Inversion IPA - Deschutes Brewery

bennetj17

Arizona

3.43/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Nice half-inch creamy top, color is dark cloudy copper with some floating sediment. Fine lace. MIld aroma of pine-like hops and sweet citrus present. Sweet and orange-like, the nose is moderately strong and very pleasant. The taste is not what you'd expect, virtually none of the citrus sweetness in the smell comes through in the flavor. Sharp and sour up front, the malt is subdued, and the hop freshness has dissipated some also. I get a nutty taste in the finish with some bitterness, but mostly a light sour flavor toward the back of the tongue. The mouthfeel is light to medium with a slight smoothness, not bad. I might drink another one of these, but considering the wide selection of IPA's out there I definitely have better choices.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2006 02:42:13 | More by bennetj17

SethB2

California

3.88/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a Chalice. Pours a murky deep brown, with a little bit of head. Smell is great. Piney and citrisy up front, but with a very subdued sweetness following. Taste is nice. Toasted bitternes is in the spotlight here, but a nice malty balance comes though at the finish. M+D are both very good.

Very nice IPA. Of what I have sampled, this is the best IPA from Deschutes.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2006 01:58:39 | More by SethB2

meathookjones

Virginia

4.1/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Dark orange with an off white fluffy head. Nice citric hop bite in the nose with some underlying sweet caramel malts. A bit of pine as well. Bitter citric and pine hops upfront before the malty backbone brings some balance to the flavor. Lingering slightly dry hoppy finish that’s a touch fruity. I really liked the bitterness here that is sometimes missing from IPA’s. Good mouthfeel with a thick enough body and smooth going down. Easy drinking and plenty hoppy enough to satisfy me I could have had a few.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2006 19:09:20 | More by meathookjones

Bitterbill

Wyoming

4.13/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz bottle (best by 8/31/06) an amber gold with a large head of foam that dissipated slowly leaving a fine layer with some lacing.

The smell is on the delicate side...notes of citrus from the hops and some spiciness.

The taste is a strong citrus bitter up front but then, a good malt sweetness(caramel) moves in and balances the taste nicely. The finish goes back to and actually intensifies in the bitterness and spiciness department. Hmm....I'm liking this new IPA from this very solid brewery!

Bottom line: Another solid offering from Deschutes that I hope makes its way to Casper for further "testing". :^)

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2006 00:14:05 | More by Bitterbill

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.08/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Best by August 23, 2006; sampled June 2006
Pours a lightly hazy, bit o chunky, reddish amber color that is topped by a frothy, light tan colored head that starts to leave a bit of Belgian lace as it falls from its initial two-finger height. The beer is suitably, and satisfyingly hoppy in the aroma. Notes of grapefruit, sweet tangerine and to a lesser degree pungent pine notes combine to form a formidable hop character. A touch of malt is found in the aroma as well; a dry toasted malt note is there if you dig for it. This beer's aroma really has an intense, sweet, citrus fruit focus to it. It is quite nice and on this alone I highly recommend this beer.

The taste is lightly sweet up front, hoppy from the get go, but the hops don't really start to take off until you get to the middle portion of a sip. Pungent, with a slight astringency, the hops are a mix of citrus notes (grapefruit, tangerine, candied orange peel, and some apricot like notes), and an herbal character that mixes with some sharp pine-like resinous notes. The malt plays second fiddle here, but there are some toasty malt notes as well as a malt sweetness, which helps to accentuate the fruity hop notes. A solid bitterness starts to grip my mouth at about the middle point of a sip, and picks up a full on, lingeringly astringent bitter note in the finish. The bitterness almost has a minty quality to it because of its fresh vibrancy.

I have been drinking this beer for about two weeks now and I am finding that if I have a fresh hop craving this just hits the spot. I highly recommend this beer, especially if you can get a fresh sample.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2006 23:46:58 | More by Gueuzedude

Zorro

California

3.88/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy red colored beer with a tall tan colored head. Looks great in the glass and leaves a really good amount of foam sticking to the side of the glass.

