The Dissident - Deschutes Brewery

DaveHS

California

4.4/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Poured with a fluffy light brown head that left decent lacing. Typical Oud Bruin coloring, a deep mahogany. Very appetizing.

S: The first thing I get, besides cherries, is cinnamon and yeast. At this point my mouth is watering.

T: Very similar to Duchese de Bourgogne in execution, with a little more finesse. Tart from the cherries, but not overly so. Next comes the brown sugar, and a little bitt of oak. Almost has some characteristics of a good Monterrey Pinot Noir.

M: Smooth and well balanced. One of the best Oud Bruins I've had in quite a while.

D: If it were cheaper and more available, I would drink it all the time. Highly reccomended.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2008 08:30:16 | More by DaveHS

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

SexyDrZaius

California

4.58/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.5

Opening this beer was a task and my only one complaint. Once I Scraped enough of the wax off the top to get at the cap and pry it off everything went perfectly.

I poured from my 750 mL bottle into a wine glass.

The color was brown with a touch of red light.

The sent of the beer was roasted malts, cinnamon and some yeast.

This is where I was blown away. From the smell I was expecting something more malty and richer. I was quite surprised. The beer was refreshingly tart. I had read that there was wild yeast on the bottle but I wasn't expecting something this fruity. It tastes like Bananas, Tangerines, a touch of Chocolate, Black Cherries and a lingering yeast on the back of my tongue.

The mouth feel was also great. The beer wasn't too dry and didn't have any noticeable presence of alcohol. Smooth all the way down. Not over/under carbonated.

This beer made me feel just a little like Goldilocks. It was "Just right."

I'm going to be picking up a few more bottles of this guy by the end of the week. Time to share this great find with my friends and family. Not to mentions hoard a little for my self.

NOTE: ABV was 9% on the bottle

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2008 16:57:27 | More by SexyDrZaius

madtappers

Washington

1.75/5  rDev -58.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

For $10 this has to be one of the worst ales I've ever had, or maybe just not my cup of tea.

Poured with a red color nice whiteish brown head.
The cherry taste is to overpowering and leaves an awful after taste.

Not a very drinkable beer in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2008 18:41:43 | More by madtappers

froghop

Washington

3.8/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

pours a clear brown with a red tint, small tan head that dissipates quickly, above average carbonation, good lacing.

smell is sour, fruit, malt, alcohol, some woodiness to it.

taste is tart, raspberry, sour malt, oak, ends dry and bitter, leaves the mouth tart.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2008 14:43:16 | More by froghop

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.05/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A vigorous pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a frothy, somewhat large bubbled, initially three-finger thick, lightly amber tinged, tan colored head. The beer is dark amber / plum color that shows an almost brilliantly clear, light cranberry color when held up to the light. The aroma is quite wine like as it smells of dark fruit and oak. Further inspection yields a noticeable, but light, lactic tartness that accentuates aromas of sour grapes, tart plums and fermented raisins. The oak is the most dominant part of the nose with spicy oak notes, a woody tannic sort of thing, a touch of butterscotch, and some light vanillin notes towards the finish. This actually gets fairly toasty towards the finish (a bit like lightly browned saltine crackers) that is definitely malt induced but could also be from some toasty oak influence. The fruit aromatics get a touch jam like as the beer warms up a bit too.

Fairly thick and chewy with a tart, fruitiness that sort of clings to the palate, but doesn't provide much, if any at all, sweetness. The oak character seems to have contributed lots of tannic structure that has influenced the body and mouthfeel of this beer. this has quite a bit of berry-accented red wine like flavors to it as well as just a touch of perceived fruity sweetness. The finish has a fair amount of oak influence, but it is only one part of this beer and does not play the leading role that it did in the aroma. The tartness is actually less than it was in the aroma too, even though it was fairly light there. This has a substantial, flavorful, though somewhat soft, sour cherry flavor to it, especially as the beer warms up; both the flavorful tannic skin contributes to the flavor as does a fleshy cherry fruitiness. As it warms it also picks up some concord grape flavors as well as definitely getting more sweet.

This is a really easy drinking sour beer; it is very soft for a wild fermented beer and quite clean. The wine barrels and cherries almost seem to be more influential than the wild bugs, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. This is actually on the simplistic side for something that could have been funky and challenging; on the plus side though it is quite refined. This is fantastically drinkable, especially considering its alcohol content & I definitely like the bright fruit character that is here as well as the balance provided by the oak character.

Purchased: Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2008 22:57:19 | More by Gueuzedude

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

AKBelgianBeast

Alaska

4.2/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap ot O'Brady's on Huffman.

