The Dissident - Deschutes Brewery

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