Smell is sweet and quite full of "C" type hops with lots of grapefruit and lemon scents. The more you smell it the stronger the Citrus hop aromas get.

Taste is not very sweet and quite strongly bitter in the first sip. Very strong earthy hop flavor that is a bit on the harsh side initially. Hop level here is slightly numbing to the tongue and the harshness goes away after swallow number four but the initial roughness costs this a 4.5 in the taste department. Flavor besides the citrus is wood and strong tea and some faint pineapple.

Mouthfeel is good.

A beer that looks near perfect but is slightly flawed in the glass. I could see buying this again if it was cheaper than my usual Pale Ale but I can't see buying this instead of my usual local craft beer. Worth a try but not anything super special.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2006 01:17:17 | More by Zorro

Beaver13

Colorado

3.73/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle. Pours a hazy reddish orange with a big fluffy off-white head that retains well and coats the glass with lacing.

The aroma is bready caramel malts and a piney hoppiness.

The flavor is sweet and toasted caramel malts and a little fruitiness, followed by a pretty big piney floral hop bitterness with a huge lingering bitter aftertaste (almost too much). The mouthfeel is medium to light and slightly watery.

Overall, a well done IPA. It's a bit unbalanced, but nice if you're in the mood for a hop-bomb.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2006 06:05:26 | More by Beaver13

DogFood11

California

4.33/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Copper color, medium carbonation, khaki head leaves lacing with every pull.

Citrus bordering on zesty in the nose.

Wow, this is a hopped up version even for an IPA. Hints of grapefruit and other citrus fruits mix well. Enough sweetness (although very much background fodder) to keep it from being a bomb. Gets spicey, peppery, during the aftertaste. Its a very fresh and ALIVE type of brew, not one to bog you down, on the contrary it really sparked up my palate and woke me up.

Notes: Hmmmm I'm not quite sure if this deserves elite status but for now its damn good and well above average. Deschutes has some really nice offerings once you get done sampling the lot.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2006 03:47:50 | More by DogFood11

PeatReek

California

3.05/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Amber / copper body with a thick creamy head, settles a bit after a few minutes but leaves a nice lace. Smells deeply sweet, caramel/bready with citrusy and earthy hops. Aroma is deliciously balanced. The sweetness comes through huge in the taste, though, along with a heavy, syrupy mouthfeel. Hop taste is a bit dirty and bitter, definitely sour grapefruity but not a lot else going on. A bit too sour and bitter to drink very many.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2006 07:47:48 | More by PeatReek

warriorsoul

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Rust in color...very cloudy with two full fingers of bright white head...very foamy and leaves tremendous lacing as it levels off.
Huge fruity hops in the nose...a touch of malt.
The taste is great...juicyfruit and piney hops dominate...some sweet tea and a mild malt sweetness to balance out the flavor.
Mouthfeel is thick for the style, less carbonated and quite creamy for an IPA. Maybe not a session beer, as the mouthfeel leaves me craving a glass of water upon completion.
A very welcome offering from Deschutes...a top notch IPA in my book. A must try if you are searching for a solid India Pale Ale.
Thanks to beernut7 for this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2006 23:31:16 | More by warriorsoul

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.22/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Hazy, darkly bronzed burnt orange with a candy apple red blush. A gorgeous color. I also love the particulate-filled nature of the beer since it makes me think that I'm about to drink a ton of hop flecks. Inversion looks great from top to bottom (or should I say from bottom to top?) The orangish ecru crown is creamy and is supersticky from what I hope is a significant quantity of hop resins. The glass is coated with tremendous, lace-like lace that looks like it will soon be crusty.

The aroma is outstanding and is different from any IPA that I've smelled yet. The thing that sets it apart is a pungent apricotness that smells like the sweet and sticky overripe fruit just before it begins to rot. That may not sound good, but believe me, it is. Orange, pineapple and pink grapefruit (in that order) follow apricot.

