The Dissident - Deschutes Brewery

IgotsHops

Washington

4.85/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This was amazing. Gorgeous nut brown with lace and very clear. Begged to be consumed. Smelled sour, with brown sugar and fig. Tasted the sourness upfront, but backed with a solid sweetness of brown sugar, fig, some dark and red fruit, toasty malt, and buscuity malt.
The flavors and carbonation danced around on the tongue, and the layers of flavor kept changing. The mouthfeel was exceptionally balanced with carbonation and viscosity of the beer. Smooth, crisp, warming, and intriguing.
I felt like I was drinking this all night, and not being conservative, but I didn't even finish my snifter. Oddly enough, I felt totally satisfied.
One of the best beers I've ever had.

Serving type: on-tap

09-15-2008 19:23:37 | More by IgotsHops

johnd513

Michigan

4.85/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Huge thanks goes to goodbyeohio for this one!
Smells of sweet and tart fruit with granny smith apples, cranberry, cherry and raspberries. The taste starts very tart and follows with flavors of cherries, cranberries and other tart fruits. The mouthfeel has medium body and has carbonation that tickles the tongue. Drinkability is high. I could not put this down and had no trouble finishing the bottle. This was my first sour beer and it leaves me wanting to try more. Highly recommended to those who want to try something different.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2008 23:53:29 | More by johnd513

litheum94

California

4.85/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

2010 Vintage. Best after 11/1/11. Reviewed 3/24/12.
Big thanks to daysinthewake for sharing this.

Pours a ruby body that's very murky, with a minimal head. What's there is reddish-brown.

Tons of cherries on the nose. Funky, with some vinegar. Medicinal, band-aid aromas. Lovely!

Full, juicy, cherry flavors, with a little tartness. Oaky, woody flavors. Medicinal funk, with some band aids and acetic sourness. Good dose of spicing, leaving a peppery warmness in the mouth.

Fantastic. The benchmark of the style for me. Could not get enough of this.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2012 04:02:16 | More by litheum94

twiggamortis420

Texas

4.88/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Thanks to russpowel for this gem, 2008 vintage. Pours a fairly clear, light crimson color with a large-bubbled, fluffy tan head. Retention is fairly poor, but not altogether unexpected for a 9% sour.

Nose is of rotting wood, assuming from some brett along with some cranberry and red apple fruitiness. Has a very pleasing sweet/sour balance. Smells great.

Pretty authentic flanders here, Deschutes has done a great job as usual. Sourness and vinegar aspect of the beer is pretty sharp and has a nice bite. Sour cherry and cranberry fruitiness is well done and does not go overboard. I could see this one would not age well over extended periods of time as the vinegar aspect of the beer would start to overwhelm. From the taste of it, seems 2 years is just about right. There is even a touch of hop presence, giving it a little North American feel. The rotting wood character that was prevalent in the nose is more in the background on the palate. The ABV is ridiculously well hidden, cant even taste it. I could easily drink a whole bomber to myself and still might crave some more. Excellent beer, I really dig it. Goes well with Craisins and soft chevre goat cheese.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2010 15:43:54 | More by twiggamortis420

atleehammaker

California

4.88/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

2010 release

For all the difficulty I've heard about finding this beer and how quickly they apparently sold out at local specialty beer stores, I was stunned to find plenty of them at my local Bevmo.

Appearance: Reddish/orange/brown color and pretty clear with not much head.

Smell: You had me at hello. The smell on this is unbelievably inviting. Sweet and sour, cherries, oak, wine. You can definitely smell the Brett.

Taste: Tastes as good as it smells. Similar flavors. Sweet/sour, cherries, oak, vinegar, wine and Brett. Finishes w/ a slight warming from the alcohol.

Mouthfeel: Medium body. Slight carbonation. I felt it would be mildly better with a bit less carbonation, but that should occur with some aging. Warm from the booze.

Drinkability: This went down much too easy for the 11% alcohol. Seems like a late night beer, but I had half of it with dinner and it went well with my herb roasted chicken, like a nice glass of wine. It went exceptionally well with the dark chocolate I had for dessert, which really brought out the sweetness and cherry flavor.

This is one of the best sour beers I've ever had...right up there with Russian River Consecration. So good that I went back to Bevmo later that night to buy more.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2010 16:36:49 | More by atleehammaker

StuporJew

Texas

4.88/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2012 Vintage, Poured into Duvel Chalice.

Appearance - Cloudy, rust-brown. Almost the color of freshly made caramel sauce, but with some red dirt thrown in for fun. So excited to taste this beer...

Smell - Typical Oud Bruin funk, with leather, HEAVY cherry, clove, bell pepper, and wine barrel notes. You can seriously smell the Pinot Noir barrel on this beer... (I know. The brewmaster and I had a good conversation about the barrels they use) Vanilla and grape-skin are apparent in the nose too. Eek!!!

Taste - Everything I hoped for in this beer, and then some. Pinot Noir, vanilla and oak lead the palate, followed by the tart cherry notes, some more tobacco smoke / cigar box, and some creaminess out of left field. I cannot begin to explain the complexity in the flavor palate of this beer... All I can say is WOW. It could surely do with some time to mature, and transmogrify into something even more complex and beastly!

Mouthfeel - Sharp acidity akin to Oregon Pinot Noir (This flavor is pretty dominant in this beer), white grape/kumquat. Full and slightly creamy, which is somewhat strange for a sour. But round and perfectly effervescent, as it should be. Once again, I do not have enough words to perfectly describe this beer... But I will find them, when I open my other bottle, next year.

Overall - a phenomenal beer all around. The influence of the cherries, and wine barrel-aging impact this beer in a way that makes it unique, but a close friend to every Flemish-style sour ale on the face of the planet. Deschutes should be DAMN PROUD of this beer. Out of all the American interpretations of the Flemish style, this one is not only an amazing and spot-on homage to the style... it should be a preview of the next step in the evolution of sour ales. I am floored by this beer. You should drink it. (*Arnold Voice*) DRINK IT! DRINK IT NOW!!!

Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 02:28:06 | More by StuporJew

wrightro07

Minnesota

5/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: nice red hue from the cherries no real head
S: Nice fruity smell with sour undertones
T: The taste of this beer is really good. I love this brew and wish it came out every year like Abyss. It is pleasantly sour with a cherry backbone, and really becomes better as it warms up close to room temp. I am really excited for my bottles that are aging.
D: I would love this brew. I cannot wait to open a bottle next year.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2010 00:53:56 | More by wrightro07