Mirror Mirror - Deschutes Brewery

jegross2

Illinois

1.35/5  rDev -67.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

2009 vintage. Consumed a few months ago. Found my notes on this one. They're brief and to the point. I did not know there were prominent infection issues before I drank this.

A: Poured a hazy copper red/brown color with a half finger layer of creamy tan head. Average lacing/retention. 4/5

S: Caramel malt, brown sugar, vanilla and an off-puting fruity funkiness. 2/5

T/M: The aroma keyed me in to an expectation of something being off, but I did not expect this beer to be as so pungently unbalanced and undrinkable as it was. I took a large first sip (a big mistake) and the unholy medley of sugary and fruity funk and boozed toffee malt literally made me throw up. I've never had such a mess that I didn't brew myself. Very disappointed. Immediate drain pour. 1/5

O: To their credit, Deschutes sent me a very nice handwritten note explaining the infection issues and apologizing (they also reimbursed me for the bottle). They definitely were on top of their game in solving customer service issues related to the infection. That said, I would never trade for the 2009 vintage again.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 18:25:07 | More by jegross2

waltonc

Colorado

1.8/5  rDev -57.1%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

If by "imperial series," deschutes means "infected," then this beer is as advertised. This beer was great when fresh, but fell off a cliff in spite of the label's claim that this it should be aged. Smells heavily of cilantro, as well as a dash of orange and mint. An unfortunate combination that spoils any enjoyment I would have otherwise derived from sipping this brew - which otherwise could be slightly enjoyable in spite of the brett funk (a la BA Dipsea w/Brett). Unfortunately the cacophony of of clashing notes in the small makes this bottle of Mirror Mirror undrinkable.

Overall, yet another deschutes disaster. I look forward to Deschutes hopefully turning it around this year with the Black Butte XXIII release.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2011 04:01:02 | More by waltonc

Ungertaker

Minnesota

1.95/5  rDev -53.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

2009 vintage poured into a Deschutes snifter.

A- a clean, gold/copper body with a very light tan head.

S- something is definitely wrong here. There is a sour-like funk that seams out of place. Once beyond those things, a caramel/toffee-like aroma is faintly present.

T- dang it!!! It is infected. The funky flavor dominates.

M- medium to thick with a fair amount or carbonation.

O- The infection killed what would have abviously been a great brew. I would have loved to review this without having this issue, but I cannot get myself to track another bottle down. Drain pour.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 20:33:04 | More by Ungertaker

Arbitrator

California

2.28/5  rDev -45.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Lightly chilled bottle into a glass. A little short of the "best after" date, but it's close enough.

A: Pours a clear, caramely-copper bourbon-like body. Retention is short to moderate. Some trails of lacing down the sides.

S: Fruity esters (green apple, cherries, plums) with a strong red wine character; it actually reminds me of grape candy, like a lollipop or something. The hops have essentially faded out at this point; mild remnants of citrus and earth, but nothing like what it was fresh. And that's expected, but the malt character is still muddled and developing.

T: Like the nose, it's not all that hoppy. Caramel malt defines the taste, with tart green apple, cherry, and plum entering the picture. There is also a strong undercurrent of grape flavor more than "red wine"; like I said above, it reminds me of candy. Quite sweet. The booze has faded out, and so have the hops, although some earthiness is still present. Again, "muddled" comes to mind. So far it hasn't gone anywhere interesting.

M: My fresh on-tap review complained about the flavors being too complex and not integrated. Now they're not complex enough, but still not integrated (or well-defined)! The booze has faded out, but the beer still needs time to come together, I feel.

D: I've got a few more bottles of this; I'm just going to age them long-term (several years) and see where they go. Right now they're not doing all that well. I liked the beer substantially better fresh.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2010 20:11:44 | More by Arbitrator

drabmuh

Maryland

2.33/5  rDev -44.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Attempt number 3 on this beer and I've decided to finally write a review of it. At the time of this review, this is the #10 English Barleywine. Served in a Russian River -tion glass.

Beer is brown and hazy with a thin off white head, no lacing, moderate carbonation.

Aroma is vinegar and tartness like cherries.