I've had bigger, hoppier IPAs than Inversion, but it's a tasty humdinger of a beer for sure. Although caramel malt intrudes a bit too much with respect to flavor, I'm sure that most will find it acceptable. The hop bill tastes like an American-British cooperative effort. Deschutes says only that 'our favorite Northwest hops' are in use. If that's the case, then one of them must be related to either Fuggles or Styrian Goldings.

The beer's best features are balance (if you like that sort of thing in an IPA) and drinkability. Inversion practically drinks itself. So much so that I have to remind myself to slow down so I have something left to assess mouthfeel. There's a great deal of hop flavor present (dried orange peel, tea leaves) without a tongue ruffling amount of bitterness. It'd be a cinch to drink 2-3 bottles in quick succession.

The mouthfeel is in keeping with the amount of hop bitterness. That is, it's slightly lighter than the IPA average while still being well within the bounds of acceptability. The mouthfeel makes up for its lack of viscosity by being as polished and as smooth as an expertly cut gemstone. Silk only wishes it was this smooth.

I forget just how good beer from this brewery really is. A quick review of my reviews reminds me that this is my 11th Deschutes beer and that I've only given one of them less than a 4.0 for flavor. I'm not sure I can say that about too many other breweries. Inversion is a beer that I would be bringing home by the case if I was fortunate enough to have ready access.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2006 21:38:15 | More by BuckeyeNation

pjwilson

California

4.15/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

i love deschutes beer's. I don't think they've ever put out a dud, i liked the Quail Springs, but I would agreed it was short of what one would except of an IPA. In the mood for a good IPA, I spotted this brand new beer at bew-mo, with a best buy date telling me that it is no doubt very fresh.

appearance: taken a bit of guard with a deep coper color, on the darker end of IPA's but not as dark as I've seen(drake's) a nice head forms and chunks of lacing are left on the glass.

smell: a little subduded at first. Deep sniffs reveal a SNPA like resiny hop smell. however, it is better than that beer, i think there is some amirillio here with the cascade hops. not the excepted malt blast at all, although the hop smell isn't really strong.

taste: always nice when an IPA brings something new to the table, which deschutes has done here. First very raw resiny hops upfront, but not overly powerful, which is nice here. the slighty tangy malts are here as well. Almost like a more subtle verison of Drake's IPA, for those who know that beer.

mouthfeel: very light without wateriness, which is how i like 'em.

drinkability: too drinkable. two or three of these things can be consumed in a very, very short time. so good.

a damn nice beer, well, just like everything deschutes does. iVery balanced, and equal in it's hoppy and maltiness.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2006 01:12:55 | More by pjwilson

Pooba001

Arizona

4.18/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a slightly rusty orangish color with above average lace for an IPA, and some small chunks floating in suspension that I really hope are hop pieces. Smell is gorgeous, citrus/resin aroma noticible from a couple feet away, floral notes as I get closer, and a hint of sweet malt upon close investigation. Tangy citrus flavors are right up front, with even a clovish spice to it. I don't think I've ever wanted to describe an IPA as having a creamy flavor, but this seems to fit that bill. Mouthfeel is nice, I like an IPA to be a little thicker, but for a moderate 6.8% ABV beer it still qualifies as quite good. Drinkability? I'm on my second and I could go for at least 3 more. A session IPA? This is my first encounter with Inversion, but I think it may become one fo my benchmarks for a well balanced non-extreme American IPA. I'm thinking I may want to keep a couple of these around to introduce non-hopheads to the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2006 08:05:45 | More by Pooba001

TheBungyo

Washington

4.08/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Nice inch thick head floats atop the orange crimson body. Very pleasing to look at. Decent bit of lacing but not enough to complete the perfect score. Nose is pine that shoots like an arrow to the nose, mingled with a weird boiled cornlike veggie smell. Taste is once again pine, unsweetened sap, and grapefruit mixed with caramel. The hops certainly get center stage here, with no attempt at balance. Mouth is dense and lush with sparse carbonation acting like a masseuse. This would be a nice IPA to session with.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2006 05:49:42 | More by TheBungyo

