Red Chair IPA - Deschutes Brewery

July2Nov

Hawaii

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Note* Had this one in the refrigerator for a while, and since it is a retired beer, I decided to bring it out and finally taste it.

Appearance: Opaque sunburst amber color with a great frothy, one-inch head and plenty of carbonation racing to the top. Beautiful.

Smell: I could smell this one from about a foot away. Potent! Slightly sour, with bread notes pouring out. Citrus also noted near the end.

Taste & Mouthfeel: Mild hops straight away. Spikes up just a bit and then smooths back down (buttery biscuit flavor) for a mellow and highly drinkable IPA. Aftertaste has that dry-mouth tingle.

Drinkability: Much like it's successor, this "Red Chair IPA" is easily, one of the smoothest IPA's out there. Becoming more of a fan of IPA'sl and as always...a HUGE fan of the Deschutes Brewery and all of there beers, even though it took me so long to finally pull this one out.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2010 01:19:03 | More by July2Nov

ShadesOfGray

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12oz bottle into my tasting snifter. Pours a hazy golden color with a nice size frothy white head. Head dissipates to a creamy surface. No real lacing to speak of, just a few random bubbles here and there.

Aroma is different. Can definitely pick up the hops, but a strange fruit smell I can't quite put my finger on. Almost like pear? Has a slight malty aroma.

Flavor is ok, nothing special...pretty average. Light and crisp mouthfeel. Carbonation is pretty high...not a bad thing though. Mostly faded hops...not sure if I have an older bottle...but overall, a decent IPA...nothing special thouh.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2010 17:38:06 | More by ShadesOfGray

maximum12

Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Deschutes, welcome to Minnesota! Bottles as well as kick-off parties today & it's a good day to have another excellent brewery enter the state. And thanks to chickencoop for shipping me this in a recent exchange. No idea this one was retired already.

Choppy orange leaning compass-wise towards reddish. Smell is soapy hops, pine underneath. Someday someone is going to tell me which variety of hop creates that soap smell.

Red Chair is a subdued, milder IPA. The malts & hops do an intricate dance, complete with ribbons, that bind them together & makes it difficult to tell where one begins & the other leaves off. A faint, almost raspberry taste darts in & is immediately run off by the ending hops, but it's there. Nice bitter finish. As the nose, so the taste, with soap & pine blitzing over the malt in the end.

Drinkable as all get out. A gulper. The soapy feeling is followed up by a clean dryness that makes me reach for more quickly.

Overall very good. Haven't tried the new formulation, but this is a beer that appears not to have needed further tweaking. Ah, well.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2010 01:42:25 | More by maximum12

champ103

Texas

3.23/5  rDev -17%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Pours a hazy orange color. A two finger white head forms with decent retention. Not much lace is left behind.
S: A big juicy hop aroma up front. Citrus and grapefruit. Some sugary, caramel malt lingers to balance everything out.
T: Tons of juicy and bitter hops. Huge grapefruit and citrus again. that lingers on and on. The balance that was in the nose is all but gone.
M/D: There is medium carbonation. Though this is to much on the thin and watery side for my liking. The bitterness makes this harder to drink than I would like.

A one and done purchase for me. Not one of Deschutes better offerings. Their Inversion IPA is much better IMO, it seems like the brewery agrees since this is recently retired.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2010 20:53:57 | More by champ103

Gyle41386

South Carolina

4.08/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Guess we had one of the bottles before the "retirement."

Amber-orange pour. Not much foam, light rings of lacing on the glass.

Nice citric hop nose with some light caramel malt.

Lightly sweet malt up front, then plenty of citric (orange, specifically) hops. Very hoppy without being overly bitter; just good hop flavor throughout.

Light-medium body with tingly carbonation. Very easy drinker.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2010 22:33:40 | More by Gyle41386

ybnorml

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

retired eh. well i musta got one of the last bottles. THANKS John.
A cloudy dark amber beer. Has a creamy off white head with nice lace. The aroma is grassy/herbal and malty. With a biscuity background. The taste has a slight sweet apple note on the tip of your tongue. Followed by a caramel note in the middle. There is a peppery dry hop bite on the finish. kinda close to an english style IPA. Again thanks John this was a nice drink.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2010 19:14:57 | More by ybnorml

srandycarter

California

4.22/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Like this one

A - Pours beautiful clear amber, lots of off white head, reduces to ring fast. Tons of cling lace.

S - Standard fare - huge malt factor, probably heavier on malt than hops.