Beer is thin and burns on the back of the palate, very tart on the back end and vinegar throughout. SHAME on you Deschutes.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 12:23:06 | More by drabmuh

Jwale73

Rhode Island

2.73/5  rDev -35%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I think this one is courtesy of rwinzing. 2009 vintage served in my Old Stock snifter at 52 degrees. Pours a semi-hazy caramel color with a loose, bubbly, quarter inch head that quickly disperses towards the edges leaving a soapy skim across the surface. Sheets of lacing are revealed on the tilt side of the glass, but exhibits weak legs. Nose expresses a slightly metallic aroma, ethanol and a malty/tart quality (perhaps sour green apples). Flavors start off with a suggestion of toasted malts at the beginning, but this quickly succumbs to a brett-like sour funk towards the middle and back. Mouthfeel is medium-light with a lively carbonation (just too assertive for the style) some acidity that comes out towards the back and a slightly dry finish. Well, I was hoping that this wasn't going to be the case, but unfortunately this bottle is totally off - one of the worst, if not the worst English barleywine beers I've had. It's tolerable, but not at all on-par with what the beer should be. I have to say that I'm not surprised at the outcome, but I am pretty disappointed.

Had the opportunity to re-visit the same vintage on 6/25/2011 thanks to Thirstybird.

A - 4.0 A hazy caramel hue with a thin band of frothy foam around the edges.
N - 3.5 Boozy, a slightly vinous quality, candied dark fruits and a light hops presence.
T - 4.0 Caramely, a bit medicinal with a clear hops presence at the finish.
M - 3.5 Medium-light in consistency with a lively carbonation and some alcohol heat towards the back.
D - 4.0 Closer to an American Barleywine than an English Barelywine in my opinion due to the assertiveness of the hops character. Decent, but not earth shattering; however, much better than the infected version.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2011 23:44:53 | More by Jwale73

hopsbreath

Oregon

2.98/5  rDev -29%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Found this in a small rinky dink looking grocery store in St. Helens Oregon. That seems just remarkable to me. A Deschutes Reserve beer in a small grocery store? Oregonians have got it made! Split the bomber with my wife into two over sized red wine glasses. The appearance was of dark murky passion fruit juice. I prefer clearer barley wines or ones with richer colors such as ruby hues. The smell was fairly boring. The hops are practically gone but what is left smells like communal grape juice. Just boring generic grape smells dominate the nose. The taste has a little coffe in it and standard muddled fruity esters. mouthfeel has appropriate carbonation and the drinkability was what was expected for a beer with this much alcohol.

I was not impressed by this Reserve beer from Deschutes but that is a first. I had this back in December and did not review it but remembered it fondly. Revisiting it I was excited but ultimately let down. For $12 there is very little value in this offering and I will recommend everyone to avoid it. I have had better $4 bombers of Barley wine that I enjoyed more. Deschutes is still top notch in my eyes but perhaps the best after April 2010 date was a little misguided.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2010 01:38:05 | More by hopsbreath

oakbluff

Manitoba (Canada)

3/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

2009 vintage bomber- appearance- muddy orange/tangerine, minimal head, close to zero lacing. Nose- vinous, almost kind of funky. A truly odd nose to this beer, wet funky wood. Taste- sweet caramel, followed by that same odd funk. Not infected but the astrigency from the hops and wood interplay strangely with the very sweet malts. Finish is bitter and boozy, with hop bitterness coming through in the end. Fairly thick mouthfeel. Drinkability is not great. I had higher expectations for this beer. Perhaps one to drink fresh and not cellar?

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2011 00:50:01 | More by oakbluff

BarrytheBear

Wisconsin

3.05/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottled generously shared by JP....welcome back friend! So nice to slam the Cubs and talk baseball and beer.

2009 into a wine glass. Amber with a thin cover and a concerted stream of tiny bubbles at the center. Nice legs but little to no lacing.

Smells of rich sweet toffee and hot medicinal hops.

Tastes much the same. Hot, hot, heat, pine sol hops, toffee, brown sugar, and strong oak and tannins at the the back end. The vaporous diesel blanket really smothers many of what I can only assume are some solid flavors underneath.

My initial impression of this beer two years ago was this needs time. Nothing has changed. This beer seems to have remained static and neither improved nor regressed. As is, this isn't a great barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2011 04:18:33 | More by BarrytheBear

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.05/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle shared by Thorpe429. Thanks Mike.

2009 vintage

The beer is copper/orange hued with a thin, off white head that leaves sparse lacing on the tulip. The aroma offers brettanomyces, alcohol, oak, vanilla, and candied malt. The beer is just ok, and unorthodox for the style. An odd mix of sweet and sour. I don't dislike the beer, per se, but this hardly resembles a barleywine of any sort. Deschutes needs to fix these quality control issues and stop releasing infected beers.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 22:04:13 | More by Huhzubendah

JAXSON

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -25%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2009 rate.

