Hop Trip fresh hop ale from Deschutes Brewery

Nose/Appearance- Clear with amber and garnet hues, this fresh hop beer pours with a tightly laced snowy white head.  Perhaps not as citrusy as its label description might suggest, hints of pine, dried fruits, and suggestions of unlikely wood aging are present.

Body/Flavor- Excellent on both counts.  For a beer of only 5.5% alcohol, Hop Trip has excellent complexity and flavor.  A sweet malty backbone flirts with the ample signature of chewy and resinous fresh hops.  Far more palatable and sessionable than your standard northwest fresh hop beer.  Wonderfully balanced and intricate throughout the tasting process.

Finish/Mouthfeel- Occasional sips can hint at an excessive dryness which dominated last year’s version of Hop Trip are adroitly buried beneath layers of malty entanglement and fresh wet hop flavors.

Drinkability- 10,10,10.  This low alcohol, flavorful beer is becoming a staple in the Bend Wild Compound.

Beer Likeness- Think of a lighter, hoppier Boont Amber from Anderson Valley, or an old Cinder cone Red from Deschutes, but with better mouthfeel and finish.

Stone Brewing 14th anniversary Emperial IPA

Nose/Appearance-Although we don’t normally assign too many bonus points for appearance, this beer is rather unique.  It shines in the glass with a luminous, golden color and exhibits a fine, gauzy haze and puckering head that is rarely found in today’s craft beer industry.  The initially effervescent nose settles over time to reveal subtle notes of grapefruit peal,apricot puree,dry fruity, and dry orange peal all laid up against a background of muscular european hops.

Body/Flavor-The artful brewing behind this beer provides a dry, but flavorful body that effectively shrouds the 8.9% ABV.  While we hold no passion for english hops here in the Bend Wild Tasting Compound, perhaps this is a case of more is better.  The hop flavor is aggressive, unique, and palatable.  This big IPA can not be confused with a barleywine.  It is an IPA through and through.  Bountiful additions of what are allegedly English hops generate a earthy late flavor that finishes of dry citrus rinds.

Finish/Mouthfeel- A distinctively arid hop finish balances out this high alcohol IPA.  Resinous pine notes reverberate against a dry lupulin dominated finish.

Overall/Drinkability- We’re going 10/10 for an unpredictable appeal and a strong beer “strange” factor.  This very attractive beer is reminiscent of other great Imperial IPA’s that have washed over the Bend Wild palates, such as Bridgeport Brewery’s remarkable Hop Czar.

Beer Likeness- This is a tough one as this beer is so unique.  As it has noticeable Stone background qualities, we’ll toss Stone’s Ruination into the ring, but imagine it has an English hop profile, and perhaps bad teeth!

Firestone Walker Pale Ale

Nose/Appearance-  A robust yet clear golden color capped by moderately fine-laced head.  We’ve quaffed many Firestone Pale 31’s at the Bend Wild Tasting Compound and its aroma usually excels.  This Particular Firestone Pale was strong but not exceptional in regard to aroma.  Fresh citrus notes mixed with some delicate hints of pine set off the senses.

Body/Appearance- Keep in mind that this beer rings in at 4.8% alcohol. With that, Firestone Pale has a great comparative body.  Think of the bookish person who wears baggy clothes but works out all the time.  Pretty rewarding!  While the body is still dominated by hops, there are light but pleasant notes of caramel and bready malt notes finishing off the body.

Finish/Mouthfeel- Hoppy but appropriate.  The bitterness is present but far from excessive.  We have previously evaluated the Skyline Forest Ale from Bend’s own Deschutes Brewery.  We referred to it as a precursor to what could become a great Hop Session ale.  Well, Firestone Walker Pale is the best example of a Hop Session pale that we at Bend Wild have found yet in our life long beer quest.  Frankly, we’re disappointed.  We wish that this was an Oregon beer and more specifically a Bend beer, but our taste buds don’t lie and this beer is a winner.

Overall Drinkability- 10,10,10! We love having this beer around during the summer months.  Because of this beer’s aromatic nose, low alcohol content and light mouthfeel, is is good for several beers per night if you lack self control!  Buy it love it and prod your local Bend Brewery to make something similar.  You won’t regret it!

Beer Likeness- As this beer has a close relative from Steinhaus Brewery/Firestone Walker, this is an easy one.  We’ll go with Mission Street Pale carried by Trader Joe’s.  Another consideration is Bonafide Pale from Bend’s own Boneyard Brewery.

Hoo Doo Voo Doo IPA From Three Creeks Brewery in Sisters, Oregon

This light amber colored IPA typically has a finely laced head and an very pleasant hop forward aroma.  Plentiful late hop addition offer the palate lingering yet gentle hints of grapefruit, and pine.  The relatively low alcohol and it’s lack of a severe bittering punch make this hoppy IPA very session worthy.  This IPA fills a favorite niche for the Bend Wild staff.  A beer dominated by hop flavor but not overwhelming bitterness.  Think of Deschutes’ Red Chair NWPA.  Three Creeks Voo Doo IPA can often be had on tap in Bend, Oregon at The Summit, and Typhoon.  Ask for it by name so those establishments will keep this phenomenal beer on tap all the time!

Victoria Graves, of Three Creeks Brewery in Sisters, Oregon. One of our favorite Beer Maids!

While you are in the Three Creeks Pub, remember to tip the staff.  They are some of the best in the business, and have long been favorites of the Bend Wild Staff.  Oh, their food is also excellent so if you make the journey to little Sisters, Oregon, plan on staying for a tasty meal.  We plan on providing a more complete review of the Three Creeks Brewery in the near future, so check back soon!