T - Luscious malt center, hopped well towards end.

M - Medium body, good carb, good coating. Balance on the sweet side, but good.

D - Easy, my friend, very easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2010 05:18:22 | More by srandycarter

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.51/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Something between Mirror Pond and Inversion, although I like both of those more than this.

Pours a little darker brown than expected, but what foreshadowing. Aroma, a woodsy tinge. Taste, more of the brown flavor again hinted at in the appearance. A mellow ipa, balanced, good malt backbone, a little more than I prefer, but a good "non extreme" IPA.

Mouthfeel is cool, you can feel a little more without the over the top hop blast, drinkability suffers at $6 a 22, you can get a lot better beers for that price.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2010 20:38:44 | More by Beerandraiderfan

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

4.58/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance - even with a gentle action this baby puts up three solid fingers of cream-colored foam. A very effervescent amber/orange brew beneath it, high clarity. Very sticky lace as the head slowly recedes.

Aroma - light caramel malt, big citrusy pungent hop presence. Doesn't smell like a big beer, but the hops have a large intense bouquet to them.

Taste - oh my. A biscuity, almost tea-like start. The hops are very orangey with just the mildest grapefruit edge. Big but not bitter, the swallow and aftertaste show plenty of substance without the medicinal component often paired with heavy hop usage. Excellent balance, the finish has plenty of hoppy dryness to it and just a touch of warmth in the throat when it's all said and drank.

Mouthfeel - smoother than it is creamy, the carbonation and medium body keep it from feeling overly heavy.

Drinkability - an ideal session IPA in my book. Not too spicy, extremely flavorful, and a respectable abv. Kudos to BGThang for getting this into my hands. Thanks dude!

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2010 20:28:46 | More by brewdlyhooked13

taxguyjase

New Mexico

3.65/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pouring a pale amber with a pretty foamy almond head, the Red Chair IPA from Deschutes Brewery is mouth watering to look at. There's a really nice hit of piney hops when you take a whiff of the beer. Those hops are really potent and sour, but sweetness from the malt balances it out very nicely. Makes for a very favorable IPA that isn't just a bunch of pungent hops. There is some bitterness, but nothing that will pucker your face up. Definitely good mouth coverage, as light sourness sticks around. Light carbonation gives it a nice thickness and a medium body. Smooth going down.

Appearance - 4.5/5.0 - Pale amber, foamy almond head. got my mouth watering
Smell -3.5/5.0 - Piney hops with some sourness
Taste - 4.0/5.0 - Sour hops blend well with lightly sweet malt; very favorable
Feel -4.0/5.0 - Light carbonation, medium body, some thickness
Drinkability - 3.0/5.0 - Very enjoyable, but not my favorite IPA. Wouldn't go out of my way to get it again.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2010 22:13:32 | More by taxguyjase

CHILLINDYLAN

Washington

4.15/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Copper with tangerine and cherry highlights. Small tannish bubbly head. long slender lacing.

Herbal and citrus, lemon peel. Toasty bready caramel backing. Hint of esterous yeast.

Hop juicy orange, lemon peel, bit of grapefruit. medicinal caramel and toasted crackers. herbal and medicinal in the aftertaste, pine, hemp, tea leaf. Not a big bitter IPA. Well balanced and good hop taste.

Smooth, refreshing, lively carbonation, slightly sticky and dry. med body.

Good, well balanced, not too bitter IPA. very drinkable. Good intro into IPAs?

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2010 21:40:47 | More by CHILLINDYLAN

birdypowder

Oregon

4.28/5  rDev +10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Red Chair creates its own category on the label calling itself a North West Pale Ale. I would put it into the strong pale category. The hop aroma definitely approaches IPA levels but the bitterness does not. This makes the beer more sessionable, though at 6.4% ABV, not too sessionable.

Aroma:
Big hop nose hits you first. Some citrus and a little pine. Once past that you can find a mild berry aroma.

Appearance:
Medium sized off-white head that dissipated fairly quickly leaving a thin layer of foam on top of the beer. Some slight lacing. Copper in color with a noticeable haze.

Taste:
Big hop kick up front, then a very smooth middle which shows off some delicious malt sweetness, again berries come to mind. Throughout the hops are showcased but the beer remains in balance. Medium bodied.