IntriqKen

California

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured a light amber red...with a full 2 finger head that melted to fine lacing.
Aroma is light malt and sweet citrus hops.
Taste is exciting...sweet at first and then immediately citrus bitter hops...very fresh.
Aftertaste is lightly grapefruit hops with the drying you would expect.
This is very very quaffable...a wonderful thirst quencher.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2006 01:45:31 | More by IntriqKen

Gusler

Arizona

4.53/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer dispenses from the 12-ounce brown bottle a blurred orange-brown with a stupendous frothy light tan head, a magnificent crown to the body, after is slow demise, the resultant lace forms a tight skirt upon the glass. Noticed some little fernies floating in the beer also, yum I love that stuff. Nose has a magnificent hop floral aroma citrus like in its crispness, sweet malt, and fresh and mouthwatering this nose, start is sweet at the front, the grain profile perfection, and the top middling in its feel. Finish has a pleasing acidity, the hops, wham, they snap your taste buds to attention, with the aftertaste long and lingering, a real treat this beer, from one of the world’s best breweries, and a long time top five brewery in my book.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2006 21:26:00 | More by Gusler

geexploitation

Indiana

4.15/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This bottle comes courtesy of Loren01... pours a rather dark, but bright amber with head that initially impresses but fades rather quickly. Smell is pretty standard for an IPA, but pleasing nonetheless. Lots of citrus and doughy malt notes in there. As for the taste, the initial citrus sweetness of the beer switches in a snap to heightened bitterness that's powerful yet restrained. Mouthfeel is very smooth, with light carbonation. This is what an IPA used to be, before all the hops arms race that's resulted in so many double IPAs out there. This beer is hoppy, it's malty, but it's not so extreme in either characteristic that it can't be enjoyed as a session beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2006 02:25:26 | More by geexploitation

libertygrails

Oregon

3.53/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

appearance: Dark coppery orange. Head halves quickly. Scant lacing. Minimal carbonation.
smell: Piney esters & a clean, grassy nose.
taste: Citrus, floral & grassy again. This does seem to warm a lil more than most IPA's.
mouthfeel: Above average.
drinkability: This could be a hop-head session brew on a hot, sunny day. Exceptional in some areas, nothing terrible. A solid 6'er purchase for a friendly summer BBQ.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2006 22:18:23 | More by libertygrails

unklesyd

Oregon

4.18/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I looked forward to this brew as soon as the brewery website announced it. Had it at a friend's house while brewing and was fairly underwhelmed. It definately lacked that "Deschutes House Flavor". I decided that one try was not enough, and glad that I did.

Really nice brew for a warm-ish day outside. The malt profile was fairly straightforward with a little carmel in the back. Hops were the story: refreshing yet earthy, so as not to give it too much a pucker effect. Matches a day out in the dirt very well. Aroma is a match to the earthy-citric flavor, very enticing.

Drinkability: surprisingly high as to the bitterness of the brew because of its unique balance; not balanced in the sense of malt/hops, but rather of the hop characters themselves.

Nice brew from a fantastic brewery. Even without the eclat of Deschutes, this brew would be tasted a winner!

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2006 01:14:35 | More by unklesyd

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.08/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours brown with a 2 fingers + tan head. Kind of dark for an IPA. Good lacing & very good head rentention

Smell: Malt, fruitness & citrussy hops

Taste: Twangy citrus (grapefruit) hop explosion. Slight frutiness and caramel sneaks in. Finishes very dry & fruitty

MF: Great carbonation and a little to hopped up for balance

Drinks good, but the OTT hoppiness would prevent this this eclectic IPA being a session ale

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2006 01:33:59 | More by russpowell

edmundfitzoil

Florida

4.13/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I reviewed this one on tap at Northern Lights Theatre Pub in Salem, OR. The beer was poured into a standard pint glass.