Pours an unusually clear amber ruby color with a decent white head. Nose is next to perfect here with solid tart brett, slight cherry. Taste follows with a good, but not overbearing tartness, less tart than your average oud, but still there for sure. The cherries in here both compliment the tartness as well as balance it out with a little bit of sweetness. Could be just a bit richer. Although very subdued for the abv, the alcohol is here does battle just a bit with the tartness. I like the use of the barrels in this, as they compliment it quite well, especially on the finish. Big thanks to Gary and the deschutes crew for ignoring the cries of us impatient craftlovers and leaving it in those barrels until they thought it was done. Mouthfeel is quite nice, nothing unreal about it, but a good solid representation. Drinkability is very good, and quite dangerous, as this one drinks like your average belgian oud bruin, but is quite high in content for the style. The 9 (11?)% alcohol in this beer is very well hidden.

Overall, I like it. It is not the most amazing oud bruin in the world, and the bottles (to be reviewed later) are quite spendy. What is most exciting about this oud bruin to me, is that it is a very fine representation of the style, (despite the high abv) and it is brewed in america. I am glad we are starting to see some breweries getting some good flemish style ales on the market. It shows much promise for the future of american brewing, as far as the somewhat more obscure belgian styles. A good beer, and a solid representation of the style (aside from the beefed up abv!) haha.

Serving type: on-tap

09-13-2008 04:30:45 | More by AKBelgianBeast

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

ccrida

Oregon

3.18/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Draught at the PDX pub, 10 oz in a large snifter, The Dissident is a clear, rusty amber with a small, bone colored, large bubbled collar that leaves scattered lace.

Smell is mostly cherry juice, not the kiddie kind, more natural food store, but still dominantly cherry, with alcohol and a bit of vinegary acetic acid. As it warms from the pretty much ice cold serving temp, it gains a metallic sharpness.

Taste is also very heavy on the cherries and booze, with lots of residual sugar and very little sourness. Chalky, and with a fair amount of fusels for a 9% fruit beer. Not overly sweet though, the dryness of the alcohol really cuts it on the finish. I just really wanted more tartness, and cleaner alcohol wouldn't have hurt either. This is just your average Oud Bruin with cherries, on the stronger, fruity end of the spectrum, which I don't care for as much. I just wish there was more funk - less Redbach and more Grand Cru please!
Before I even tried this though, I assumed the crow on the label was an obvious nod to the Duchesse and assumed it would be more in that vain, so I can't say I'm too surprised!

Mouthfeel is slick, but with a pretty lush, soft carbonation that cuts the viscosity, which is thick.

Drinkability is ok, but it was really a let down for me. I was hoping for a local version of Rodenbach Grand Cru, but this one is no where near as tart, complex or attenuated, and much fruitier. Now that I'm thinking of it, I'm not sure how much oak I got out of it either. Which is weird because oak aging is traditionally only used for Flanders Reds, which I vastly prefer to Oud Bruins, which this is sort of trying to be. Bottom line is it's really not my taste...also, it shouldn't have been served ice cold, but I didn't have time to sit there for an hr to wait for it to warm up.
Most telling is the blurb on the menu that cites "arguing for more time in the cellar..." Indeed! Less cherry juice and more funk and it would be better, and I'm hoping the bottles I bought will develop that after some serious long term storage. I just hope it doesn't turn to vinegar, or have all that sugar ferment into bottle bombs!
I had a bottle with a steak (Flanders style beers are my favorite pairing with steak), and it fared rather well, but still needed more acidity to match the fat.

Serving type: on-tap

09-05-2008 03:39:44 | More by ccrida

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

dac

California

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

On tap at the Deschutes pub in Bend and again at Deschutes in Portland.

Tawny brown, some lace on top, little head and some lace around the rim of the snifter.

Lacto-Brett sour aromas, slight acetic malt vinegar aroma.

Delightfully sour, cherries come trough as more of a cherry-pit flavor, but are very subdued. Malt sweetness can be detected, but the beer is quite balanced presenting both malt and sour notes in a quite pleasing manner.

Mouthfeel is a bit thin for the advertised %ABV. This is a labeled as big beer but it sure doesn't feel that big.

Very drinkable. Easy to knock back a few in a sitting once they warm up a bit. I was surprised the Deshutes pubs were serving them at about 32 degrees.

Good enough that shell out more than few greenbacks for a case of bottles.

Serving type: on-tap

09-04-2008 03:28:15 | More by dac

MisterClean

California

4.33/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Y'all going to kill me for introducing this one from memory. Poured for me at the Oregon Brewers Dinner on 7/23/08. Stoked to get a sneak preview. You may just want to shell out the $50 next year, it's worth it ;)

A - Pours a murky brown, with little head and retention. Leaves slight legs though.

S - Wow sour! I love the sourness of flemish style ales, and this one is potent. Lots of brett, slight banana ester, and dark cherries.

T - Dark cherries and brett dominate the taste with a slightly earthy finish.

M - The sourness really kicks you in the teeth. Almost makes you pucker and practically esconds the cherries.

D - This would be an excellent dessert beer to pair with a hearty cheese or a nut based dessert (walnuts or cashew). A solid effort and a great beer by Deschutes, though I felt they went a little nuts on the yeast and could have left more of a cherry flavor.

Serving type: on-tap

08-19-2008 05:21:15 | More by MisterClean