Finish:
There is no big bitter finish like an IPA would have. Instead the hops are still noticeable and a very mild bitterness lingers for just a bit. Very satisfying, it gets you ready for the next sip.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2010 07:58:37 | More by birdypowder

sprucetip

Alaska

4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes. Clear, copper, active, with modest white head, good retention and lacing. Very attractive. SMELL is rich and malty, balanced by floral and grassy hops. Has legs. TASTE like gthe nose, a smooth and delicately balanced blend of rich maltiness and floral hoppiness with restrained bitterness and a clean finish. FEEL med/full body, some fiz, abit of warming and a rich viscous texture. OVERALL totally sessionable, full flavored IPA with some depth and complexity.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2009 06:09:35 | More by sprucetip

SkeeterHawk

Texas

3.78/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This beer was a gift to me from one of my customers after I helped them a little in planning a beer party off hours. Anyway, this is probably not a beer I would have bought myself, so, thanks, Natalie!

Appearance: Pours a mostly clear slightly burnt ornage color with a small, but thick, head of off white bubbles. The bubbles are tight and fall slowly leaving a decent amount of lacing on the glass when it falls.

Aroma: I initially get the (to be expected) "C" hops in the aroma along with a rather pleasant toasty malt aroma and some sweetness from crystal malts. It has a nice complexity and balance so that you can actually pick out some of the malts.

Taste: The beer itself is pretty good with a decent interplay of malt and hops pretty much the whole way through and especially in the finish. The malt takes a supporting role as it should in this style, but still is able to add balance in the finish. There is a slight chalky feeling left on the back of the throat that lingers for quite some time with the bitterness...this is a little unpleasant to me. Overall the beer has a pleasant mouthfeel and finishes with enough body and sweetness to let you know that this beer is not very small and shouldn't be taken lightly.

Opinion: This beer is actually pretty good for this style. I am not a hop-head, so I am sure that I am not appreciating this beer as much as others would...however, it is an easy drinking brew with a nice overall aroma and flavor profile. I will certainly finish this bomber bottle, but I don't know if I will be buying it in the near future.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2009 01:16:52 | More by SkeeterHawk

aglose45

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to alexd3891 for this fine beverage in a trade!

A: Poured a beautiful golden amber with an off-white head.

S: Smells a bit of tart citrus fruit, but there is a strong malty, bread-like sweetness backing it up.

T: There is a hint of citrus in there, but I'm also getting a good amount of pine. However, there is more malt flavor than I expect in an IPA.

M: The mouthfeel is very solid. There is a good level of carbonation and an okay amount of stickiness from the hops.

D: This beer drinks very easily, and i enjoyed it. If I had my way I would have it be a bit hoppier, but overall I did enjoy it. I would drink it again, but wouldn't actively seek it out. Also, I sat on this bottle for a bit, so that probably had something to do with the lacking hop "pop" that I was looking for...

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2009 03:11:20 | More by aglose45

RonfromJersey

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Hazy red orange body, topped by four fingers of creamy white dentable foam.

Fresh pine and citrus aroma is heavily enticing without being overpowering.

A sweet malt foundation pours down the center of the tongue while simultaneously juicy fruity hops burst along the roof of the mouth. Nice hop bite at the swallow, and a fine tingle into the aftertaste. Great balance for an ipa.

Firm if not quite chewable mouthfeel, it carries the beer well down the throat.

Fine drinkability. Enjoying this bottle and wouldn't mind another.

Just noticed a "best by" date of 08/19. If this beer is three months past prime and is still this good, it must be something fresh.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2009 06:00:28 | More by RonfromJersey

Ryan011235

Ohio

3.6/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a snifter on 10/5/09

Best by 10/17/09

A - Dark amber color. Slightly cloudy with a few floating particles. About 1/8th inch layer of retention. Ok lacing.

S - Rather on the light side. Floral hops are mostly what's there. Some citrus juiciness, too.

T - Very bitter. Cutting & harsh; a razorblade of pine hop lacerates the palate. Watery swaths of floral & citrus (grapefruit, orange peel & maybe a bit of lemon peel). Faint hints of dry & burnt bread.

M - Thin mouthfeel with potent & prickly carbonation. This is a scrappy critter. Dry bitterness on the finish. Almost off-putting. Almost. The beer becomes a tad more forgiving as it warms.

D - This is an odd one for me. I would think twice about recommending this for someone not acclimated to hops. This would be an interesting beer were it ever on cask.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2009 06:41:10 | More by Ryan011235

Anthony1

Colorado

4.2/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bright translucent copper in appearance, loose frothy off-white head that settles to a thick cap that retains. Wide thick patches of sticky lacing.

