Yet another Cascadian dark ale. Like I said, I can't get enough of this stuff. I know I've had this one before, but I honest couldn't say too much about it at this point. If I remember correctly, I just had a sample of it at their brewhouse in Bend, OR. CDAs were still pretty new to me at the time. I can definitely say now that I've had my fair share of beers in this style that I am incredibly excited to see how Deschutes handles it.
First thing I have to say is that this has a huge aroma. I just opened it, and I can already smell nothing but hops coming two feet from the bottle. Pours a very, very dark color with almost no hue. Got about a fingers worth of light brown head that seems to be sticking around. As I mentioned, big nose. Very sharp pine with a nice mix of citrus. There is some roast and sweet malt coming through, but it's hardly worth mentioning. Big orange zest; almost stings the nose a little bit. Little bit of clean yeast notes. Great aroma.
Hits the tips of the tongue super sweet. Definitely a very rich, strong caramel malt character. Some burnt malt and roast shine through, but it is subtle. Very, very minor ester and yeast notes; kind of blends with the subtle roast and really lets that sweet malt shine through. This is 70 IBUs, and it is definitely a bit bitter. Hop flavor is very piney and spicy. It's quite heavy and really leaves a bit of tingle in the back of your mouth. Some of the darker malt character sneaks up on the aftertaste. Your mouth will be coasted with a very nice rich chocolate flavor. Leaves the mouth very clean, which is surprising given how much this has to be dry hopped. Little alcohol burn. Pretty light body. Medium carbonation.
This one definitely ranks up there for me in this style. I'm still liking HUB's Secession a lot, but I will be getting this one again for sure. My main thing I would change on this one is that roast and malt character. It's great in the aftertaste, but there is almost no roast buildup to the hops. Regardless, fantastic stuff.
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