Bottle. Pours a clear reddish with a pretty large head. Aroma is sweet raisins and a really pronounced burned cashew thing that is really off-putting. Bad. Sweet and pretty creamy in the mouth, some nice dark fruit presence shines. But a heavy bittering element really clashes here. Not sure whether this is supposed to be a hoppy expression or not. Too sweet, not balanced, and the burned nut thing going on is just bad in my opinion. On a positive note it's not all that hot for an 11% beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2010 03:33:26 | More by JAXSON

ibbjamin

California

3.18/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Paid $11.99 for a bomber from BevMo in San Jose, CA. I pour into a large snifter to review. This is the 2009 reserve and I am tasting in December 2011, so it has been cellared for approximately 1.5-2 years.

Pour is moderately thick with a 3/4" dense, light beige head after a relatively aggressive pour. A nice layer of retention remains which thickens up quite a bit on the inner rim of the glass. A murky brownish amber color. Great lacing.

Taste is boozy barleywinesque. Lots of caramel malts and muted grassy/herbal hops. The hops smell as if they have really toned down over the cellaring time. Fruity aromas of white grape, candied fruit and plum add moderate complexity. Oak, rum booze and even hints of butterscotch are detected. The alcohol seems a bit too noticeable for this being 11%.

Taste is quite sweet with lots of caramel and rummy booze. Not quite a hot mess, but certainly hotter than I would like. Not sure the cellaring of this has helped it, the alcohol is not really tamed and the hops have faded. Candied raisin is strong with more hints of butterscotch. The oakiness is detected, but more of a presence would certainly benefit its taste.

Full body and excellent level of carbonation which I am happy with considering the age and style of the beer. Pretty smooth drinking and it has a medium length finish of rum, caramel and candied raisin.

Overall, a seemingly average barleywine which I do not think improved with cellaring.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2011 03:14:16 | More by ibbjamin

iD9

California

3.23/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served in a straight pint.

Appearance: Hazy, unfiltered look. A combination of muddy oranges and lighter amber colors. Pours with a light white head. Dissipates quickly and leaves little lacing.

Smell: I get the typical fruity notes of barleywines although the aroma seems fairly light. I do get some heavy malty notes and just a touch of booze.

Taste: Smooth, and a little spicy. I do get a few of the chewy fruity notes of the typical barleywine style but not much. This beer seems pretty bland to me.

Mouthfeel: Smooth medium bodied. Fairly pleasant.

Drinkablity: Very drinkable. The subtle flavors and smooth mouthfeel make this beer drinkable in every sense of the word.

I'll be honest, I was pretty excited for this beer and it dissapointed me in almost every way. I can't help but wonder if I got a bad bottle? It just doesn't seem right. Alas...

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2010 05:06:05 | More by iD9

FtownThrowDown

Ohio

3.28/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared by PWoods.
Ruby brown in color. Little bit of froth on the pour.
Smell is huge malt flavor. A little bit of toffe and just a hint of sweetness.
Some faint hops in the flavor. Huge malt and toffee flavors. Pretty big in the mouthfeel. Not a whole lot of hops, which I appreciate and fairly full on the mouthfeel.
A true sipper that you have to let warmup. Good beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2009 04:06:02 | More by FtownThrowDown

jrallen34

Illinois

3.28/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I drank this from a 22oz bottle into a Rochefort glass.

This beer is a medium red brown that has a really nice redish tent to it. The head is light tan rising about a finger but is gone right away. The lacing is light.

The aroma is light but nice and sweet with lots of raisins, toffee, and vanilla on the nose.

The taste is a little of a let down because there is a weird bitterness at the beginning and end of the sip. The end sip has a lot of alcohol and pine, which really isn't appealing.

The feel is pretty watery and the drinkability is restrainded by the bitter end.

overall, this isn't a great barleywine and probably one I would skip unless you're a huge abw fan.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2009 02:13:53 | More by jrallen34

bamadog

Kentucky

3.28/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

So, I've been dipping into the cellar a bit this weekend and last night I got an infected beer, and I think that my bad luck is continuing... This one smells a wee-bit funky/tart... Dammit. Oh well, let's give it a shot anyway. Review is from notes taken on 5/13/2012 and poured from the bottle to a snifter.

Appearance: Pour is a ruddy coppery color and is reminiscent of apple code; starts with a short 1/4 finger head that lingers a bit and eventually fades to a thin, nearly complete skim; body is murky and difficult to see into, but there is decently strong tiny strands of carbonation bubbling up near the sides; some sticky oily residue

Smell: Tart, acidic green apples (likely from the infection... again, dammit...); some sweet caramel maltiness and a touch of bitter hop still lingers. All in all, not bad, but I would imagine it would be superior without the slight taint to it. Fortunately I have another that may not be bugged.