Bready carmelized malt on the nose, floral and citrus hops, some pine and grapefruit.

Light toasted malt can't quite hold its own with the puckering piney citrus of the hops, which pretty much carry the show, no discernable breaks in the finish or aftertaste, the hops presence is consistent, yet a bit one-dimensional as a result. The mouthfeel is pleasant, a smooth, rounded medium-bodied affair, with a bit of carbonated kick on the finish to give more of a crisp than oily texture. A nice mellow IPA when all is said and done, it offers a hop kick that pleases but doesn't smack you upside the head. Yet on that note it doesn't really stand out from the American IPA throng as a result of that either. Good easy gateway beer for the style in a way, not too intimidating.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2009 18:56:18 | More by Anthony1

Ezone024

Connecticut

3.48/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

pours a clear amber/red color with lots of carbonation symetrical 1/4 white head lots of lacing down the glass.

smells malt strong with hints of piney hops slight citrus with earthy undertones.

taste is malty at the front and a really clean citrus hop feel at the end, it finishes very clean and balanced.

i've had better IPA's but this is a really tasty brew.

i'd love to get out to oregon to check out the deschutes brewery.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2009 22:02:13 | More by Ezone024

SpdKilz

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - Pours a dark amber color with about a finger of fluffy white head that dissipates relatively quickly and leaves decent lacing.

Smell - I get an extremely strong citrus/hop smell with grapefruit and some lemon. It is followed by some pine smell and finishes with some sweet overtones.

Taste - Pine, grapefruit, lemons, hops, and finishes with a sweet malty taste. Very pleasant.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied, smooth, creamy, and good carbonation.

Drinkability - Pretty drinkable. Very balanced IMO (but honestly is lacking a bit in the flavor area...wish it had a bit more punch). Good to try but probably won't seek out in the future.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2009 00:18:37 | More by SpdKilz

SargeC

Japan

4.43/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Appearance: Golden-brown colored brew with a golden-white head made up of large bubbles.

Smell: Mild hops presence, less than expected. Buttery sweetness with light smoke presence.

Taste: Deep hop flavor without excessive bitterness. It is interesting that this brew couples a clean finish with its hop flavors. Very well crafted.

Mouthfeel: Medium body. Light oily quality.

Drinkablity: Easy drinking brew that provides excellent flavor in a very drinkable package. This brew gets hops right.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2009 06:47:31 | More by SargeC

ReDave

California

3.73/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a orange amber color.
Very little head, no lace.
Some citrus, pine aroma, but not much.

First sip, rather balanced and i was questioning it's IPA status at first.
But as further sips continue, the hoppy was build up, thank goodness. But still with some malt rounding out still.

This is good, but not as good as the experimental hop henge.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2009 02:01:21 | More by ReDave

Pinto21

Pennsylvania

4.83/5  rDev +24.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Golden color with a touch of orange to it. Nice head retension. Just barely off white.

MMM citrus hops smell- orangey/sweet grapefruit. Some malty sweetness too

Hop taste. Not bitterness but hop flavor. taste is like the smell, citrus hops. Some of the sweet malts come through but then the hops finish it up. Very flavorful.

Mouthfeel and drinkability are great.

Reminds me of a stronger Twilight ale.
The bitterness is just enough to balance the malts, which is just enough to balance the alcohol. This is how I like my beers, BALANCED in the malt/bitter departments with lots of flavor.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2009 17:18:31 | More by Pinto21

callmemickey

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Solid, middle of the road amber body with a huge creamy off-white head which left behind massive amounts of sticky lacing.

S: Piney hops dominate with an undercurrent of grapefruit and sweet caramel malts.

T: Pleasantly delicate pine cones, grapefruit, orange and lightly toasted caramel malt.

M: Slightly thin without too much bite on the back end.

D: A very pleasant IPA, but doesn't really bang home aroma/flavor.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2009 00:37:33 | More by callmemickey

l3ilbo84

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +26%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

This beer claims to have 55IBUs yet lacks the bitterness usually associated with high IBU beers. Deschutes must have added an enormous amount of hops late in the boil. This would prevent too much alpha acid isomerization but still infuse the beer with the esters and aromas of the hops. The result is a beer with a tremendous amount of hop flavor but minimal bitterness. I should note that without the hop's bitterness, the beer is a bit on the sweeter side.

Only real complaint is that the mouthfeel is a bit thin.

Good work deschutes.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2009 03:34:34 | More by l3ilbo84