against this beer...but this once staple has a few other classics that can contend, including Great Lakes Edmund Fitz. I am happy to see it in the Midwest, and even happier to see it in my dad's fridge, but this probably wouldn't make it into my rotation. 2real4me. 

Random Thought: Black Butte reminds me of Black Betty all day. 

Deschutes River Ale

Brewed By: Deschutes Brewing Company in Bend, Oregon

Purchased: 12oz bottle bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2015 

Style/ABV: American Pale Ale/Session Ale, 4.0%
Reported IBUs: 28

The best part about hosting a party is being left with a fridge full of shelf turds. 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 River Ale is a "session" Pale Ale, brewed with Pale, Munich, Carapils, and Crystal malts; and Cascade, Crystal, and Nugget hops. This pours into a dense, hazy, orange body. The head retention is outstanding, and you get lots of lacing, along with ample carbonation. It's just a good looking beer and it sets the tone for the aroma. 

This is like a toned down Two Hearted Ale, with grassy hops, big peach notes, floral lemon, and tons of biscuity-cracker malts. The peach-melon sweetness is welcomed, and this begs refreshing.

Deschutes River Ale

Session Ales were a short lived fad, but this is pretty enjoyable for a 4.0% Pale Ale. It's like a toned down Two Hearted with more sweetness. I'm getting some lemon, orange, and lots of melon-peach sweetness. The hops are grassy, and the malts hint at cracker-biscuit. There is enough hop oil to give this mild resin bite. 

This is simple, drinkable, and blah blah. At 4.0% this is light-bodied, well-carbed, and you really ought to buy this in the 24-pack format. You can drink this while driving your kids to soccer practice, or while fishing, or for hydration while doing all those sports activities that your typical craft beer neckbeard does. For a light Pale Ale, this has good complexity, duration, and mouthfeel...there's a lot of bright citrus notes, melon, peach, and grass. The cracker-biscuit malts work. 

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average here. This is about as nuanced as this style gets, and I like this a lot. If this came in a 15-pack and cans like Founders All Day IPA, I would buy it on the regular. Unfortunately, I have no interest in buying this beer in a 6-pack. But never say never. Pairings: a fresh and bright salad, white fish and potatoes, fishing. 

Random Thought: Mmm shelf turds.