Taste: As mentioned, there is definitely a tart and acidic green apple presence to it along with a saccharine funk, and it's strong up front, but followed nicely by the big caramel malts; still a fair amount of grassy and bitter hop presence in the back; some booze as well. Not displeased, but again, I feel this would be an amazing beer otherwise...

Mouthfeel: Body is of medium weight and the carbonation is still strong, but comes across as smooth and soft; bit of a sticky coating left on the palate and teeth; belly is left warm and tingly from the acidity, funk and booze.

Overall: See above... not too bad, even with the infection, but could be sooo much better. Que sera sera. Better luck next time, I guess.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 01:04:22 | More by bamadog

Ryan011235

Ohio

3.3/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a snifter on 10/25/10

2009 vintage - best after 4/20/10. Really though, what isn't best after 420? Too-easy-drug-refernce self-five!

Much appreciation to Nickd717 for the bottle

Copper & crimson in color with light brown highlights. Dense but far from murky. One finger head dissipates to a skim & some bubbles. Swirling revives a collar of foam. One strand of lace on half the glass & sporadic splotches elsewhere.

Subtle complexity describes the nose; surprising, I suppose, for an 11% abv barleywine. Nips of hops meander about. Undertones of toasted caramel, brown sugar & figs. Occasionally I get a hint of spiciness - almost like cinnamon. Some wood aromatics, too. Wisps on cherries. Actually, my first impression was a resemblance to a cherry-vanilla fountain coke. A spot of booze, as well.

At this age, I hear the hops have started to taper off. It certainly tastes like that may be the case, though there is still a modest hop kick upfront. The early middle expresses not-too-sweet caramel & other toasted sugars. The later middle offers a spicy note that seems bourbon-like & alcohol heat. The finish continues the heat & adds an oak note & a hint of vanilla. Kind of starts tasting like a whiskey & coke as it gets warm.

For the style Mirror Mirror is medium in body. Carbonation is lower than moderate, so it's a slow-moving beer. Alcohol adds an overall slickness, while there is a granular undercurrent. Residual sugars & spiciness creep back after the finish.

This seems like an almost bizarre take on the style. It isn't superb but I don't dislike it. Rather, I imagine it would be an ideal barleywine to age for various intervals. Presently, it seems to be in an awkward phase. I would like to revisit this at some point.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2010 01:27:28 | More by Ryan011235

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.3/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a tulip glass.

Thanks to Alpar for sharing this bottle!

I will resist the urge to make the Snow White reference here...but not the urge to mention it. So there. Anyway, this stuff pours a murky ruby-amber topped by about a half-finger or so of off-white foam. The nose comprises vague horse blanket brett, ruby reg grapefruit, orange zest, and a healthy dose of caramel. The taste holds notes of brett (now more spider-webby than horse blankety), orange flesh, mashed potatoes, parsley, and caramel. Gotta say, this was not a very pleasant flavor combination here. The body is a hefty-leaning medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a dry finish. Overall, I was in no way impressed with this brew. It wasn't entirely bad, per se, but I do not feel like partaking again in the near future.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2011 21:23:17 | More by TMoney2591

weatherdog

Illinois

3.33/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

22oz. black waxed 2009 bottle poured into several snifters at a tasting with Tony in March.

It pours a copper orange hue with just a little ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass. A subsequent pour had some haziness to it.

The nose was fairly muted, it had some sweetness and some kind of muddled indiscernible green hop smell to it. Some alcohol was present as well.

The taste had the typical crystal malt sweetness of a barleywine complimented by a good dose of bitterness to tell the drinker this is American styled. The back end flavor was kind of like an alcoholic candy. It was very sweet and too cloying for me to fully enjoy it. The second pour added some spiciness to it I'm attributing to the addition of some yeast.

The beer was very full bodied and had a large amount of carbonation which was too much for my personal preference. I really didn't find this particular example very drinkable mostly due to the huge amount of sweetness. I just felt really full after eight or so ounces.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2010 19:18:30 | More by weatherdog

SpeedwayJim

New York

3.35/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2009 vintage. Thanks to mikesgroove for this one. A long time want that I just never got around to trading for. 22oz waxed and capped bomber poured into a Darkness snifter.

