Deschutes Brewery’s Big Rig Bitter: The Way All Bitter’s Should Be

Big Rig Bitter is a strong pale that is currently available in downtown Bend at Deschutes Brewery on Bond Street. This rendition weighs in at 46 IBU’s and 6.0% ABV. It utilizes Horizon and Crystal Hops for all of it’s hoppy goodness, which is then perfectly balanced by two types of crystal malts.

Big Rig Bitter by Deschutes Brewery, Bend Oregon

Big Rig has been one of our favorite seasonal beers from Deschutes Brewery since they first brewed it a few years ago, and when we saw it on tap this week, we immediately ordered a keg for the Bend Wild corporate tap room. Our immense appreciation for this beer should be obvious by our scores.

Bend Wild – Beer Scoring Scale
	Maximum	Big Rig Bitter
Nose/Appearance	35	32
Body/Flavor	40	39
Finish/Mouthfeel	15	14
Overall Drinkability	10	10
Total Score	100	95

Nose/Appearance: Golden amber in color with finely laced, off-white head with moderate retention. Prominent hoppy aroma with vegetal and autumnal earthy notes.

Body/Flavor: This is where Big Rig Bitter really excels and is the reason that discrimating bitter-lovers will want to order another. Drink-for-drink, we think Big Rig offers one of the most enjoyable and well-balanced tasting experiences that you can find anywhere. Even at 6.0% ABV, this beer’s huge late-arriving hop flavor and yet simple approachability qualify it as a unique session beer. It would make a wonderful addition to Deschutes’s 22-ounce Bond Street Series bottle lineup.

Finish/Mouthfeel: A pleasant, session-style finish that doesn’t distract from the attractive hop-malt balance.

Overall Drinkability: Huge. 10 out of 10! Our corporate keg says it all.

Celebrity Likeness: Jennifer Lopez. This is easy. Big Rig Bitter’s full back-end flava will make you feel like a teenage boy watching J-Lo walk down the red carpet.