Cheers,

Bend Wild

Red Chair Northwest Pale Ale by Bend, Oregon's Deschutes Brewery

Nose/Appearance: A sweet, citrusy nose that could be confused with Inversion IPA’s little brother if not for it’s lighter color and slightly smaller profile.

Body/Flavor: Nicely balanced body with big citrusy and piney hop flavors.  Moderate mouthfeel with mild resinous notes balanced by ample flavors of Crystal malts.

Finish/Mouthfeel: Perhaps one of the most defining characteristics of this hoppy beer is that it does not have an especially bitter finish.  The body is echoed in the finish with notes of citrus and pine rather than a puckering bitterness.

Overall Drinkability: 10/10!  Stimulating hop complexity without excessive IBUs make for an exceptionally palatable, everyday beer.  The niche that Deschutes is trying to create with the “Northwest Pale” is a good one.  Here in the Bend Wild tasting compound, we much prefer late additions of hops and the flavor complexities that they add over early hop additions purely for the sake of bitterness.

Beer Likeness- This is a tough one but we’ll go with the old school Mirror Pond Pale ale, before Deschutes stopped bottle conditioning and before it started tasting like Sam Adams Lager.

We will mourn when this beer is replaced by Twilight Ale in Deschutes’ seasonal twelve ounce bottle rotation.  The word on the street is that the supplies of Red Chair are short, so stock up now, while it lasts.

Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red

Nose/Appearance: A dark auburn ale that pours with a dense tannish head.  Not surprising for a dry hopped beer, Saint Rogue Red has a muscular and spicy hop nose, typical of Centennial, Chinook, and Williamette hops.

Body/Flavor: A flavorful, meaty malt backbone that balances the hop profile nicely, but doesn’t necessarily excel.

Finish/Mouthfeel: Sometimes slightly thin and sometimes slightly tinnish, Saint Rogue Red doesn’t finish quite as strongly as some other great red ales from the Pacific Northwest.

Overall Drinkability: Despite our nit-picking, we actually think this is one of the best red ales available anywhere in the United States.

Celebrity Likeness: This beer reminds us of Jessica Simpson. Stunning appearance (aroma?) but it/she lacks something in terms of depth and complexity.

Mission Street Pale Ale made for Trader Joe's by Steinhaus Brewery, in Paso Robles, California

Nose/Appearance: This clear, attractive straw-colored pale pours with a light creamy head.   It has a deliciously hoppy, dry citrusy nose—something almost unheard of in other beers that come in under 5% ABV.

Body/Flavor: Despite Mission Street’s small size, it has enough hop-malt balance to easily compete with higher alcohol pale ales.

Finish/Mouthfeel: Many light session beers fall apart in the finish, but that’s not a problem with Mission Street.  This beer finishes with an appropriate-sized hop bite.

Overall Drinkability: Can’t beat it.  Ten, straight up.  Excellent everyday session beer.  Hoppy from start to finish, the way all low alcohol beers should be.  It’s hard to believe that no Oregon breweries are making a hop-forward session beer under 5% ABV.

Celebrity Likeness: This extremely rewarding, yet everyday session ale has those approachable, girl-(you-wish lived)-next-door qualities like a Kate Hudson.  Sold under the label of Steinhaus Brewing Company, this beer is  secretly brewed by the loving parent company of Firestone Walker Brewery and is sold for an unbelievable discount by Trader Joes.  Great beer AND a great value.  Now, that’s a fantasy combo that we can appreciate like the mother-daughter combo of Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson.

Photo of Drop Top Amber from Widmer Brothers Brewing in Portland, Oregon

Simcoe and Alchemy(?) hops are balanced out with lots of speciality hops in this light amber colored ale.

Nose /Appearance: Light amber in color, with a lacy light tan colored head.  Hints of dried fruit and slight woodiness please the nose of this lightly aromatic beer.

Flavor/Body: The dried fruit and and woody flavors are subdued by a strangely lager like flavor, perhaps from some of the speciality malts noted on Widmer’s website.

Finish /Mouthfeel: Despite its ale classification, this beer is largely devoid of notable hop flavor.  Hop Heads will be disappointed.  Think of a light yet flavorful Alt style and you will be happy.  Here at Bend Wild, we’re not terribly fond of alts so this beer suffers in our scoring.

Overall Drinkability: Despite having considerable complexity for a 5.0% abv beer, the overall drinkability suffers because of a German aftertaste.  Fine if you like that sort of thing, but the finish doesn’t win anyone over in the Bend Wild tasting garden.

Celebrity Likeness: Joan Cusack.  Likable with some complexity but not exactly stunning on the palate, if you have glamorous, Ale expectations.

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Nose/Appearance -Attractive slightly hazy golden orange color with a nearly white fine head and delicate lacing.  A distinctive aroma of dry citrus and pine with pungent undertones. Those adverse to “catish” pungency would probably subtract a few more points from the aroma score, but I’m not bothered by it, at least in the way that it is presented in this beer. 

Body/flavor- The flavor is largely reflective of the aroma in Blind Pig IPA.  At 6.1% abv, this is not a big beer, but it is a flavorful one.  Grapefruit and pine laced lemon resonate on the palate with delicate malty notes intermingling amidst the buoyant late hop flavor.  This beer offers a creative and unique flavor profile  and is a quaffable alcohol level for session purposes.

Finish/Mouthfeel- Pine and bitter citrus notes carry the day with little hint of malt on the back end of this pleasantly bitter finishing beer.

Overall Drinkability- A unique hoppy profile with a relatively low alcohol high and strong complexity make this a go to IPA for light session situations.

Celebrity Likeness- Cameron Diaz.  Interesting but not exactly buxom.   Attractive to most and stunning in eyes and on the palate of some.  Definitely worth a 500ml experiment!