Four a Lucky Number for Deschutes Brewing

So far Deschutes Brewery in Portland has lived up to the hype.  Regularly featuring a variety of beers only available at the NW Pearl District location, the attractive brewpub is often packed with thirsty patrons…and for good reason.  Offering delicious house made entrees made with Deschutes brews and adequate for pairing, the line-up of beers on tap reaches far beyond the seven “classic” brews.  These days, one can find the Jubelale making an early appearance for winter as well as cask conditioned ale and seven pub exclusive brews–four of which are fresh hopped beers. Here’s what Deschutes has to say about their flavorful lupulin treats:

Goschie’s Sterling Pale Ale: Our first fresh hop beer of the season made with Sterling hops from the Goschie farm near Mt. Angel, Oregon.  This pale ale made with light crystal malts and straight from the vine Sterling hops is very well balanced.  Enjoy the excellent aroma and flavor of this crisp pale ale.  IBU’s: 38  Alcohol Content: 5.3%

Bond Street Series: Hop Trip: Deschutes’ brewers took the journey over to the Willamette Valley to pick an abundant amount of the freshest whole leaf Crystal hops straight from the vines of Doug Weather’s farm.  The first brew was started soon after a phone call was received from the Willamette Valley confirming the hops were loaded on the truck.  Roughly 680 pounds of Crystal hops were added to each of the 120 pound barrel batches in addition to  some dry kilned whole flower hops.  All together, there are 7 pounds per barrel.  A brisk hop flavor is created with a finish of soothing bitterness from the fresh hop oils.  IBU’s: 38 Alcohol: 5.5%

Mt. Angel Fresh Hop: Here’s another fresh hop beer from Gayle Goschie’s farm in Mt. Angel, this time featuring Willamette hops.  To balance the earthy nature of these hops, the brewers used a variety of crystal  and roasted grains (including spelt) in small quantities.  IBU’s: 33 Alcohol Content: 4.9%

Fresh Hopped Mirror Pond: Our Head Brewer just couldn’t get enough of the fresh hops this season, so he added freshly picked Cascade hops to our Mirror Pond Pale Ale, which is already brewed with copious amounts of Cascade hops, to give it the freshest aroma of the season.

Also on tap at Deschutes:  X-Tap: D Straat Dubbel, Mt. St. Helens Keller Bier, and Armory XPA.  Taps are always changing so this could be outdated when you read it.

Also of note, Deschutes won four medals at the 2008 Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado.

Gold – The Dissident
(American Style Sour Ale Category) Gold – Bachelor ESB
(Extra Special Bitter Category)

Bronze – Gluten Free Golden Ale
(Gluten Free Ale Category)

Festival Flair Award Winner – Best Brewery Booth