The beer poured a dark, deep orange with a beautiful, creamy, off white colored head of foam that peaked up over the glass of the bottle like the squirrels in the park across the street do out of their holes. The nose was all big, citrussy hoppiness. The flavor featured the citrusy, oily hoppiness with a merely adequate amount of maltiness and a nice, warming caramel presence as well - my bartender had laughed when the promotional signage came in boasting of such a flavor; she now recognizes the surprising complexity beer can have. The flavors blended and the hops slowly receded as the beer warmed allowing the beer to prove itself to be better balanced than when initially served. Inversion had a creamy texture and a 6.8% alcohol.

This is a very solid, very drinkable IPA. While hop henge still pleases my pallete more, this beer proves to be flavorful without pushing the alcohol levels up over the 8% range. A good job producing, and - at this point - leveling an IPA with a marketing plan at large groups of people.

Serving type: on-tap

04-21-2006 14:48:24 | More by edmundfitzoil

Jason

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz brown bottle with a "best by" freshness date on the side of the label.

A- Hazed rusted copper hue, certainly darker than I expected but nothing out of the ordinary. Thin lace after a two fingered froth leaves a dusting down the side of the glass.

S- Mildly pungent citrus zest, juicy hop aroma with some toasted and caramel malt in the back end. Very aromatic.

T&M- So damn smooth with a creamy back side, hop-o-licious with a sharp bite of bitterness and layers of citric peel, zest and juice. Solid toasted malt flavor is modest with a slight caramel malt sweetness, hint of fruity esters show some of the alcohol off with a warming finish.

D- This is old school "micro-brew". You have to love this raw beast, it brings back so many memories of what some of the IPA were like back in the 1990's. Inversion IPA is a must try, especially if you love hoppy beers. Paired well with a pressed German Ham and Swiss pannini.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2006 21:36:01 | More by Jason

waldowin

Washington

3.63/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured a silty amber, fading to gold at the very edges. An off-white head appears quickly, very dense, and very wet and sticky. Slow to fade, and great lacing.

Smells of grapefruits and a bit of sawdust, appealing but nothing amazing.

Tastes of a nice mixture of rich malts and a hint of yeast. A bit of raisins in the taste, followed by a fade to bitter grapefruit as you swallow. It seems that this IPA has more hops for bittering than for flavor. Just enough aroma of hops to keep it from being an ESB.

Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy, with good carbonation. The bitter hops at the end make you that much more ready for the malt at the beginning of the next sip. After one bottle, I'm feeling it a bit, and so I think two or three would do me for the night. Tasty though, and a nice treat after a hard day at work.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2006 08:12:20 | More by waldowin

ElGordo

Oregon

3.9/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cloudy burnt orange color with suspended particles that appear to be the residual of dry-hopping. The pretty, creamy half-inch tan head sticks around for a while. Assertive aroma of floral, piney hops reaches out and grabs you. Palate is more of the same - aggressive piney hops, with a hint of grapefruit and grass in the background. A very light caramel malt tempers the hops oh-so slightly. Body is substantial and just a tad sticky. Truthfully, the hops get to be a bit much after a while, but this is still a tasty IPA, and a considerable step up from its predecessor, Quail Springs.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2006 07:13:12 | More by ElGordo

Reidrover

Oregon

4.38/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A really gorgeous looking IPA from Bend. Deep burnt orange,slightly hazy,lovelly creamy off white head of great stature..a veritable visual work of art.
Nice spicy aromas, slightly citric ..some malts detectable surprisingly.
Great tasty spicy and grapefruit hoppiness, a strongish ,malt backbone prebvents the hops running "over the top" and lends an extraordinary smoothness to the beer.
Very good mouth feel very thick and smooth for the style, but most welcome.
I found this a delectable IPA,. very very drinkable for 6.8% alc.. I think it tasted a lot like the wonderful Horseridge IPA i tasted last year at the Bond Street pub

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2006 20:36:52 | More by Reidrover