Beer pours a nice 1 finger smooth, light cream colored head with awesome retention. Color is a cloudy mahogany with an orange huge. Lacing is stringy and spotty with minimal stick but legs are outstanding. Really a good looking beer.

Nose is slightly awkward for a barleywine. Citrus, resin, pine, and a creamy hoppiness. Characteristic caramel, brown sugar, and toffee notes are almost entirely missing. Not bad, but not appropriate for the style.

Opens citrus and cane sugar. Some resin hop bitterness towards the middle with some slight alcohol lingering in the back. Spicy at the end with a touch of brown sugar and more citrus notes. Finish is an accented spice with creamy cane sugar in the aftertaste. Very unique.

Medium bodied with low carbonation. Creamy and smooth in the mouth and silky going down. Finish is accented with a lingering aftertaste. Slightly too hot but still solid for the style.

A solid barleywine but not at all what I expected for the style. Tastes almost like an aged IIPA with all the citrus and cane sugar notes that come to the forefront. Nice, but it doesn't have the flavor profile that I want from a barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2011 16:40:37 | More by SpeedwayJim

PhxHorn

Arizona

3.35/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had this one aging for two years and finally tried it. Pours a red/brown with a quarter inch of head. Smells fruity and a little bit sour. Tastes fruity like a barleywine should, but as I work my way through it, it loses complexity and turns out to be unremarkable. Carbonation is fine, but this is nothing special, especially for the $13 a bottle I paid for it.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 00:03:53 | More by PhxHorn

Beaver13

Colorado

3.38/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle, 2005 reserve (bought 6 months ago). Pours a reddish copper with a thin head that quickly diminishes.

The aroma is sweet caramel and toffee, dark fruits, and some vinous, slightly medicinal, alcohol.

The flavor is sweet caramel malts, a little fruitiness, and a medicinal alcohol bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium to full with soft velvety carbonation.

Overall, it has kind of a harsh flavor. I remember this being smoother when I had it fresh which is kind of odd. It's not bad though and goes down surprisingly easily.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2006 06:03:33 | More by Beaver13

NorCalYeti

California

3.38/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

taste- sweet malt, muted hop character, flat

color- deep amber

clarity- clear

smell- yeast, mead, red wine, wood

body- smooth body with a medium length finish, slightly bitter finish

appearance- some active carbonation, little head, no lace, nice color

overall impression- disappointed, i almost think the beer is flat even though it was just purchased, very mediocre. i've had this beer at barleywine festivals and had a different opinion...maybe it doesn't translate in the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2009 05:35:14 | More by NorCalYeti

billshmeinke

California

3.38/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Over a year old bottle poured into a Lost Abbey tulip.

Pours ruby in color, semiopaque. The color of this beer is very nice. One finger off white head. Resides fairly quickly to a layer of foam on top, and eventually to a ring of foam.

Smells of dark berries and a hint of vanilla, kind of one dimensional. The smell also reminds me of Dr. Pepper.

Tastes of fruits, dark berries, vanilla, very slight oak barrel presence, leafy hop bitterness and a sort of oaky bitterness. Smoke, and hop bitterness linger. Bitterness is still pretty bold.

Mouthfeel is pretty full bodied. Mid carbonation and a slight bite.

This beer tastes very hoppy, but in an aged not very tasty kinda way. The hop presence is mostly just bitter without contributing positively to the flavor profile. I don't see how any more age could improve this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2010 05:07:36 | More by billshmeinke

Chaney

District of Columbia

3.4/5  rDev -19%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Fist of all, I want to that OakedCanuck for sending me this one almost two years ago in only my second trade. Thanks Colin!

Served in a snifter.

A: Poured an extremely dark, burnt sienna brown, with a slight orange hue once I held it up to the light. I actually got about a one finger head that melted into a mere ring around the brew.

S: I got a VERY intense caramel-Mallow crème component upfront…… more so than just about any other BW I’ve ever smelled. Additionally, this ALMOST had a slight sourness to it, but not quite.

T: This was both muddy, very boozy, and ultimately uninteresting. Seriously, even for an oaked-aged English BW, this had a skimpy hop profile that didn’t pop in any way. The booze actually burned my esophagus as I ingested this.

M: Sugary and with a mild prickle. Once again, this was in dying need of some sort of high pitched hop sizzle to add complexity and wake the palate up. There was some mild, splotchy lacing, but nothing to write home about.

O: I’ve liked most Deschutes products I’ve tried in my life, but this was a big disappointment….. boring even. I guess, if sugar cubes infused with pure grain alcohol is your thing, then knock yourself out.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 13:24:09 | More by Chaney