The Dissident - Deschutes Brewery

BigJTrucker

Oregon

4.58/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up this brew from the Bier Stein, Eugene, OR. Let's see if it's been worth the wait.

Pours a beautiful deep amber color, with a thin white head that settles fairly quickly, leaving some light lacing. Aroma is an amazing cider vinegar sour, with a hint of a cinnamon. Sour beers can be hit or miss. This one hits it out of the park. I love the sour cider flavor, but the fact that it has some depth to it is what does it for me. Mouthfeel is very crisp, maybe a little thin. Very drinkable, as far as sour beers go. DEFINITELY worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2008 20:40:06 | More by BigJTrucker

Reidrover

Oregon

4.38/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bought from Roths Vista Market,Salem,OR Bright brown beer with a tan head, thats pretty small and bubbly,leaves goodly lace. Marvelous aroma to this one: malty,spicy, fruity( green apple and sour plooms),sour..like fresh lemon juice or good vinegar.Lovelly stuff. Tartness,semi-sweet malts compete..with a building yet gracious sourness building to coat the tongue, soor plooms aagain , and a bite of cooking apple/crab apple.Slight "barnyard" and oaky residue . Lovelly and lively on the tongue..great long lasting sourness. Overall a very nice beer. I m far from being even competent in this style..but this was most enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2008 17:26:21 | More by Reidrover

largadeer

California

3.78/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2008 batch:

Appearance: 22 oz bottle dipped in crimson-colored wax, which is ridiculously thick. Awesome label and presentation. The beer itself pours a dark but clear reddish-brown with two fingers of off-white head forming from a vigorous pour. The beer is just barely transparent in my tulip glass. Head retention is decent for the style.

Smell: Funky, horsey brett is apparent as soon as my bottle has been uncapped. Once it's actually in my glass, the tart aroma of cherries is evident as well along with a hint of red wine.

Taste & mouthfeel: Tart cherries through and through, it's far and away the dominant character. Sourness and acidity are fairly spot-on for the oud bruin style, which is to say that they're in balance with the rest of the flavors rather than being completely in-your-face like a lambic. Sweetness is minimal, faintly present in the background, tasting more like remnants of fructose from the cherries rather than from the malt. The use of wine barrels for aging is most evident in the finish, where for a moment it actually fools you into thinking that you're drinking a glass of pinot noir. Acetobacter is practically non-existent here, which is absolutely a good thing in my opinion. The mouthfeel is pleasantly light and dry, perhaps slightly tannic from oak aging.

Drinkability: Dangerously drinkable. I'd never guess this was 9%, and with expertly balanced acidity this goes down far too easy.

Overall: I'm impressed. Deschutes has managed to create a beer of surprising authenticity, quite a feat given that this is their first attempt at the style.

2010 batch:

Boozy and astringent, though still decently complex and fruity. Not as enjoyable as the previous release.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2008 01:49:36 | More by largadeer

tayner

Arizona

4.43/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 oz brown bottle with a raspberry colored wax applied very thick

pours an amber color, clear as if it is filtered, with a small white head.

smell is tart, brett, acidic, woody, everything I have come to love about flanders oud bruin style

taste is tart up front with a sweet and sour cherry background. midpalate i get some slight funkiness from the brett but I cannot help but feel like this is underdeveloped and will greatly improve with aging. the finish is clean and crisp.

This one is definitely drinkable now, i put down the entire bomber in an hour or so and could have had a second one if they werent 9.99 each.

I think this one will hold up well, and even improve, with some time in the cellar. definitely worth seeking out and trying.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2008 21:00:55 | More by tayner

bifrostguard

California

3.93/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Note: This 22oz bottle is 9% not 11%

A - Pours a deep, translucent brownish amber color with a small light colored tan head that subsided fairly quickly. Somewhat effervescent.

S - Very interesting. Smells of fermented cherries, brown malt and has some subtle wine characteristics.

T - Sour cherries and acidic flavors dominate in the beginning. They eventually transition into a bitter alcohol end. This gets more interesting the further down the glass you go. The tartness from the cherries and oak from the aging really begin to balance each other out quite nicely.

M - Good for a sour beer with some nice carbonation

D - For the style this is pretty drinkable. The alcohol content will prevent you from drinking a large volume of this stuff and the flavor doesn't seem to fade too much with the quantity consumed. A bomber is about perfect.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2008 02:48:42 | More by bifrostguard

jakon

Oregon

4.47/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle

This beer pours auburn with a small amount of foam.

The aroma consists of sour cherries, pits, whiskey, brett, fructose, baker's chocolate, and purple grapes.

The taste is nicely tart, with a surprisingly assertive bitterness on the finish. All the aforementioned characteristics are clearly perceptible, along with a distinct cranberry flavor.

Overall, this is an excellent beer that will undoubtedly get better and better as the years pass.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2008 01:20:52 | More by jakon

SurlyDuff

Oregon

4.83/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

~~This is 9% abv, not 11. Needs to be corrected.~~

Had this beauty ontap at the Bend Public House and also brought home a bomber for today. Review is on the 22oz bottle.

Lucious clear reddish brown with champagne size bubbles rising up my ChurchBrewworks tulip glass. Thin tan head sits atop.

Sharp bitter and tart fruit. Interesting cherry aroma...Ripe, yet tart. Slight brett and vinegar notes in the aroma, but a bit subdued compared to other flanders' ive had.

Great taste! Mouthwatering sour pucker and a smooth fruit pop. There's not much vinegar or off flavors in the finish. Some cinnamon and other earthy flavors in the aftertaste. The carbonation really stands out, making it almost champagne like. Incredibly drinkable and smooth. When it warms up, it brings out some more fruit flavor, as well as some black pepper and cinnamon, a nice little spice indeed.

As a sour beer fan, this really hits the spot. I will be promptly acquiring a case of this and visiting the brewpub as frequently as possible. I assure you of that!

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2008 23:46:03 | More by SurlyDuff